PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS IN NEW YORK 509 



furnished an unusually brilliant light. The volume was also ap- 

 parently satisfactory. It was estimated that the well would 

 supply 10 or 12 stoves. It was drilled to a depth of 480 feet. 

 For two weeks it rendered the best of service and then suddenly 

 went out, like a light extinguished by a gust of wind. The facts 

 reported make it seem as if one of the little petroleum pools 

 already referred to had been tapped in this instance. 



The Wenborne, Devenpeck and Sullivan wells were also fail- 

 ures, and one of the three Butler wells was also unproductive. 

 All the others in the list have yielded more or less gas. 



The amount yielded by some is very small, enough for a few 

 lights only, while the daily production of others would show 

 several thousand cubrc feet. The C. N. Wittmeier well is prob- 

 ably so far the best well in the township. It is located a mile or 

 so northeast of the railway station. It furnishes the entire fuel 

 for two houses and in winter has kept three stoves in the wine 

 cellar supplied, and has maintained, besides, 40 or 50 lights. All 

 this service it has rendered without the rock pressure being 

 depressed below 25 pounds. It was drilled four years ago and 

 thus far has shown no appreciable shrinkage in quantity. 



The next best well is that of Frank Smith, a mile east of the 

 village. It does duty of the same general character as that 

 above reported. 



The ITaynes well is exceptional in having required the longest 

 string of casing known in the township, namely, 212 feet, salt 

 water having been encountered near that depth. Its rock pres- 

 sure is also the highest reported, namely, 60 pounds. 



The Dunham well has an interesting history. It was drilled 

 for Mr T. S. Moss on his own village lot. While visiting Ripley 

 a few years since he saw a well that was being finished in the 

 shale, the rock pressure* of which was 25 pounds. He said to the 

 driller that he would give him $1000 if he would find as good a 

 well for him -at his home in Brocton. The driller accepted the 

 offer and put down a w T ell on Mr Moss's village lot 600 feet deep, 

 but the amount of gas seemed small. He shut it in, however, 

 and put on a gage. In the course of two or three days the gage 

 showed a pressure of 28 pounds. The driller accordingly de- 

 manded his money, but Mr Moss demurred. He feared that the 

 gage had been tampered with. A second gage was borrowed 



