4^ NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



NATURAL GAS 



There are 15 counties in the State in which natural gas was pro- 

 duced for lighting and heating purposes during the past year. The 

 principal supplies were derived from the fields in Allegany, Cat- 

 taraugus, Chautauqua and Erie, counties, the aggregate value of their 

 output being about 85^ of that for the whole State. It is gratifying 

 to note that the production reported from the different fields, with 

 some exceptions, has been gradually increasing of late years. This 

 is due in part, no doubt, to the greater care with which the supply 

 is now conserved and utilized, as compared with the wasteful 

 methods once used; but it would also appear that the natural re- 

 sources are not in danger of rapid exhaustion. 



The gas pools are found at several horizons in the geological 

 column, ranging from the Potsdam sandstone in the Cambric to the 

 Chemung and Portage shales and sandstones of the Devonic. As a 

 rule there is a definite horizon for each field, though some wells have 

 yielded gas at different depths and from various rock formations. 

 The Trenton limestone seems to be the lowest of the prolific strata 

 from which gas has been obtained in large quantity. It affords the 

 main supply in the wells of Oswego and Onondaga counties. The 

 Medina sandstone has come into prominence lately by reason of the 

 large pools that have been found in it in Erie county, now the most 

 productive of the State. The wells recently put down at Silver 

 Creek, Chautauqua co., are also bottomed in the Medina. The 

 Portage and Chemung strata yield most of the gas produced at other 

 localities along the shore of Lake Erie in Chautauqua co., and 

 practically the entire output of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. 



One of the leading developments of the past year has been the 

 opening of a promising field at Pavilion, in the southeastern part 

 of Genesee county. Five wells were drilled by the Pavilion Natural 

 Gas Co., and are reported to have given indications of a flow amount- 

 mg to over 2,000,000 cubic feet a day. They are located on the Starr 

 and Hooker farms. It is intended to drill additional wells during 

 the present year. The company furnishes gas to the village of 

 Pavilion and has laid a pipe line to Leroy for the purpose of supply- 

 ing that place. A second company was formed and secured leases 

 within the village where it drilled four wells, of which all but one 

 were dry. The gas is found at a depth of from 1700 to 1850 feet 

 in what is believed to be the Medina sandstone. A bed of rock 

 salt 84 feet thick was penetrated in well no. 2 of the Pavilion Natural 

 Gas Co. 



