Barrycdog
Major
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2013
- Location
- Buford, Georgia
Southern Confederacy, Mar. 4, 1861 -- page 4
Extraordinary Phenomena in Boring for Oil in Canada
A number of residents of Michigan went over to Sombra C.W. some time since and commenced boring some fifteen or twenty feet from a creek, under the belief that oil would be found. When they had gone down about fifty feet they struck a vein of gas. On removing their auger the gas rushed with great force from the aperture, and continues to throw up dry sand for about an hour. It then ceased, and the boring was resumed; but as soon as this was done the gas rushed up with such violence as to throw the drill - a piece of iron one and a half inches in diameter, eight feet long, weighing fifty pounds - clean out of the hole, and continuing discharging up water and stones,some of the latter weighing twenty five pounds into the air a distance of one hundred feet.
The stream widened out the diameter of the hole, after leaving the hole, and the quantity was such as to raise the creek considerably above its ordinary level, though it is here about twenty five feet wide. After the flow of water subsided and the gas was fired, and an explosion took place which shook the ground for half a mile, and then concluded to throw up a sheet of flame as high as the water had previously gone. The flames could be seen for miles, and were ultimately extinguished with great difficulty. It is thought that the oil spring for such it proved to be, will be one of the best in the country.
Considering today we get 60% of our oil imported from Canada and Mexico it is interesting to note that thye have been searching for oil deposits in 1861.
Extraordinary Phenomena in Boring for Oil in Canada
A number of residents of Michigan went over to Sombra C.W. some time since and commenced boring some fifteen or twenty feet from a creek, under the belief that oil would be found. When they had gone down about fifty feet they struck a vein of gas. On removing their auger the gas rushed with great force from the aperture, and continues to throw up dry sand for about an hour. It then ceased, and the boring was resumed; but as soon as this was done the gas rushed up with such violence as to throw the drill - a piece of iron one and a half inches in diameter, eight feet long, weighing fifty pounds - clean out of the hole, and continuing discharging up water and stones,some of the latter weighing twenty five pounds into the air a distance of one hundred feet.
The stream widened out the diameter of the hole, after leaving the hole, and the quantity was such as to raise the creek considerably above its ordinary level, though it is here about twenty five feet wide. After the flow of water subsided and the gas was fired, and an explosion took place which shook the ground for half a mile, and then concluded to throw up a sheet of flame as high as the water had previously gone. The flames could be seen for miles, and were ultimately extinguished with great difficulty. It is thought that the oil spring for such it proved to be, will be one of the best in the country.
Considering today we get 60% of our oil imported from Canada and Mexico it is interesting to note that thye have been searching for oil deposits in 1861.
Bringing the