PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS IN NEW YORK 463 



city government a franchise for the use of the streets for piping 

 natural gas. 



It began operations in September 1896, under the name of the 

 Onondaga gas co. Its first work was purchasing the leases of 

 a considerable territory which had been taken up by Mr J. T. 

 Kilham. Mr Kilham conveyed to the firm drilling rights on 5000 

 acres of land lying mainly to the south and southwest of Bald- 

 winsville. A contract was at once entered into with the drilling 

 firm of Stearns & Leopold to sink two wells. Drilling was begun 

 at once. Well no. 1 was located on the Names farm, one half 

 mile south of the Baldwinsville railroad station in the valley of 

 the Seneca and on the north side of the river. There was noth- 

 ing irregular or exceptional in the record of the well. The drift 

 was shallow (20 feet) at the point where the well was located. 

 The Trenton was reached at a depth of 2270 feet and at 2368 feet 

 the first gas was struck. Drilling was continued to 2547 feet, 

 the well being finished in November. It was tubed with three 

 inch pipe and was packed at 1400 feet but was afterwards re- 

 packed at 630 feet. A little salt water was struck in the Oswego 

 sandstone at 1210 feet. The rock pressure when the well was 

 first shut in, was 1460 pounds, and the open pressure was 

 1.5 inches of mercury, indicating a flow of about 1,500,000 

 cubic feet a day. Later the well filled with water to a con- 

 siderable depth. It had not been put into use when the field was 

 visited in the interests of the survey. 



Other items in the record of this well are the following: cased, 

 318 feet; white Medina (with gas), 600 feet; Oswego sandstone, 

 1285 feet; Pulaski shale, 1765 feet; Utica shale, 1878 feet. The 

 Salina shale, 138 feet thick and 45 feet of Niagara limestone 

 came in near the beginning. 



Well no. 2 of the Onondaga company was drilled on the Van 

 Ness farm, three miles southeast of no. 1. This well reached the 

 Trenton at 2280 feet and was subsequently drilled to a depth of 

 3035 feet, but the stratum proved entirely destitute of gas. The 

 only useful purpose the well could be said to serve was in prov- 

 ing territory. It has discouraged drilling to the east of Bald- 

 winsville. 



The next well to be drilled in the field was undertaken by a 

 new interest, namely, the Trenton rock oil & gas co. The princi- 



