46 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In Chautauqua county, the productive area comprises a belt bord- 

 ering Lake Erie from Silver Creek southwest to the Pennsylvania 

 state line. Until quite recently, the supply has been obtained from 

 wells a few hundred feet deep in the Portage and Chemung beds 

 and the individual output was small, sufficing for a few families 

 at most. Deep drilling during the past few years has resulted in 

 the discovery of more productive pools, lying at depths from 1900 

 to 2300 feet in what is considered Medina sandstone. Some very 

 large flows have been encountered in the vicinity of Silver Creek, 

 Dunkirk, Forestville, Sheridan and Westfield. These wells are 

 mainly owned by local companies who sell the output in the neigh- 

 boring towns and villages. The principal operators include the 

 Frost Gas Co., Silver Creek Gas and Improvement Co., South Shore 

 Gas Co., and Welch Gas Co. During the past year, the United 

 Natural Gas Co. has been engaged in exploration in the town of 

 Arkwright east of Fredonia and is reported to have encountered 

 gas in quantity at depths around 2100 feet. 



Erie county contains several fields. A few wells have been put 

 down within the limits of Buffalo. East Aurora, Collins, North 

 Collins, Angola and Springville in the southern part are centers of 

 a more or less active industry. Within the last fifteen years a 

 field has been opened east of Buffalo in the towns of Cheektowaga, 

 Amherst, Lancaster, Clarence, Alden and Newstead, which for some 

 time has been the most productive in the State. The gas is found 

 in the Medina sandstone at depths of from 1200 to 1600 feet, and 

 the wells have proved quite persistent producers. It is transported 

 in pipe lines to Buffalo, Tonawanda, Batavia, Lancaster, Depew, 

 Honeoye Falls, and other towns in the vicinity. There are over 

 200 productive wells in the field. 



In Genesee county a prolific field has been developed at Pavilion 

 during the last five years. The gas is found in the same horizon 

 as in Erie county, at depths of about 1700 feet. The Pavilion 

 Natural Gas Co. and the Alden-Batavia Natural Gas Co. are the 

 chief operators in the field and supply the gas to Pavilion, Leroy 

 and Batavia. 



In Wyoming county a few wells are in operation at Attica; in 

 Livingston county at Caledonia, Avon and Lima; and in Ontario 

 county in the towns of East Bloomfield and West Bloomfield. 

 Further east in Onondaga county there are wells at Baldwinsville 

 and Phoenix which supply gas for local use. The pools are found 

 in the Trenton shales and limestone. Oswego county marks the 



