﻿44 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  industry 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  production 
  and 
  sale 
  of 
  

   spring 
  waters 
  has 
  attained 
  to 
  large 
  proportions 
  and 
  promises 
  to 
  

   show 
  continued 
  growth. 
  The 
  quantity 
  marketed 
  at 
  present 
  may 
  

   be 
  estimated 
  at 
  fully 
  8,000,000 
  gallons 
  a 
  year 
  with 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   about 
  $1,000,000. 
  Approximately 
  one 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  value 
  is 
  

   represented 
  by 
  sales 
  of 
  mineral 
  waters 
  from 
  Saratoga 
  co. 
  The 
  

   figures 
  given 
  are 
  estimates 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  partial 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  in- 
  

   dustry. 
  A 
  more 
  accurate 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  production 
  is 
  im- 
  

   practicable 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  many 
  changes 
  that 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   industry 
  each 
  year. 
  The 
  commercial 
  utilization 
  of 
  many 
  springs 
  

   is 
  transitory 
  and 
  others 
  are 
  employed 
  only 
  locally 
  for 
  supplying 
  

   hotels, 
  sanatoriums, 
  etc. 
  It 
  is 
  believed, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  esti- 
  

   mate 
  is 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  production. 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  GAS 
  

  

  The 
  production 
  of 
  natural 
  gas 
  for 
  lighting 
  and 
  heating 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  since 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  century. 
  It 
  is 
  recorded 
  that 
  the 
  village. 
  of 
  Fre- 
  

   donia, 
  Chautauqua 
  co., 
  was 
  illuminated 
  by 
  gas 
  supplied 
  from 
  

   local 
  wells 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1825, 
  an 
  event 
  attracting 
  widespread 
  in- 
  

   terest 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  a 
  precursor 
  of 
  the 
  extensive 
  

   exploitation 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  gas 
  fields 
  in 
  other 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  Following 
  this 
  development 
  came 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  the 
  

   pools 
  in 
  Cattaraugus 
  county 
  which 
  began 
  about 
  1865, 
  and 
  later 
  

   those 
  in 
  Allegany 
  county, 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  explorations 
  conducted 
  for 
  

   petroleum. 
  Within 
  the 
  last 
  20 
  years 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  great 
  ex- 
  

   pansion 
  in 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  gas 
  wells 
  are 
  now 
  scattered 
  over 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  including 
  15 
  counties 
  which 
  

   are 
  active 
  producers. 
  

  

  Geological 
  occurrence. 
  The 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  productive 
  gas 
  pools 
  

   geologically 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  extend 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  

   sedimentary 
  formations, 
  the 
  Potsdam 
  sandstone, 
  to 
  the 
  Chemung 
  

   and 
  Portage 
  formations 
  of 
  the 
  Devonic 
  which 
  are 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  

   of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  series 
  as 
  represented 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  Certain 
  

   formations, 
  however, 
  are 
  more 
  prolific 
  than 
  others, 
  and 
  the 
  wells 
  

   in 
  each 
  field, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  derive 
  their 
  main 
  supply 
  from 
  a 
  definite 
  

   horizon. 
  

  

  Though 
  small 
  amounts 
  of 
  gas 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  sandstones 
  

   correlated 
  with 
  the 
  Potsdam, 
  the 
  lowest 
  beds 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  

   source 
  of 
  any 
  considerable 
  flow 
  are 
  the 
  limestones 
  of 
  Trenton 
  

   age. 
  The 
  wells 
  of 
  Oswego 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  counties 
  now 
  supply- 
  

  

  