﻿46 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  wells 
  of 
  Oswego 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  counties 
  now 
  supplying 
  gas 
  are 
  

   bottomed 
  in 
  the 
  Trenton, 
  though 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  secondary 
  con- 
  

   tributions 
  are 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  overlying 
  Utica 
  shale. 
  Elsewhere, 
  

   as 
  in 
  Oneida 
  and 
  Jefferson 
  counties, 
  these 
  limestones 
  have 
  not 
  

   afforded 
  any 
  durable 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  higher 
  horizon 
  of 
  importance 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Siluric 
  and 
  includes 
  the 
  Medina 
  sandstone 
  and 
  its 
  eastern 
  

   representative, 
  the 
  Oswego 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  pools 
  

   in 
  this 
  formation 
  is 
  of 
  recent 
  discovery, 
  but 
  they 
  now 
  yield 
  a 
  very 
  

   large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  production. 
  The 
  principal 
  field 
  opened 
  since 
  

   1890 
  is 
  in 
  Erie 
  county 
  beginning 
  near 
  Buffalo 
  and 
  extending 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  through 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  Cheektowaga, 
  Amherst, 
  Lancaster, 
  

   Clarence, 
  Alden 
  and 
  Newstead. 
  A 
  second 
  field 
  occurs 
  south 
  of 
  

   Buffalo 
  between 
  that 
  city 
  and 
  Jewettville. 
  The 
  wells 
  at 
  Avon 
  and 
  

   Caledonia, 
  Livingston 
  co. 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  Medina. 
  In 
  the 
  last 
  

   two 
  years 
  large 
  pools 
  have 
  been 
  encountered 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  the 
  white 
  Medina 
  sandstone 
  in 
  northern 
  Chautauqua 
  county, 
  

   notably 
  at 
  Westfield 
  and 
  Silver 
  Creek. 
  The 
  recent 
  discoveries 
  at 
  

   Pavilion, 
  Genesee 
  co. 
  are 
  likewise 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  that 
  formation. 
  

  

  The 
  remaining 
  formations 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Siluric 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  

   mostly 
  of 
  shales 
  and 
  limestones. 
  They 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  relatively 
  

   poor 
  reservoirs 
  for 
  gas. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Devonic 
  system 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  formations 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  gas 
  at 
  

   one 
  or 
  more 
  localities. 
  The 
  most 
  prolific, 
  undoubtedly, 
  are 
  the 
  

   upper 
  members, 
  the 
  Portage 
  and 
  Chemung 
  shales 
  and 
  sandstones. 
  

   They 
  are 
  tapped 
  by 
  numerous 
  wells 
  in 
  Allegany, 
  Cattaraugus 
  and 
  

   Chautauqua 
  counties. 
  The 
  principal 
  gas 
  supplies 
  are 
  derived 
  from 
  

   southern 
  Allegany 
  and 
  Cattaraugus 
  counties, 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  fields 
  

   which 
  yield 
  petroleum. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  yield 
  both 
  gas 
  and 
  oil, 
  

   and 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  gas 
  is 
  consumed 
  locally 
  in 
  operating 
  the 
  oil 
  

   pumps, 
  while 
  the 
  remainder 
  is 
  run 
  into 
  pipe 
  lines 
  for 
  distribution 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighboring 
  cities 
  and 
  villages. 
  The 
  original 
  wells 
  put 
  down 
  

   in 
  the 
  Lake 
  Shore 
  belt 
  of 
  Chautauqua 
  county 
  at 
  Fredonia, 
  Brock- 
  

   ton, 
  Mayville 
  and 
  Ripley 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  gas 
  mainly 
  in 
  

   the 
  Chemung 
  shales. 
  The 
  deeper 
  wells 
  that 
  were 
  drilled 
  later 
  en- 
  

   countered 
  reservoirs 
  at 
  different 
  horizons 
  below 
  the 
  Chemung, 
  as 
  

   far 
  down 
  as 
  the 
  Medina. 
  The 
  Marcellus 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  forma- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  Devonic 
  are 
  considered 
  by 
  Bishops 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  sources 
  

   of 
  the 
  gas 
  at 
  Gowanda, 
  in 
  northern 
  Cattaraugus 
  county. 
  

  

  1 
  Oil 
  and 
  Gas 
  in 
  Southwestern 
  New 
  York. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  State 
  Geol. 
  19th 
  

   An. 
  Rep't. 
  1901. 
  p. 
  116. 
  

  

  