-^ [Feb. 21, 



land county, Pennsylvania, was read by the Secretary, as 

 follows : 



"The newspapers have doubtless informed you of a wonderful gas 

 well recently bored in the village of Murraysville, in this county. It is 

 about twelve miles north-west of this place, and is the result of an effort to 

 obtain petroleum. At the depth of 1350 feet the rush of gas was so great 

 that further boring was prevented. The tube now inserted in the well is 

 five and a half inches in diameter, and through this the gas rushes with a 

 roar that is heard distinctly at a distance of two miles. 



u A few days ago I formed one of a party to visit it, and I will now try to 

 convey to you an idea of its importance. In the ' derrick room ' a hori- 

 zontal tube has been placed on the top of the main tube, and at right angles 

 with this, four two- inch tubes have been fastened, two of them on the 

 north and two on the south side, each pair about six feet apart, thirty feet 

 in length, and raised three feet above the common level. At night a match 

 is applied to the open end of each tube, and instantly the whole country 

 around is lighted up with a brilliancy that eclipses the moon at the full. 

 At a distance of twenty feet the heat is intense." 



Mr. Lesley explained that the boring commenced in the 

 upper half of the Barren Measures, beneath the Pittsburgh 

 coal bed, and penetrated the Carboniferous rocks, to a depth 

 corresponding nearly with the horizon of the Berea Grit, 

 which holds petroleum, in Ohio. This horizon of gas seems 

 to correspond within one or two hundred feet with that of 

 the well-known Leechburg gas well on the south side of the 

 Oonemaugh River, some miles north of Murraysville, de- 

 scribed in Report of Progress (L) of the Second Geological 

 Survey of Pennsylvania, page 121. 



A communication entitled "A contribution to the Geology 

 of the Lower Amazonas ; by Orville A. Derby, M. S.," As- 

 sistant to the late Prof. Hartt, Geologist of Brazil, was read 

 by the Secretary. (See page 155, above.) 



Dr. Konig exhibited his improved chrometric apparatus : 

 but on account of the small attendance of members, post- 

 poned a fuller description to the next meeting. 



Pending nomination No. 872 was read and the meeting 

 was adjourned. 



