STATE GEOLOGIST. 263 
The wells have been cased through the Salt sand, a depth of 555 feet 
in the valley at Corning. The casing has almost invariably been 55% 
inches, inside measurement. The rocks comprising the underlying 160-180 
feet, and terminating with the “Little Salt sand,’ have furnished some 
water, which has been disastrous to the wells. It reduced the gas pressure, 
thus necessitating pumping earlier than otherwise would have been re- 
quired, and perhaps prematurely destroying the life of the well. Had the 
wells been cased through this sand time and money would have been saved, 
and the production of the field would have been larger. 
The western side of the field is quite free from salt-water. It is on that 
side that the principal gas territory lies. On the eastern side the conditions 
are more variable. In Trimble township, Athens county, the wells are free 
from water, while in Monroe township, Perry county, salt-water is found 
in the northeast corner, and in Morgan county it is so abundant that oper- 
ating is prevented. From this it appears that the western side of the 
Corning field is free from salt-water, and that it is absent also on the 
eastern side at the southern margin of the territory, but that it increases 
rapidly to the northeast. 7 
While the production of the wells after being shot has varied greatly, 
yet they have not furnished the extremes that many other fields have. 
Few, if any of the wells, have started better than 125 barrels per day, and 
it has been estimated that the average for the entire field has beeen 20 
barrels. 
The wells have sufficient gas pressure to flow them during the earlier 
part of their lives, but later as the pressure diminishes they have to be 
pumped. Since the eastern side of the field has salt-water the wells there 
have to be pumped earlier than those on the western side. 
The Gas Wells.—The principal gas territory is that along Muddy 
Fork in sections 22 and 29, Trimble township, Athens county, the best 
wells being found in the western half of the latter section on lands of 
the Hocking Coal and Railroad Company. The largest well in this field 
started at 3,000,000 cubic feet per day with a rock pressure of 400 pounds. 
It was drilled in the fall of 1897, and one year later was producing 
2,000,000 cubic feet per day, and still another year later 1,500,000 cubic 
feet. Of the other wells in this territory two started at 2,000,000 cubic 
feet each, two at 1,000,000 feet each, and three at 500,000 feet each. The 
decline in the smaller wells was not as rapid as in the larger ones, since 
the demands made on them were not as heavy. The reliance of the com- 
munity is on this field, where 5,000 acres are leased in one block. In 1902 
the rock pressure had decreased to 200 pounds. 
Another district that has yielded considerable gas is that at Oakfield, 
about 3 miles north of Corning. These wells started at 2,000,000, I ,500,000 
500,000 and 250,coo cubic feet per day respectively. Two of the smaller of 
these have been abandoned after having produced for two years. The largest 
