PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS IN NEW YORK 



503 



late, was 97 pounds. Mr Colburn sold the gas for $1 a thousand. 

 This arrangement was continued for several years, till in 1875 

 he bought an interest in the company and finally bought out the 

 entire plant. To keep up the gas supply he continued to drill 

 new wells till he* had put down 12 in all. These wells were 300 

 to 800 feet in depth. Six of them proved to be dry, but four of 

 the original number are still producing gas. For 10 years he 

 maintained the supply in this way, but with increasing difficulty. 

 He then entered into a contract with the Gas co. of Dunkirk to 

 undertake the supply. 



The Dunkirk gas co. laid a four inch line to Fredonia, which is 

 still in use, though no longer fully adequate to the demand. In 

 order to close out its dealings with the Colburn estate, the Dun- 

 kirk company has recently sold the plant'to Dr M. M. Fenner of 

 Fredonia, president of the street railroad co. 



In the Colburn deep well no. 1, the Corniferous limestone was 

 reached at 1070 feet below the surface. Drilling was continued 

 in the limestone 177 feet, thus making the total depth of the 

 well 1256 feet. 



Gas wells do not as a rule last more than four or five years at 

 present, while formerly they retained vitality for at least twice 

 that length of time. There are so many ways for water to find 

 access now, that the wells are almost certain to be overrun with- 

 in the limit named. 



Leaving out of present account the various attempts to obtain 

 gas from shallow wells for domestic supplies, which have been 

 made within the last 15 years, it is necessary to put on record the 

 resolute effort to find some large supply of gas that could be 

 turned to account for manufacturing purposes. 



This movement was no doubt inspired by the developments in 

 Findlay and Lima, O., which began in 1884, and were under full 

 swing in the course of the next year or two. 



The reasoning in regard to the probable presence of high press- 

 ure gas at Fredonia was very convincing to those that had not 

 studied the subject. It ran on this wise: " Gas has been seen to 

 be escaping from the shales that underlie this region ever since 

 it was first occupied. It was so at Findlay, O., but by boring a 

 well there 1000 feet deep, an enormous volume of gas was brought 

 to light, having a rock pressure of 400 pounds to the inch; why 



