NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



heating and lighting a house, it is considered a paying well. At 

 Westfield several borings have been made. Hon. S. F. Nixon 

 sunk one for domestic purposes in August 1900, to the depth of 

 400 feet. Charles E. McEwen sunk another in November of the 

 same year to the depth of 440 feet, getting a supply of 2500 cubic 

 feet a day. 1 



Around Ripley the gas industry has been more active. Mr 

 Charles Keith of that village within the last two years (1901-2) 

 has put down 16 gas wells all within 4 miles of Lake Erie and 

 mostly in Chautauqua county. Two were nearly barren, the 

 others produce from 500 to 20,000 feet of gas a day. There are 

 no large wells in this vicinity, but those found thus far seem well 

 adapted to private use. 



There are three companies in Ripley which supply gas to con- 

 sumers. Gas pressure in wells runs from 5 to 60 pounds. 



Only one new well, that belonging to Orton Smith, is re- 

 ported from Brocton. Professor O. C. Presler, of Stockton, in- 

 forms me that two wells have been sunk near that village, each 

 of which gave a small flow of gas. One was located on the 

 estate of Mortimer Ely, and the other, which was 2400 feet 

 deep, on the Andrew Munger farm. At Busti three wells were 

 drilled during the fall of 1900 and the spring of 1901. One of 

 these on the farm of A. Philips was piped, producing enough 

 gas for two stoves. The others were barren. 



Since my last report several wells have been drilled in the 

 vicinity of Mayville and Chautauqua. The old McConnell well 

 north of the former place has been deepened to 2929 feet, but 

 without increasing materially the yield of gas. The following 

 record of the extension, furnished by Mr G. B. Keith, the con- 

 tractor, is interesting as showing the presence of lower De- 

 vonian rocks. 



Brown shales at 1100 feet 



Gray shales at 1320 feet 



1 Mr W. B. Duff, of Darlington Pa., who has drilled about 14 wells around 

 Westfield, reports that 90% of them produce some gas. It is generally found 

 above 750 feet and mostly between 100 and 450 feet. The Westfield wells, he 

 says, produce from 2000 to 7000 cubic feet in 24 hours. The gas pressure 

 holds up well when the hole is free from water. 



