Wheeling Register

Walking along the streets of Wellsburg, one can not but observe the spirit of thrift and enterprise being exhibited by its people. Many new houses have been built during the past summer, others are building, and quite a number are being planned for erection in the early spring. Business appears to be good, and the ancient city seems, when contrasted with its condition a few years ago, to have obtained a new lease of life. And so it has. This added prosperity is almost entirely due to the discovery of that cheapest of all fuels— NATURAL GAS.

A stranger happening into a residence or business house can not fail to observe that the fire which burns so merrily in the open grate sticks out its red tongue around some clean brick, without anything to feed upon. No ashes, poker, coal-box or any of the paraphernalia of a fire place is to be seen. At this moment the idea develops that they use gas here, and the visitor at once commences entertaining himself by thinking about how valuable it is; what increased facilities it affords for manufacturing, and the thousand advantages derived. Soon you are led to wonder, when and how did they get it? At this moment, when you are unable to go any farther by yourself, a gentleman comes in who proves to possess a rare fund of information, and is quite willing to impart some of it to you. Properly using the conversation, you will soon learn that the town you are in is fortunately situated on anticlinal-axis that runs southwest and northeast. For years the inhabitants had observed bubbles rising out of the sluggish waters of Buffalo Creek, near where it has its confluence with the Ohio. THEIR CURIOSITY WAS EXCITED more and more by this strange phenomena, until it was determined to make an investigation of the matter. In 1881 a lad was persuaded to undergo the ordeal of wading into the creek with a burning torch and holding it near the point where the bubbles made their appearance on the water. Soon a large one came to the surface, and much to the affright of the boy, ignited. The firing of the bubble also fired the curiosity of the spectators, which resulted in the sinking of a well the following year, which well proved to be a gas well of large capacity. This was done by the Wellsburg Gas Company, and well it might have exclaimed, eureka! Since that time seventeen wells have been sunk in and near the town on the same side of the river, by the same company and private parties. None have gone deeper than the first gas sand, which is found at a depth ranging from 1,285 to 1,500 feet. The sand itself is usually twenty-five feet thick. The structure of this sand differs very much from what it generally is. Ordinarily it is pebbly, but as found here it is fine and apparently of a non-porous character, which would evidently diminish its capacity as A GAS RESERVOIR. Of the number of wells that have been sunk only six are what are termed "paying wells." Some of the others are productive of periodical flows of salt water It has been observed that when the sand in a well is white the borers inevitably find gas, but when it is of a dark color little is found. Why this is so is a question for the geologists to solve. Three of the wells have been "shot," but it had no tendency to increase the flow. It is a maxim with gas men: "shoot big sand, but little sand is no good." This maxim, of course, like all others, grew out of experience. It is the intention of the company to sink a well next season to the third sand, which is thought to be at a distance of twenty-seven hundred feet.

It is quite natural to inquire of THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN during the last three years It is found that the population has increased from eighteen hundred to nearly twenty six hundred. This of course would not be considered a big showing in the West where towns grow up too fast to be counted, but for this section the growth mentioned is far beyond the average. The industries of the town have alike increased Three glass houses have been added to the two paper mills, a machine shop, iron foundry and two planing mills, and one glass house which the town used to boast of. The prospect is that a company will establish an iron mill just as soon as the "times brighten " Why iron making could not be made a success at Wellsburg, no one will venture to state. It has limestone of the finest quality in abundance, fuel is no longer a question and two railroads and a broad river are at its service for transportation Iron manufacture is destined in time to be one of THE LEADING INDUSTRIES OF THE TOWN. Already W. T. Nickolls & Co. are burning brick with gas and going into the pressed brick business. The facilities for making brick are favorable, as it is possible to make a very fine quality. A company from St. Louis is also contemplating putting up an establishment of this kind. In most all manufactories the cost of fuel is no small item of expense, An owner of one of the paper mills states that when he used coal, it cost him about four hundred dollars per month, but by using gas this expense was reduced more than one-half. Every one that was asked concerning the resource of gas for fuel, and responded in a clever way, agreed in saying that it cost about one-half as much as coal if not a little less.

Just across the river from Wellsburg, on the edge of that great State that surprised everybody on the 13th inst., is BRILLIANT. When gas was struck across there, three years ago, its inhabitants numbered two hundred and ninety-five. To-day it counts nearly fourteen hundred. From this one would naturally come to the conclusion that gas was a good fertilizer for towns. Three wells have been bored within its limits. Only one of them, however, proved to be a success. This you will observe is about the same ratio of good luck as was met with across the river. The industries consist of one glass furnace, and Spaulding's Iron Works. When these are running they use gas, but as yet it has not been introduced into the homes. The phenomenal growth of this town is easily accounted for. As far as facilities for development are concerned Wellsburg and Brilliant stand on a par, and it seems entirely reasonable to predict that both places will, in the course of a few years, become manufacturing points of no small importance.