﻿REPORT 
  

  

  To 
  His 
  Excellency 
  

  

  Frank 
  S. 
  Black 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  Sir: 
  The 
  operations 
  of 
  this 
  department 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  

   have 
  been 
  in 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  previous 
  seasons 
  along 
  

   the 
  following 
  lines 
  : 
  a) 
  the 
  exploitation 
  of 
  the 
  economic 
  products 
  

   of 
  the 
  state 
  and 
  b) 
  the 
  perfecting 
  of 
  the 
  geologic 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  

   It 
  seemed 
  important 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  season 
  im- 
  

   mediate 
  attention 
  should 
  be 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  occurrence 
  

   and 
  storage 
  of 
  natural 
  gas 
  and 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  .this 
  natural 
  product. 
  The 
  striking 
  of 
  rich 
  supplies 
  of 
  gas 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Rome, 
  Syracuse, 
  at 
  Baldwinsville 
  and 
  in 
  Os- 
  

   wego 
  co., 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  constantly 
  increasing 
  operations 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  western 
  and 
  southwestern 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  rendered 
  

   it 
  imperative 
  that 
  measures 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  accumulate 
  and 
  

   conserve 
  the 
  important 
  data 
  that 
  these 
  numerous 
  deep 
  wells 
  

   were 
  affording. 
  ' 
  The 
  work 
  previously 
  undertaken 
  in 
  this 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  been 
  incomplete 
  and, 
  though 
  important 
  in 
  having 
  put 
  

   »on 
  record 
  the 
  logs 
  of 
  many 
  wells, 
  giving 
  the 
  succession 
  and 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  geologic 
  strata, 
  has 
  been 
  altogether 
  insufficient 
  to 
  

   establish 
  any 
  explanation, 
  or 
  to 
  formulate 
  a 
  law 
  of 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  

   storage 
  of 
  natural 
  gas 
  and 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  location 
  of 
  paying 
  wells. 
  

   Such 
  investigations 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  undertaken 
  by 
  private 
  individ- 
  

   uals 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that, 
  though 
  their 
  results 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  profound 
  

   ultimate 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  wealth 
  of 
  

   the 
  state 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  convert 
  them 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  

   without 
  delay 
  into 
  dollars 
  and 
  cents. 
  Hence 
  all 
  states 
  of 
  ad- 
  

   vanced 
  ideas, 
  where 
  such 
  accumulations 
  of 
  natural 
  gas, 
  petro- 
  

   leum 
  and 
  other 
  mineral 
  products 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  exist, 
  have 
  made 
  

   it 
  their 
  urgent 
  business 
  through 
  their 
  official 
  scientific 
  depart- 
  

   ments 
  to 
  make 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  interested 
  public 
  where 
  and 
  under 
  

  

  