The location proved to be an unfortunate one, and the well, though

not absolutely dry, does not appear to be valuable.

It is seen from these facts that the well is located beyond the gas territory, and at the bottom of the steep slope which has already been shown to be so important a factor in this field. It might be expected to be an oil-well, however. It was torpedoed with this reference, but there were no indications that it would make at the best more than a ten-barrel pumping well, and consequently it ranks as a failure, the first in the Findlay field. It was drilled to 1,312 feet; at 1,272 salt-water came in quite freely. The influence of the shot exploded in the gasrock of this well upon other wells in the vicinity, has already been noted, in the account of the Marvin well, No. 3.

The failure of this well ought to occasion no surprise. The oil-rock is seen to be at a low level, and there is nothing whatever to warrant the expectation that all portions of it will prove productive. Thus far every well had yielded either gas or oil, and, therefore, no one was prepared for failure here, but a larger experience will, undoubtedly, show other wells in the same category within the limits of the Findlay field,

Well No. 10. The Kirk Well. This well was drilled at the flouring mill just east of the Gas-House Well (No. 2), in the fall of 1885, the single object being to secure power for the mill. It was sunk rapidly and obtained a moderate flow of gas. Though one of the lighter wells in production, it furnishes an ample supply for the purpose for which it was drilled. Its production has diminished considerably within the last year.

The casing stands at 777.15 feet above mean tide, and the record of the well is said to be identical with that of No. 2, so far as the changes of rock are concerned. It was drilled to a depth of 1,171 feet.

The later facts in regard to it are of interest enough to be reported. The cost of the well equipped for its present service, was $1,584.33. Including the pipe line, the cost was $1,800. This line extends from the flouring mill to the woolen mill, and to 12 adjacent houses. The supply is not equal to this entire demand. At the end of the first year it had furnished the mill with $1000 worth of fuel, in addition to the house supply above noted. When all is shut off except the flouring mill, the pressure

does not now rise beyond 180 lbs. It stood at 230 lbs. under like conditions one year ago. A like reduction is understood to have continued through 1887. On Sundays, when the mill is shut off, the well shows the normal pressure of the field, viz., 400 lbs.

Well No. 11. The Altman Well. This well is located near the Eagle Creek quarries, on the east side of the town. It was drilled by W. M. Martin for the Findlay Gas-Light Company, the work being done late in the fall of 1885. It agreed, in all leading particulars, with the Pioneer well, and also with Nos. 2 and 10. The elevation of the casing above tide is 783.67 feet. The limestones of the upper series were found 250 feet thick. The. Trenton limestone was reached at 1,090 feet, according to the record. This measurement shows the Trenton to lie a little closer to the surface here than at any other point in the field, viz., at 306.33 feet below tide-water. The well is, also, by a trifle, the shallowest of the entire series thus far drilled, the bottom being 1,142 feet from the surface of the ground.

The gas is used for power in pumping and drilling in the quarries, and the surplus is turned into the city mains. It is a moderate well, its flow being estimated about the same as that of the Barnd well and of the Lima Road well in its best days.

Well No. 12. The Briggs Well. This well was estimated to be third, or, perhaps, second in production in the series so far drilled. It is situated on the north side of the river, nearly opposite the mouth of Eagle Creek, and on the line of the Toledo and Southern Railway. It was drilled to supply power to the works of the Briggs Edge-tool Company, the first enterprise of importance to be established in Findlay to secure the advantages of the new fuel. The contractors who drilled the well were Baker and Marvin. The well was brought in about the middle of January, 1886, and only three days before the famous Karg well reached its enormous flow. For this brief interval it was in first rank in production among the Findlay wells.

The "sulphur vein" of gas, here found at 746 feet, is separated by packing from the main vein. This is the only well that has been treated in this way. No advantage is apparent in this practice, and it entails some additional expense. This upper vein proves quite vigorous. An anemometer measurement taken on April 18, showed its daily volume to be 223,200 cubic feet, and the entire production was not included.

The elevation of the well-head is 779.17 feet above tide. The depth of the well is reported at 1,164 feet, but the exact depth of the gas-rock cannot be given. It was very near 1,100 feet. The record was regular and normal in all particulars. The outflow of gas from the Trenton

rock is large and constant. Measurements executed on April 18, 1886, made the well third in the list of Findlay wells, and it is but little behind the Cory well, which was second at that time.

There is a small addition to be made for the unrecorded balance of

the upper vein.

Well No. 13. The Karg Well. The well that we now reach in our review is not only first by a long interval in the Findlay field, but it is as decidedly the greatest gas-well of recent years in Ohio. (These statements were made before the Van Buren well was drilled. It has proved to be a somewhat larger well than the Karg.) Whether any well equal to it has ever been found in the state is a question. According to the accounts that come to us of the first Neff well, which was drilled in the northwest corner of Coshocton county, there must have been an enormous flow of gas from it for a considerable time. Other large outflows have been struck in the southeast quarter of Ohio from time to time, in early years in the search for brine, latterly in the search for petroleum and for gas, but we have no measurements nor even careful estimates from any of these sources.

The Karg well has given to a great number of people their first and only experience of a high-pressure gas-well of the first class. It is exceptionally well located for this purpose. It is situated in a thriving county town, which is crossed by three lines of railroads, the well itself being within a few hundred feet of the most important station. Findlay had already become famous for its supply of natural gas before this great volume was unlocked. As many as 3,000 people are said to have gathered in a single day to see the strange spectacle that the pioneer well presented, but the Karg well so far surpasses these early outflows that they seem insignificant beside it.

The attention it has attracted corresponds to its volume. The roar of the burning well can be heard for two or three miles, and its light can be seen for thirty-five or forty miles on all sides. Excursions are organized from adjacent cities and towns, and manufacturers and capitalists have been led in from distant localities. It has done more to give standing to the new field than all the other elements, for here is seen a well whose volume and energy are fairly comparable with the great wells that supply Pittsburgh and other points in western Pennsylvania. If inferior to some of them in daily production it still belongs in the same class with them.

Measurements executed for the Survey by Professor S. W. Robinson, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Ohio State University, show the Karg well to be producing each day 12,080,000 cubic feet of gas from a 4-inch pipe. The gas seems quite dry, but a little oil appears along the lines of pipe which convey it.

The well was begun in December, 1885, by the Findlay Gas-Light Company, Mr. W. M. Martin being the contractor. The work of drilling proceeded without interruption, only twenty-four days being used to the end, the gas-rock being reached at a depth of 1,118 feet. The casing stands at 771.08 feet above tide, the well being located in the valley and upon the bank of Blanchard River. The Trenton limestone is seen to be 347 feet below tide. The drift was found twenty-four feet thick, and in fact the derrick was moved once before the rock was reached, on account of a bowlder found in the way. The flow of gas from the top of the rock was not important, but at 1,132, and also at 1,138 feet, large accessions were made. The drill went down a few feet further without interruption, but at 1,144 feet, or at a depth of twenty-six feet in the limestone, an enormous volume was unlocked, against which the drill was powerless to advance. The last cuttings were brought up by the current in good-sized fragments, which are very porous and highly crystalline.

Well No. 14. The McManness Well. This well was drilled on Crawford street to supply the oil-mill of McManness and Seymour. The drilling was done by Baker and Marvin in February, 1886. It was begun on the first of the month, and was finished in nineteen drilling days. The usual sulphur vein at 700 ft. was found. The lower limestone was reached at 1,120. The drill was stopped at 1,146 feet. The supply is abundant, the gauge standing steady at 370-390 pounds after all that the mill requires is used. The height of casing above sea-level is 782.94 feet. The top of the Trenton limestone is 337.06 below sea level, according to the facts reported as to depth.

Well No. 15. The Cory Well. This well is the first drilled by the North Findlay Gas and Oil Company. It is located on the Defiance road, and a little more than 2,000 feet due north of the Karg well. It was drilled in March, 1886, by E. C. Taylor, contractor. The height of the well-head above the sea is 781.33 feet. Its register is as follows:

Drift-blue clay

Upper limestone-Niagara limestone, 150'; Niagara shale, 30;

Clinton limestone, 70'...

Casing set..........
Trenton limestone found
Well finished at.........

The Trenton limestone is 350.16 feet below tide.

The gas came gradually from eight feet below the surface of the Trenton for forty feet. There was at no point any extraordinary accession, but the volume grew steadily with every blow of the drill.

The Cory well appeared to stand second in the list of Findlay wells at the time of its completion. Measurements taken on April 18, 1886, made its daily product 2,471,040 cubic feet. This puts it a little in advance of the Briggs well, but the two are very nearly identical in daily production. It has since been purchased by the city for the public supply.

Well No. 16. The Jones Well. This well was drilled for E. P. Jones, Esq., in March, 1886, by Baker and Marvin. It is located on Crawford street, and but a short distance west from Main. It is designed to supply power for works that can occupy the planing-mill on the premises.

The register of the well is as follows:

Elevation above tide-water..

Drift

Upper limestone about..

783.69 feet.

The flow of this well was tested before the drilling was entirely finished, by the anemometer, and the daily yield was found to be 707,933 cubic feet per day. A week after it was completed the flow was found to be 1,119,200 cubic feet. A third measurement several weeks after the second gave the same result, exactly.

Well No. 17. The Matthias Well, No. 2, or The Cemetery Well. This well is located nearly due north of the Matthias No. 1. It was drilled for oil, and was brought in successfully on the 10th of April, 1886. The well-head is 782.16 feet above the sea. The Trenton limestone was struck at 1,252 feet. The limestone is thus seen to be 470 feet below sea-level.

The well was cased at 420 feet a little below the upper limestones. The Medina shale (red rock) was found at 460 feet. The upper portion of the Trenton proved soft and sandy for this rock.

Outside of Findlay, but in the immediate neighborhood, a well was drilled in the fall of 1885 for the Trenton Rock Oil Company, by W. м. Martin. The well was located on the Firmin farm, a mile or more northwest of Findlay. The elevation of the well-head is about the same as the wells already reported, viz., 780 to 790 feet above tide. The upper