160 Frank Cariiey 



for heating is very suggestive of the advantage in conserving gas, 

 as will appear in the following pages; there has been much reck- 

 lessness and wastefulness in the use of gas in Ohio, as in other states. 



Commercial exploitation. Inspired by the discovery of rich 

 gas areas in adjacent states, people in Ohio, about 1884, com- 

 menced to drill deep wells. In locating these wells, there was very 

 little judgment used, save where indications of gas already gave 

 promise. Not infrequently the advice of men who knew the geo- 

 logic structure and the probabilities of certain areas producing 

 gas, was ignored. A spirit of reckless gambling pervaded most 

 communities for several years. 



At Findlay, however, there was already good reason for sus- 

 pecting the presence of gas. Drilling began there in 1884, and 

 by the end of the next j^ear thirteen wells had been completed; 

 some of these were big producers. Industries were attracted to the 

 town by grants of free fuel for five years, and in some cases* by 

 grants of building sites in addition. Factories went up on all 

 sides of the town which in less than five years increased in popu- 

 lation from 5000 to 25,000. Reckless speculation followed, and 

 gas was wastefully used, in spite of the admonitions of more judi- 

 cial citizens. Many urged that nature was making the gas as fast 

 as it left the wells, but by 1888 the flow from some of the wells 

 was already diminishing. 



The wells at and near Findlay led to drilling in adjacent terri- 

 tory. On all sides the drill was at work, and before many years 

 men had learned the outlines of the paying territory. Several 

 towns in the northwestern part of the state went into the gas 

 business. In every case special legislation had to be secured 

 at Columbus, allowing the municipalities to bond themselves to 

 put down w^ells. Business competition led to these methods. 

 The boom at Findlay encouraged Fostoria, Tifhn and other places 

 to attempt the same thing. Manufactories were installed, and 

 other wildcat projects sometimes encouraged. 



It was found that the paying territory for gas wells extended 

 northward from Findlay, through Bowling Green and North 

 Baltimore. But in this whole area, by the year 1890, the gas flow 

 had so declined that numerous factories either shut down, or 

 removed from the towns. If some federal or state power could 

 have imposed upon these communities an appreciation of this 

 natural resource, they might have made more permanent progress 



