DICOVERY OF NATURAL GAS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2007, 7 December 1888, Page 2

DICOVERY OF NATURAL GAS.

Referring to the recent discovery of natural gas m New Sooth Wales, the Sydney •• Dally Telegraph" saye :— As la generally the case, the gas was found b» aooldent. Nearly five years ago Me Johct Ooghlan oommenoed to bore for ooal In the neighborhood of Narrabeen. After boring for two or three years, probing 1556 ft down and finding no traoa of coal, the miners observed an lnflunmabto vapour exhaling from the aide of the bore. Mistaking It for what Is known aa marsh gas, a nroduot which by itself has no commercial value and is frequently encountered m wells and minea all the world orer r and never dreaming of the existence m Australia of natural gas that might takt the plnoe of light or fuel, they paid no attention to it, and prooeeded to go deeper and deeper into the rook. At length, with nearly 2000 ft of tubing down, the vapour Increased m volume an.d intensity. Then Mr Ooghlan began seriously to eoiailder Its nature, acd having no knowledge of the valuable gases engendered m nature's own labaratory ia other parts of the world, he Invited Dr Storer, a scientific chemist, and Mr Key, a mining engineer, to Inspeot the boire. Those gentlemen visited the scene of operation! several months ago, and offered the opinion that the gas was similar to that discovered at Pittaburg, and subsequently analysing some which they carried away m a bottle, stated definitely that the product was m all respects identical with the American natural gag. Thus, after nearly five yean* work, the patienb energy of the prospectors for ooal an the shores of Narrabeen was rewarded by the discovery of something thay had never dreamed of looking for, uomethiog they did not even know when they saw it. The bore they put down measured 3in m diameter and ihe gas issued through it m spite of a pressure of water equal to 8001 b to the square inoh. Until now nothing has been said publioly about the aroumstance. Now it is proposed to float the well into a company bat whether the shares will bo issued immediately is doubtful. Probably the* concern will te put on the market at the. beginning of the year. If th,o well prove* rich m gas, pipe* will be laid from Narrabeen to the oity, and the natural product reticulated when mixed with coal gas to the dwelling* for lights, and unadulterated to the factories. and workshops for fuel. Meanwhile the few workmen, employed at the well are boiling their billies and grilling their eteaks on th« gas that flows up over tho surf ac» from ' hundreds of feet beneath them, and at night they ard illuminating their huts and tentd with the same are*mn product.