DEFENSE OK THE ANTICLINAL THEORY. 207 



oilfields. Most geologists know that natural gas in large quantities exists with 

 and contiguous to every oil pool, apparently as a by-product in the generation of 

 the oil, and of course' the rucks arc filled with it wherever it can find a reservoir. 

 Togas wells from such sources Mr. Ashburner's criticism may sometimes he found 

 applicable; hut, even with these, by far the larger ones will be found on the arches 

 of the rocks. 



"The cases that Mr. Ashburner mentions, where large gas wells have been found 

 at tic centers of synclines, do not necessarily contradict my conclusions ; for no one 

 knows better than he that a subordinate crumple or anticlinal roll often runsalong 

 the central line of a syncline. 



"My excuse for writing the article on natural gas was that I might he of some 

 service in preventing the waste of capital that lias been going on within a radius 

 of fifty miles from Pittsburg by an indiscriminate search for natural gas; audit 

 is a sufficient answer to Mr. Ashburner's criticism to point him to the brilliant 

 lights along the crests of the Waynesburg, Pinhook, Washington, Hull creek, Bradys 

 bend, Hickory, Wellsburig, Raccoon, and other anticlinals, and also to the darkness 

 that envelops the intervening synclines, in which hundreds of thousands of dollars 

 have been invested without developing a single profitable gas well. The same 

 result has been proven in other portions of the country'. The Great Kanawha 

 valley above Charleston has been honeycombed with borings for salt, and the only 

 gas wells developed were found within a belt a few rods wide, which coincides with. 

 the crest of the Browntown anticlinal, where immense Hows were struck. In this 

 connection I should state that Colonel Allen, of Charleston, says he can trace the 

 Browntown anticlinal by the escaping gas across streams, and even mountains, 

 from the Kanawha river to the Big Sandy, where, on its crest, near YVarfield, two 

 of the largest gas wells ever known have recently been struck. At Burning springs, 

 on the Little Kanawha, the only large gas wells were found on the very crest of the 

 great uplift in that region. The gas belt of western Ohio, through Findlay and 

 other towns, follows closely the line of the Cincinnati arch, and the same story is 

 repeated in other localities too numerous to mention. 



" Mr. Ashburner can, if he chooses, interpret these facts as mere coincidences, 

 and explain them to himself as having no more hearing on the question of finding 

 gas than " Angell's belt theory " of oil ; but the practical gas operator can no longer 

 be deluded by such logic into risking his money in water-holes (synclines) where 

 SO many thousands have been hopelessly squandered. 



"With regard to the anticlinal theory not being'a practical basis for successful 

 operations,' 1 deem it a sufficienl reply to state that all the successful gas companies 

 of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia are getting their gas from the crests of 

 anticlinal axes, while those that have confined their operations to synclines have 

 met with uniform financial disaster. 



"The statement was distinctly made in my original communication that gas 

 would not he found on all anticlinals, nor at all localities along one that actually 

 produces gas, since other factors have to be considered, as there stated; but, with 

 the facts before US, it would certainly prove a great saving of capital in the search 

 for Lias if operations were confined to the crests of the anticlinals, and I fail to 

 perceive how Mr. Ashburner's fear- for i he ■ misleading' character of my article can 

 he realized." 



Mr. Ashburner replied to this in Selene of September !, 1885, and lias written 

 further on the subject in a paper read before the American Institute of Mining 



