Geography of Ohio 159 



the state, but the oil and gas were regarded as a nuisance. The former 

 ruined the brine for the manufacture of salt, and the gas was regarded 

 too dangerous. Deep wells, however, did not furnish the only evidence 

 of this wealth stored in the rocks below. Sometimes ordinary water 

 wells would liberate small ciuantities of oil or gas, and occasionally these 

 products were found in still shallower excavations. At a few points oil 

 was found as a very thin film on the surface of streams, and occasionally 

 gas escaped with spring waters, the combination having been known as 

 gaseous springs. It is interesting to note that evidence of this kind 

 led later to tests at several points, with the result that valuable pools 

 of oil and reservoirs of gas were discovered in Washington, Morgan and 

 Knox counties, and finally the great Trenton limestone field itself."^" 



Pre-commercial use. Near Findlay, in 1836, a well was dug for 

 water; at a depth of ten feet it had to be abandoned because of 

 gas. Two years later a w^ell was dug in the village ; it also show^ed 

 a strong odor of gas, and could not be used for water. The owner 

 ingeniously inverted a sugar kettle over the top and conveyed 

 the gas to his house through a wooden pipe, connecting it up in 

 the fireplace by using the barrel of an old gun. In 1884 gas was 

 still in use in this fireplace." 



At East Liverpool, in 1859, a well was drilled to the depth of 

 450 feet. It is probable that this hole was made for salt. Gas, 

 however, showed, and no salt was found. In 1865 other wells were 

 drilled, this time for oil, most of them producing some gas. In 

 many instances the gas was regarded as a nuisance and the wells 

 were abandoned. In one case, the gas was piped and used in a 

 house or two and later in a pottery. 



At Painesville, in Lake County, a 700-foot w^ell was drilled in 

 1861. This was put down purposefully for gas which the owner 

 secured in sufficient quantity to use in his home. The supply was 

 still good in 1885. 



Since 1865 wells have been drilled into the Ohio shale in Lorain 

 and other counties along the lake, where this shale is near the 

 surface. The supplj^ of gas from these wells w^as in no case great, 

 but usually ample for domestic purposes. Shallow wells are 

 still being drilled in this area and most of them are successful. 

 The fact that many houses have been continuously using gas from 

 these shallow w-ells for cooking purposes and in some cases also 



1" Dr. J. A. Bownockor, Geological Survey of Ohio, Bulletin 1, (1903), p. 31. 

 11 Geologicnl Survey of Ohio, vol. vi, (1888), p. 109. 



