Bishop — Geology of Erie County. 



with three others, organized the East Side Fuel Co. with a capital of $20,000. 

 The officers of this company were: President, Joseph Hottinger; Vice- 

 President, Albert Everson ; Treasurer, Edward L. Everson. This company 

 was afterward absorbed by the Erie County Pipe Line organization. Shortly 

 after the consolidation of the two companies, Mr. W. S. Carroll, who was a 

 member of the Erie County Pipe Line Co., became interested in a gas well 

 which was sunk on the Canadian side of the Niagara river, and this well was 

 bought by the Pipe Line Co. As the supply of gas gave out at Best and 

 Jefferson streets, other Canadian wells were acquired, until the greater part of 

 the company's property was on that side of the river. The striking of a 

 rich supply of gas in the Baker well at West Seneca, in February, 1891, 

 started exploration in that vicinity. 



In the following year, Philip Roth and the Argue Brothers, the Latter 

 being drillers and contractors, organized the South Buffalo Natural Gas Co. 

 with a capital of $300,000. The Buffalo Natural Gas Fuel Co., said to be 

 controlled by the Standard Oil Co., gave the South Buffalo Co. financial 

 backing, under arrangements mutually advantageous. 



In August, 1895, the latter company had forty-five wells, three of which 

 would deliver 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas a day, three more that would pro- 

 duce 1,000,000 feet, and thirty that would produce less than 1,000,000 feet. 

 About the first of January, 189B, the Buffalo Natural Gas Co., which has 

 piped the greater part of its gas from the Pennsylvania fields, bought out the 

 South Buffalo Co., and now controls all the gas wells near Buffalo, including 

 the Canadian fields. At present it supplies fuel to about 9,000 customers. 



Well Records. 



Grand Island Well. (From Mr. A. B. Williams.) At Sour-Spring 

 grove on Grand Island, opposite Tonawanda, a well was bored a few years 

 ago to the depth of 3,129 feet, getting very little gas but much salt water 

 at the bottom. Bed rock was found here at sixty feet, the lock being 

 Salina shale. 



Tonawanda Well. (From Mr. A. B. Williams.) At about the time 

 the well was bored at Sour Spring, another was sunk in the village of 

 Tonawanda, between the canal and the tracks of the New York, Lake Erie 

 and Western railroad, on the property of Mr. A. B. Williams. lied rock was 

 found at fifty feet and a very little gas at 558 feet. No more gas w as found 

 to 1,100 feet where drilling was stopped. 



