﻿14 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  out 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  filled 
  within 
  300 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  top 
  with 
  mineral 
  

   water, 
  which 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  utilized 
  at 
  the 
  sanitarium 
  for 
  baths. 
  

   In 
  June 
  1897, 
  just 
  after 
  the 
  slight 
  earthquake 
  shock 
  which 
  was 
  

   felt 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  the 
  engineer 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  odor 
  

   of 
  gas 
  was 
  increasing 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  well. 
  

  

  A 
  meter 
  was 
  attached 
  and 
  registered 
  a 
  flow 
  of 
  3000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  

   a 
  day. 
  The 
  well 
  was 
  then 
  pumped 
  to 
  850 
  feet 
  when 
  the 
  press- 
  

   ure 
  rose 
  to 
  100 
  pounds 
  and 
  the 
  flow 
  increased 
  to 
  10,000 
  cubic 
  

   feet 
  a 
  day. 
  In 
  August 
  1897 
  the 
  well 
  was 
  supplying 
  fuel 
  for 
  

   the 
  pumping 
  engine 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  large 
  range 
  in 
  the 
  sanitarium 
  

   kitchen. 
  

  

  Though 
  the 
  increased 
  flow 
  of 
  gas 
  mentioned 
  above 
  may 
  have 
  

   been 
  caused 
  by 
  seismic 
  disturbance, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  due 
  to 
  diminished 
  water 
  pressure 
  in 
  the 
  well 
  caused 
  by 
  ex- 
  

   cessive 
  pumping. 
  

  

  Wells 
  in 
  Ontario 
  county 
  

  

  Geneva 
  

  

  At 
  Geneva 
  a 
  well 
  was 
  bored 
  in 
  December 
  1885 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  

   1100 
  feet. 
  No 
  gas 
  was 
  found, 
  but 
  a 
  copious 
  flow 
  of 
  mineral 
  water 
  

   now 
  fills 
  the 
  well 
  and 
  supplies 
  the 
  baths 
  of 
  the 
  sanitarium. 
  No 
  

   record 
  of 
  this 
  well 
  has 
  been 
  preserved. 
  

  

  West 
  Bloomfield 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  well 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  produce 
  gas 
  in 
  paying 
  

   quantities 
  was 
  sunk, 
  according 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Charles 
  S. 
  Prosser, 
  in 
  

   West 
  Bloomfield 
  township 
  about 
  1863-64. 
  a 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  in 
  a 
  still 
  atmosphere, 
  a 
  30 
  foot 
  

   flame 
  from 
  a 
  five 
  inch 
  pipe 
  with 
  an 
  estimated 
  daily 
  production 
  of 
  

   400,000 
  cubic 
  feet. 
  A 
  line 
  of 
  wooden 
  pump 
  logs 
  was 
  laid 
  from 
  

   the 
  well 
  to 
  Rochester 
  and 
  connected 
  to 
  the 
  gasometer 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  

   gas 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  supplying 
  both 
  fuel 
  and 
  light- 
  

   ing. 
  Water 
  and 
  mud 
  entering 
  through 
  loose 
  joints 
  between 
  the 
  

   logs 
  effectually 
  closed 
  the 
  line 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  aban- 
  

   doned. 
  Prof. 
  Lattimore, 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  informs 
  me 
  that, 
  while 
  it 
  

   lasted, 
  the 
  gas 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  fuel 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hotels. 
  

  

  a 
  See 
  C. 
  E. 
  Ashburner 
  Petroleum 
  and 
  natural 
  gas 
  In 
  New 
  York 
  1888. 
  p. 
  42. 
  Also 
  American 
  jour- 
  

   nal 
  science 
  and 
  arts 
  (2) 
  49: 
  336-37. 
  

  

  