cclxviii GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



utilized for metallurgical purposes. "Wells for this purpose 

 have lately been sunk at and near Pittsburgh, on the Ohio 

 River at various points, and at Newcastle, in the Chenango 

 Valley. At the latter place, a well put down by Brown & 

 Berger is reported to have reached a good supply at a depth 

 of 2500 feet. At Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, a well former- 

 ly sunk for salt water was deepened several hundred feet, 

 and at the depth of 110.0 feet a strong flow was obtained, 

 which it is proposed to introduce at once into the iron and 

 steel works there; it has already been utilized by the file- 

 works at Beaver Falls for heating purposes, and it is said 

 with very economical results as to cost compared with coal, 

 while it is far superior for use in tempering. Quite recent- 

 ly a company, comprising a number of prominent iron manu- 

 facturers of Pittsburgh, purchased the " great gas-well " in 

 Butler County, Pennsylvania, with the avowed purpose of 

 bringing the gas for use as fuel to their iron-works, a dis- 

 tance of about 17 miles. It is very gratifying to add that 

 the experiment promises the best results. Pittsburgh pa- 

 pers, just to hand, convey the information that the laying 

 of the pipe has been completed, and the practicability of 

 transporting the gas for that distance (17 miles) in sufficient 

 quantity to be of utility in extensive industrial operations, 

 fully demonstrated. Twenty minutes after the gas w r as 

 turned on at the well it was rushing through the terminus 

 of the pipe at iEtna, and in volume sufficient to supply 

 double the quantity of heat required at each of the iron- 

 mills in that vicinity. The gas is conveyed through a six- 

 inch pipe, tapped where needed with tubes of smaller cal- 

 ibre, and will be introduced without delay into the furnaces 

 of numerous iron-mills. It is furthermore reported that a 

 project is being mooted to purchase all the gas-wells in 

 Butler County, and bring their product to the Pittsburgh 

 manufactories. As the feasibility of the scheme has already 

 been demonstrated, we may look for decided changes in the 

 methods of iron-making in and about Pittsburgh and the 

 region lying in the course of the suspected northern and 

 southern extension of the gas-producing belt. 



Other innovations in the direction of greater economy in 

 the use of fuel for industrial operations have been intro- 

 duced during the year just passed. In June last a new raa- 



