Vinton Township (part 8 of 8)

Few deposits of Mahoning coal were observed in Brown Township as the member lies near the summits of the ridges where exposures are few. The elevation of the bed is 990 feet in Section 12, and 945 feet near the head of King Hollow in Section 3. The member outcrops only 'on the high ridges in the eastern and central parts of Madison Township. The following. record taken in the northeastern part of Section 29 shows some of the stratigraphic features:

In most of Knox Township the Mahoning coal and clay are largely replaced by massive sandstones which make up most of the interval from the Upper Freeport coal to the Brush Creek limestone. Where present the horizon is more frequently marked by carbonaceous shale than by coal. Such deposits are present 770 feet above tide in the eastern part of Section 28, and 850 feet in the northwestern part of Section 1. Although widely distributed along the ridges in Vinton Township, the Mahoning member is present at few places as it gives way to sandstone. The stratum improves some in continuity but little in quality in Wilkesville Township where. it is due above drainage in most of the area. The following record, taken along the road in the southeastern part of Section 15, shows its position with reference to other well known members:

The Mahoning coal in Vinton County is of no value as a source of fuel as the stratum in nearly all of the area is not only thin but very shaly. It is not mined even along stream beds where the overburden has been largely removed by erosion. The associated clay is poor in quality due to the high content of basic fluxes, and is not recommended for any kind of ceramic product.

Upper Mahoning Sandstone

The position of the Mahoning sandstone is in the interval between the Mahoning and Mason coals. It may be absent from the section, occupy part or all of this interval, or so expand that it replaces overlying or underlying beds. In composition and texture this member is similar to the Lower Mahoning sandstone; the material forming it was evidently derived from the same source and deposited under similar conditions. The thickness of the stratum varies from 5 to 40 feet. The Upper Mahoning sandstone is not present in many places in Vinton County except in Knox Township, where it is well developed in a few areas. As the main stratigraphic features of the member are shown in sections given elsewhere, in this bulletin, the bed will not be discussed further.

The Mason, the second coal bed in ascending order in the Conemaugh formation, lies normally about midway in the interval between the Mahoning coal and the lower stratum of the Brush Creek limestone. In Ohio it is best developed in the southern part of the State in Lawrence, Gallia, Meigs, and Vinton. counties in which field, with the exception of the Wilgus member in Lawrence and Gallia counties, it is the thickest and most regular coal stratum in the entire formation. In central and eastern Ohio the Mason coal is poorly represented. It may be traced, however, with a degree of certainty by small lenses of coal and by deposits of impure clay. The stratum varies in character from rather pure coal through shaly coal to coaly shale. Its thickness is nowhere such as to justify drift mining on a large scale. It is worked mainly by stripping along the outcrop for small supplies of household fuel.

The Mason coal has fair continuity across the eastern part of Vinton County in eastern Brown, eastern Madison, Knox, eastern Vinton, and Wilkesville townships. It varies greatly, however, in thickness, character, and position. The range in thickness is from a few inches to more than 3 feet. The average measurement of the stratum from many determinations is nearly 1 foot 2 inches. At best this fuel is high in ash, which is distributed throughout the bed in the form of papery partings. In some localities the partings so expand in thickness and so increase in number that the bed contains more shale than coal. Normally the Mason member lies nearly 23 feet below the lower bench of the Brush Creek limestone; but this interval varies from 1 to 35 feet due to the irregularity in deposition of both the coal and the limestone.

Pennsylvanian System 3590

Brown Township. - In Brown Township the deposits of Mason coal are confined to the high ridges in the eastern and central parts. The stratum is shaly and usually lies not far below the lower bench of the Brush Creek limestone. In the southeastern part of Section 18 the following record was obtained:

Deposits similar in character were observed in sections 12, 11, 5, and 16. The horizon is also marked by shaly coal along the high ridge south of Raccoon Creek in the southeastern part of the township. The Mason coal lies 950 feet above tide in the northeastern part of Section 13 and 935 feet in the southern part of Section 1.

Madison Township. - Aside from its stratigraphic features the Mason member is of little interest in Madison Township where it is present near the summits of the high knobs and ridges. The deposits are of no value as a source of fuel on account of the shaly character. The thickness of the bed is from 6 inches to 2 feet. Its position is 10 to 25 feet below the lower layers of the Brush Creek limestone and its elevation is 1,020 feet in the northeastern part of Section 24; 925 feet in the southeastern part of Section 16; 980 feet in the central part of Section 26; and 875 feet in the east central part of Section 13.

Knox Township - Owing to the dip of the rocks to the east, the Mason coal lies not far below the summits of the ridges in the western part of Knox Township and near the valley floors in the eastern part. The bed has fair continuity and thickness but everywhere it is shaly in character. Its structure and stratigraphic relations are best shown in a record, taken just east of Knox Township near the Townhouse School and on the Floyd Foutts farm in Lee Township, Athens County. The section is given below:

The Mason coal has not been mined even in a small way at any place in Knox Township. It is not only high in ash but also in sulphur, held in the form of marcasite.

Vinton Township. - In Vinton Township the Mason _ horizon is marked more often by deposits of carbonaceous shale than by those of coal. The thickness of the bed varies from 4 inches to 2 feet. Locally the member is replaced by sandstone. With few exceptions the deposits are confined to the ridges and knobs in the eastern half of the area. Its stratigraphic relations are normal.

Wilkesville Township. - In its extension southward from Vinton into Wilkesville Township the Mason coal improves slightly in continuity and quality but little in thickness. The average measurement of the bed is not more than | foot. It les from 15 to 30 feet below the lower stratum of the Brush Creek limestone and nearly an equal distance above the Mahoning coal. The member has not been mined at any place within the area.

Along the road in the central part of Section 18 about 1 foot of Mason coal was exposed at an elevation of 845 feet. It lies nearly 50 feet above the Upper Freeport coal. The member extends as far west as the southern part of Section 36 where the deposit is coal of fair quality, about 10 inches thick, and 940 feet above tide. Its relation to the Brush Creek limestone is shown in the following record taken at the forks of the road in the northwestern part of Section 29:

Pennsylvanian System 357

Similar deposits were observed also along the ridges in sections 35 and 34. This member is regularly present in the central part of the township. Its thickness is on the average about 1 foot. The elevation of the member is 830 feet in the northeastern part of Section 17, 820 feet in the central part of Section 11, 805 feet in the southeastern part of Section 15, and 780 feet in the east central part of Section 2, south. Just south of Wilkesville in the central part of Section 3, the following record was obtained:

East of Wilkesville in Salem Township, Meigs County, the Mason coal increases in regularity and thickness but becomes more shaly in character. Its position is about 55 feet below the upper stratum of the Brush Creek limestone and approximately 80 feet below the Cambridge limestone.

At no place in Vinton County is the Mason coal drawn upon even for small supplies of household fuel as the bed is generally thin and impure. The average thickness of the stratum is about 1 foot and the maximum measurement nearly 3 feet. The local expansions, however, are due more to the addition of carbonaceous shale than to that of coal. Much marcasite is also present throughout the stratum. Prospecting has been confined to pits along the outcrop.

Brush Creek Limestone

The Brush Creek limestone, named by I. C. White, in 1878, for deposits appearing on Brush Creek, in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania,! is a well recognized stratum in the Conemaugh formation of Ohio. It extends with some wants from Columbiana County on the north to Lawrence County on the south, but along its outcrop it shows much variation in character. The member may be represented by dark, carbonaceous shale; by this with nodules of dark to gray limestone; by dark gray limestone; by gray, calcareous shale; by gray to nearly black flint; by gray, shaly flint; and by various combinations of these. In general the most common representative is dark shale with nodular limestone in eastern Ohio and gray shale with gray to dark limestone or flint in the southern part of the State. With few exceptions in eastern Ohio the member consists of only one stratum of calcareous material but in central and southern Ohio it is normally made up of two beds of limestone or flint separated by from 10 to 30 feet of shale. This double structure is well recognized in Lawrence, Gallia, Vinton, Meigs, Athens, Perry, and Morgan counties. As indicated by the fauna, the Brush Creek member is largely of marine origin, commonly being very fossiliferous. In small areas, however, the strata appear to have been deposited in brackish water. The Brush Creek is the oldest marine limestone in the Conemaugh formation and represents a widespread invasion of the sea into the great coal formation basin lying between old Appalachia and the Cincinnati uplift. It was followed, however, by similar inundations that gave rise to the Cambridge, Portersville, Ames, and Skelley limestones. The Brush Creek member serves as a bench for reference in stratigraphic work as it is a fossiliferous stratum, as it is widely distributed, and as it is easily recognized along the outcrop. In a general way the deposits thicken in their extension southward across the State. The average measurement of the member is about 5 feet in eastern Ohio and at least 22 feet in the southern part of the field. Changes, but in a reverse order, are also evident in the intervals to other well-known members. The Brush Creek limestone is separated from the Cambridge limestone by an interval of 48 feet in eastern Ohio and by that of only 29 feet in southern Ohio. The contraction is somewhat similar with the beds lying between the Upper Freeport coal and the Brush Creek limestone, which in eastern Ohio measure on the average 96 feet and in southern Ohio 68 feet. 'The evidence when only Ohio is considered thus indicates that the invasion of the sea at this stage of Conemaugh time was from the south or southeast, for in that direction the member thickens gradually, becomes more calcareous in character, and contains a more diverse and better developed fauna. The source of the ferruginous sediments that make up the rocks lying above and below the Brush Creek member was apparently from the east or from old Appalachia. This view is supported by the general expansion of the intervals and by the increase in the coarseness of the sediments eastward across the State.

In the extension of the Brush Creek limestone across the State only the eastern part of Vinton County lies within the belt of outcrop. The main body passes to the east of this through Athens and Meigs counties. In the area under consideration such deposits are found along the ridges in eastern Brown, eastern Madison, Knox, eastern Vinton, and Wilkesville townships. Although the Brush Creek member is the most definite stratigraphic unit in the Conemaugh formation of Vinton County, it is not a persistent deposit and undergoes some changes in character. It is wanting through lack of development and also through replacement by sandstone. This applies to both the lower and the upper benches of the member which normally are separated by about 27 feet of shale and sandstone. 'The lower stratum consists usually of dark, fossiliferous shale, of this with hard limestone, and of gray to dark flint; whereas the upper one is made up of gray, siliceous limestone or of gray to nearly black flint. From many measurements the average thickness of the lower bench 1s 11 inches and that of the upper layer is 2 feet. The materials on both of these horizons are very fossiliferous and the shales intervening in many places contain a few scattered remains. Conditions, especially locally, were not entirely marine throughout the stage of Brush Creek deposition, for in some areas sandstone, shale, and even coal in an impoverished form are present in the interval between the two regular benches of the member. The upper stratum of the Brush Creek limestone in southern Ohio appears to be the only part represented in the eastern portion of the State, the lower layer disappearing through lack of deposition long before it reaches that part of the field. The deposits of this limestone in Vinton County are not well enough exposed for a detailed study of its various relationships.

Brown Township. - In Brown Township only scattered deposits of Brush Creek limestone are present near the summits of the high ridges in the eastern part. The lower stratum is more frequently present than the upper one. On the high knob in the southeastern part of Section 18, the lower stratum is present at an elevation of 1,020 feet. It is a hard, blue, fossiliferous limestone about 9 inches thick. It is overlain by 35 feet of drab, siliceous shale and underlain by more than 2 feet of shaly Mason coal. The main stratigraphic features are well shown in the following composite record taken in the central part of Section 16:

The Brush Creek limestone is also present near the top of the divide on the road that leads from Hope Furnace to King Hollow. South of Raccoon Creek exposures were observed 980 feet above tide on the high knob in the north central part of Section 13 and at about the same altitude in the western part of Section 7..

Madison Township. - The Brush Creek member in Madison Township is confined entirely to the high ridges in the eastern part. Where the upper stratum makes its appearance it is commonly a hard flint, dark gray to nearly black in color. Locally also the lower bench tends toward the flinty phase, but commonly it is either limestone or fossiliferous shale. In the northern part of the township the most western deposit observed is on the knob in the southeastern part of Section 30. The material is a ferruginous chert lying 1,060 feet above tide and about 50 feet above the Upper Freeport coal. At the forks of the road in the northeastern part of Section 24, the upper stratum is represented by approximately 2 feet of shaly limestone and black flint, the latter hard, brittle, and lustrous. Similar deposits were observed along the ridges in the northern and eastern parts of Section 18 where in a few places the bed thickens to 2 feet 6 inches and changes from the calcareous phase to nearly pure flint. The descent above tide is from 1,030 to 1,000 feet. The areas of such material are small in Section 17. The most conspicuous outcrop in Section 23 is near the school house, 1,080 feet above tide, in the northwestern part of the area. Some of the stratigraphic features are shown in the following record taken along the road in the central part of Section 16:

Pennsylvanian System 361

The interval between the two Brush Creek limestones is here much above normal. The thin bed of coal intervening is probably correlative with the Brush Creek coal of Columbiana County and adjacent parts of eastern Ohio. Thin lenses of such material were also observed at this horizon elsewhere in Vinton County. It is not persistent, however, being absent more often than present. In the southeastern part of Madison Township the deposits of Brush Creek limestone are confined to the high ridges east of Flat Run. The elevation of the member is approximately 975 feet. '

Knox Township. - All the main ridges in Knox Township have sufficient height to contain deposits of Brush Creek limestone. One or both beds, however, are frequently absent through lack of deposition or through replacement by sandstone. The altitude of the member is 990 feet in the west central part of Section 12, 850 feet in the southeast corner of Section 30, 968 feet in the southwestern part of Section 7, and 820 feet in the east central part of Section 25. The lower stratum is usually shaly or limy in character, whereas the upper one is commonly flinty.

In Section 12 the upper stratum is represented by 1 to 2 feet of flinty limestone which outcrops prominently along the main ridge. The-deposits are more calcareous in the northeastern part of Section 6, in many places consisting of two layers of hard, blue limestone separated by a few inches of shale. The upper portion of the rock is locally brecciated. In sections 36 and 30 this stratum frequently gives way to sandstone and the lower one changes to a dark, fossiliferous shale. In the central part of the township the deposits have somewhat better development and continuity. The following record

The Brush Creek beds are also well developed south of this in sections 26 and 25, but are thin or absent in many places west of Raccoon Creek in sections 1, 2, 7, and 8. The interval of separation of the two parts is from 20 to 35 feet. The lower stratum, especially if it is shaly in character, is far more fossiliferous than the upper one; but the species common to one are common to the other. 'The intervening shales also show some evidence of marine origin.

Vinton Township. - The deposits of Brush Creek limestone in Vinton Township are confined to the main ridges in the eastern part and to a few high knobs in the central part. Of the two the upper bench is by far the most persistent and the best developed; usually it is the only one present. Its thickness varies from 1 to 5 feet and its composition changes from an impure flint to dense, hard limestone. Along the ridges in sections 6 and 12 the Brush Creek member is represented by several thin layers of hard, blue limestone separated by shale partings. The thickness is from 2 feet to 4 feet 6 inches. On the knobs in the southern part of Section 23, and at an altitude of 880 feet, the horizon of the upper stratum is marked by flint varying from light gray to dark in color and from 1 to 3 feet in thickness. Small bodies of such material are also present in sections 22 and 20. 'The usual character of the material in the southeastern part of the township is shown in the following record taken in the northwest corner of Section 1:

: Ft. In. Clay«shale, redjspartsrcovereds «0 oc> cuted Osis ne eer ee 10 0 Limestone, hard, blue, Cambridge, about in place........:... 1 0 Claveshaleand:Covered ancien aimee. o) .sssete ecco daneeere Rut Teen 0 Clay shale, red, with large nodules of fresh water limestone. .. { 0 Shaleedrabis ii: ccal a tcponetar eoren coak anata: ace ett Dene eine 3 0 Sandstone; shaly...j2- a. wiser ae ion cats a ene ete 25 0 Limestone, | siliceous, blue, fossiliferous. . 2 8 Sandstone, shaly, cal- Upper bench of Brush Creek careous, with a few fossils, altitude 855 feet, Waccnd Ure Het 5 0

Pennsylvanian System 363

The member was observed with less development in parts of sections 2, 7, and 8. In places the material contains an abundance of well preserved fossils.

Wilkesville Township. - Although widely distributed in Wilkesville Township the Brush Creek limestone is poorly represented, except in local, isolated areas. It is usually impure limestone or calcareous shale. Through weathering the limestone is occasionally converted into a spongy iron ore in which the original fossils are still well preserved.

In Section 6, north, the member outcrops at an altitude of approximately 840 feet. The thickness of the bed is from 8 inches to 2 feet. The most prominent deposits in the northwestern part of the township are found in sections 30, 29, and 35. The position of the member with reference to some beds in the upper part of the Allegheny formation is given in the section below:

At the forks of the road in the northeastern part of Section 35 the upper bench of the member consists of sandy limestone, 2 feet 8 inches thick, overlain by hard, blue limestone measuring 10 inches. Both are fossiliferous. The deposit outcrops 950 feet above tide.

The ferruginous or iron ore phase was observed along the ridge in the central part of Section 15. In the southern part of the township the Brush Creek member is not often present in characteristic form.

The chief importance of the Brush Creek members and the associated shales in Vinton County is the contribution of a small quantity of calcareous matter to the soils derived from their decay. Such land is better fitted for raising grass, grains, fruit, and other products. The deposits are too thin and the stone too impure to be prepared economically either by crushing or by burning for agricultural purposes. Small quantities have been used in road building in a few places in Madison and Knox townships. Aside from foundations it has not been used as building stone.

Buffalo Sandstone

The Buffalo sandstone which is massively developed in Harrison, Tuscarawas, Carroll, and Guernsey counties is locally represented in the southern part of the State. The member appears to have been laid down as channel deposits which terminate abruptly when traversed at right angles to the line of flow of the old stream, which vary texturally from fine sand to coarse pebbles, and which have an irregular and confused stratification. The normal position of the Buffalo sandstone is between the Brush Creek and the Cambridge limestones, but where well developed it replaces one or both of these.

In Vinton County the Buffalo sandstone is not a conspicuous bed in the small areas in which it is due. The horizon is occasionally marked along the ridges in eastern Brown and eastern Madison townships, by bodies of a fine-grained, micaceous sandstone and in a few places in Knox Township by deposits of sandstone bearing thin lenses of conglomerate. The latter condition is shown in the following record taken in the northeastern part of Section 6, Knox Township:

Pennsylvanian System 365

The altitude of the outcrop is 960 feet. Locally in the eastern part of Vinton Township the Buffalo sandstone replaces the upper bench of the Brush Creek limestone. The Buffalo member is of little interest in Wilkesville Township except in a small area about 1 mile northwest of Wilkesville where it appears as a coarse, pebbly conglomerate the thickness of which is from 10 to 15 feet. It is best exposed in the north central part of Section 10 at an altitude of 900 feet. Its position is just above the Brush Creek limestone. The Buffalo sandstone is of no economic importance in Vinton County.

Wilgus Coal

The Wilgus coal, named by Condit in 1912 for deposits occurring near the village of Wilgus in Mason Township, Lawrence County, is best developed in the southern part of the State in Lawrence and Gallia counties. North of this small field the bed is thin, impure, and uncertain. Its position is directly or only a few feet at most below the Cambridge limestone. In Vinton County the Wilgus horizon is marked by a thin layer of shaly coal at a few places in the eastern part of Knox and Wilkesville townships.

Cambridge Limestone

The Cambridge is the second marine limestone in ascending order in the Conemaugh formation of Ohio. It outcrops with many wants and much variation in character from Columbiana County on the north to Lawrence and Gallia counties on the south. In southern Ohio its position is 20 to 30 feet above the Brush Creek limestone and 110 to 130 feet above the Upper Freeport coal. In Vinton County the member is confined to a few high knobs in the eastern part of Knox and Wilkesville townships. The thickness of the stratum is usually less than 10 inches. The Cambridge is the youngest definite Conemaugh member exposed in Vinton County.

Chapter Iv Oil And Gas

The search for oil and gas in Vinton County appears to have begun as early as 1865 when a test of the rocks was made on Raccoon Creek near the center of Section 6, Knox Township. Neither oil nor gas was obtained. Near-by territory, however, was tested by the drill in 1862 when a well was sunk on the William Poland property just south of the county line and about one-half mile southwest of Richland Furnace. It yielded a small volume of gas which was not utilized but flowed for many years without exhaustion. In 1867 on land of John Calvin, located on Raccoon Creek in the central part of Section 10, Vinton Township, the drill at a depth of 490 feet released a reservoir of gas which flowed in the atmosphere with much vigor for nearly ten: years before an attempt was made to utilize the fuel in the production of lampblack. By this time the well was much depleted and soon failed entirely. The gas was found in the Big Injun sand which is correlative with the Black Hand conglomerate so highly developed to the northwest in Hocking County. Between 1867 and 1897 only a few scattered wells were drilled in Vinton County, and these were failures, but they revealed the presence of sandstone deeply buried and favorable for oil and gas accumulation. The production of natural gas in such quantities as to be marketable began in 1898 when a test of the "Clinton" sand on the William Poland property in Section 28, Richland Township, gave a strong flow with high rock pressure. This soon led to the development of large fields in the "Clinton" sand in Richland, Harrison, Eagle, Jackson, Swan, and Elk townships and of a small reservoir in the Hamden sand in Richland and Clinton townships. These are steady producers and are not exhausted. A small pool of oil was struck, in 1899, in the "Clinton" sand on the headwaters of the Fast Fork of Queer Creek in northern Jackson Township and another about 1900, in the Berea sand near Bolins Mills in central Knox Township., Since then the Berea has yielded some oil and gas just north of Zaleski in Madison Township and along Raccoon Creek in the west central part of Brown Township. The total number of wells drilled in Vinton County is nearly 700 of which 70 per cent have produced oil or gas in paying quantities. The chief production is gas from the "Clinton" sand and oil from the Berea.

Some of the deep-seated rocks in Vinton County are known in Ohio only through the meager evidence afforded by the drill as they do not appear at the surface within the State nor do they outcrop near its confines. They are known, therefore, only in a general way. In Vinton County the steel bit has descended toa depth of 4,295 feet and reached what is apparently the St. Peters sandstone, below the base of the Trenton limestone. The rocks so penetrated and those exposed at the surface thus range from the St. Peters sandstone of Lower Ordovician time to the Cambridge limestone of middle Conemaugh age. The total thickness of the rock section is approximately 5,000 feet. In the Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian systems the rocks are mainly dolomites, limestones, and shales; in the Mississippian they change to shales, sandstones, and conglomerates; and in the Pennsylvanian they consist principally of shales, sandstones, and conglomerates with thin beds of limestone, coal, clay, and iron ore. Of these the sandstones are the ones most sought by the driller as they form the natural reservoirs for the storage of the valuable hydrocarbons, oil and gas. In this kind of strata the essential feature is porosity which not only allows storage in the capillary spaces but circulation through them. The character of the overlying beds should also be considered. Such rock must be sufficiently impervious to prevent the escape of the oil and gas. Geological structure of some type such as anticlines, domes, or enclosed lenses is necessary in order to entrap the oil and gas and so to prevent them from traveling up the slope of the sandstones to the surface and escaping through slow dissipation. The oil geologist must also consider other factors such as gravity, viscosity, temperature, diffusion, pressure, and solubility. The oil and gas bearing rocks of most importance in Vinton County will be considered briefly.

Thickness in feet Description Probable geological equivalents Aver- Mini- Maxiage mum mum Limestone, hard, fossiliferous.. . . 1 0) 2} Cambridge limestone Shales, red to gray, soft........ 13 10 20 Sand; Buell Run. a eee 15 0 40| Buffalo sandstone

Oil And Gas

Aver- | Mini- | Maxiage | mum | mum 18 0 60} Upper Freeport sandstone 146} 120} 170 10 0 40} Possibly Clarion sandstone 136 110} 150 65 10 90} Massillon sandstone 2 1 3} Quakertown or No. 2 coal a ae ee eee oar yan Sharon conglomerate aes Fe-0 _* Maxville limestone Cas a ae Possibly represented by the 132} 100) 175) Vinton and Allensyille members ty ane ae Black Hand _ sandstone 125 50 300} some areas and Byer sandstone in others 377 200 500] Cuyahoga sh ale ects sl! ay Cuyahoga sandstone 60 40 80} Cuyahoga shale 21 10 et Sunbury shale 34 8 60 wave sandstone 80 65 100} Bedford shale 792} 630} 1,070) Ohio shale 10 eae 0 25] Olentangy shale

Silurian and Devonian limestones and dolomites from the Bisher to the Delaware members. The "'First water' in the Big lime is on the Limestone, Big Lime........... 670} 590) 960} general horizon of the Sylvania sandstone or ''Austinburg Gas' sand and the "Second or Big water' on that of the Hillsboro sandstone or '"Newburg Gas" sand

Shale, gray, green, brown, and Rochester shale of New York elie glee 2 oat v ie he gy cares 154} 120} 220} and Alger shale of Ohio Irondequoit limestone of New Limestone, first shell.... 6 0 10] York and Dayton limestone of Ohio Shale, gray, limy....... Little 16 5 40 Lime Wolcott limestone of New Limestone, second shell. . 7 5 15] York and Brassfield limestone of Ohio

CAVE CE oreo rner tel ovis Failatra ts a7, 5 45! Sodus shale of New York Sond Chntonti ian 6 av ties ea 17 0 50} Whirlpool sandstone of New York Shale, blue, white, and red, Red Queenstown shale of New Medinae.csect 1th rai 190 2 Beal cee York and possibly Upper

Limestone, shaly, dark, Trenton. 682| ase eee Trenton limestone Sand< St ROthtict pack elux user 35 | Reetecitenell ut cose ee St. Peters sandstone area in the Upper Mississippi Valley and north of Lake Superior in Canada. It is characterized by marked irregularity in thickness and by roundness and purity of the sand grains. In Ohio the Lower Ordovician rocks with the included St. Peters are so deeply buried that they are reached only by the drill in the western and the central parts of the State. The evidence thus secured is far from conclusive but it indicates that sandstone at the St. Peters horizon is locally present across the area. In some wells the bed is not definitely revealed, whereas in others it is prominent, the thickness varying from 10 to 150 feet or more. This horizon is usually indicated by a heavy flow of blue-lick water. In Ohio the position of the St. Peters sandstone is approximately 2,100 feet below the base of the Big lime and 1,950 feet below the top of the "Clinton" sand. It lies just below the "Trenton" limestone of the driller which is geologically equivalent to the Stones River, Black River, and Trenton formations and which has a mean thickness of 650 feet. The St. Peters is of little importance as a source of oil or gas.

In Vinton County the St. Peters horizon has been reached (1925) in only one test, the A. J. Garrett well in Section 32, Jackson Township. It was drilled by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company in June, 1920. The record kindly furnished by this company is as follows:

The position and character of the St. Peters sandstone, shown in the above record, are verified by many tests extending across the central part of the State from Adams County on the Ohio River to Lorain County on Lake Erie and by others farther to the west on the Cincinnati uplift. 'Throughout the entire area the sand has proved to be unproductive save for occasional small flows a..d showing of oil or gas. In most of the wells the drill on entering the bed released a strong flow of brine heavily charged with hydrogen sulphide. In a light colored, granular dolomite, lying near the horizon of the St. Peters sandstone, a small pool of oil has been struck near Newark, Licking County. The position of the "'pay"' is about 670 feet below the top of the Trenton formation and about 2,020 feet below that of the "Clinton" sand. The overlying Trenton rocks consist largely of light gray to dark limestones and dolomites which are massive in character and drill slowly. They are interbedded, however, with some shale usually recorded as "breaks." The drillings of the harder parts are flaky in character and contain evidence of an abundant fauna. The rocks of the Cincinnati group, lying above the Trenton, are largely shales in which many thin limestones are interbedded at various horizons. The material is very fossiliferous. The formations represented are the Eden, Maysville, and Richmond.

In Ohio the "Clinton" sand ranks first in the production of natural gas and next to the Trenton in that of oil. The producing field extends in a discontinuous way from Jackson County on the south to Cuyahoga County on Lake Erie. Its length is nearly 200 miles and its width from 1 to 40 miles. Along this extension pools either large or small are present in 18 counties. To the east of the main field, under deep cover, the sand is present in good thickness but is not productive, whereas to the west it is much impoverished and even wanting. The "Clinton" sand is of Medina age. It appears to be correlative with the Whirlpool sandstone so well exposed in the gorge below Niagara Falls. The underlying red Medina shale of the driller is the Queenstown shale and the soft, overlying layer known as the Pencil cave has the position of the Sodus shale of the New York section. The Little lime of the driller is represented apparently by the Irondequoit and Wolcott limestones of New York and by the Dayton and Brassfield limestones of southwestern Ohio.

The "Clinton" sand is fine to coarse in texture and usually light in color; although in places the deposits contain lenses varying from light gray to pale red. Frequently the stratum is more or less broken by shale partings known to the driller as breaks. The sand may be open or compact, depending on the fineness of grain and the quantity of bonding components.

In Vinton County the ''Clinton" sand is the great reservoir from which large volumes of natural gas have been drawn since 1898. Some oil has been produced also in a few small areas. In the county the drill has gone to or below this horizon in approximately 470 tests of which nearly 70 per cent have been productive. The field as now outlined (1925) includes most of Richland, eastern Harrison, eastern Eagle, most of Jackson, western and central Swan, and northwestern Elk townships. Scattered tests yielding only a showing of oil or gas have also been drilled in Brown, Madison, Clinton, Vinton, and Wilkesville townships. As elsewhere the '"'Clinton" sand is unsteady in thickness and variable in character. Locally it is absent or at least so poorly developed that the driller fails to detect the stratum. The usual thickness of the bed is between 10 and 25 feet. The sand is very free from brine except in the southeastern part of Vinton County where much water was encountered in nearly all the tests thus far made. The accumulation of oil and gas in the member is dependent not so much on rock structure as on the lenticular character of the sand layers. In this county the position of the "Clinton" sand is on the average about 45 feet below the top of the Little lime and nearly 200 feet below the base of the Big lime. These intervals, however, are subject to much variation, through local causes and through a general expansion of the rocks to the southward.

The "Clinton" sand in Vinton County descends rapidly to the east and slightly to the south. This is caused by the regular dip of the rocks to south of east, augmented by the expansion especially of the Devonian shales and of the great mass of the Devonian and Silurian limestones. The normal dip of the surface rocks is 28 feet per mile to the east and 12 feet per mile to the south. Across the northern part of the county from the Ovitt No. 1 well in Section 11, Eagle Township, to the Hewett well in Section 34, Waterloo Township, Athens County, the Berea-"'Clinton" interval thickens at a rate of 41.28 feet per mile. The expansion of the strata from the top of the Berea sand to the top of the Big lime is 28.83 feet per mile, that of the Big lime is 10.23 feet, and that of the beds between the Big lime and the "Clinton" sand is 2.22 feet. With equal elevation and for every mile east the "Clinton" sand therefore lies nearly 69 feet deeper. Similarly measured from the B. E. Epstein well in Section 32, Richland 'Township, to the Cline well in Section 12, Vinton Township, the eastward thickening of the Berea-"'Clinton" interval is 36.42 feet. The total eastward dip of the "Clinton" sand is therefore more than 64 feet per mile.

The average expansion of the Berea-''Clinton" interval to the southward is only 5.48 feet per mile as measured along two lines across the county. One of these is from the Susan Shaw well in Section 17, Benton Township, Hocking County, to the Charles Dickerson No. | well in Section 34, Coal Township, Jackson County; and the other from the Columbus Brick and Terra Cotta Company well in Section 23, Starr Township, Hocking County, to the J. E. Newsom well near Wilkesville, in Vinton County. The expansion of 5.48 feet, plus normal dip of 12 feet, thus causes the Clinton sand to descend more than 17 feet to the mile to the southward. Such features, that is both the dip and the expansion, should be duly considered by those drilling in unprospected areas to the east and south. The position of the ''Clinton"' sand below the base of the Big lime should also be taken into account, as this increases nearly 2 feet to the mile eastward and about 3 feet to the mile southward. The "Clinton" sand lies about 140 feet below the base of the Big lime in the northwest part of the county, 210 feet in the northeast part, 180 feet in the southwest part, and 250 feet in the southeast part.

The main guides of reference for the driller are the Berea sand with the black Sunbury shale above it; the Big lime lying below the great mass of Ohio shale, known as the Big Cinnamon; and the Little lime or shells found in the shales below the Big lime. The position of the ''Clinton" sand is not far below the Little lime or far above the red shales known to the driller as the red Medina. When the red Medina or Queenstown shale is reached the horizon of the "Clinton" sand has been passed.

Brown Township. - In the western half of Brown Township five wells have been drilled to the ''Clinton" sand without successful results. Along Twomile Run in the western part of Section 23, the Pure Oil Company in 1922 drilled a test on the property of G. P. Drayer. The altitude of the well head was 760 feet and its geological position near the level of the Lower Mercer limestone. The drill reached the Berea sand at a depth of 904 feet and the "Clinton" at that of 3,043 feet. The Berea sand was 43 feet thick, and yielded about 1 barrel of oil. The "Clinton" sand, although 17 feet thick, was totally dry. Near the mouth of Twomile Run also on the G. P. Drayer property, another well was drilled by the Pure Oil Company in 1922. The results were about 12 barrels of oil in the Berea sand and 200,000 cubic feet of gas per day in the "Clinton." In 1914 a deep well was drilled on a western fork of Hope Hollow on land of G. P. Drayer. The location is one and one-half miles northwest of Hope Furnace and its position near the level of the Clarion coal and 840 feet above tide. The Berea sand was found at a depth of 1,024 feet, had a thickness of 46 feet, and gave a test of about 1 barrel of oil. The "Clinton" sand measured 34 feet and gave an initial flow of 500,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The dnill reached a depth of 3,180 feet before work was suspended. The Preston Oil Company in September, 1914, completed a ''Clinton" well on the H. E. Pence property located in the southwestern part of Section 28. The record is given below:

The "Clinton" sand made a good showing of oil and the Berea sand sufficient for a producing well which is still pumping one-half barrel per day. On the E. W. Strong property in the northwest part of Section 31, the Preston Oil Company in January, 1915, also made a test of both the Berea and ''Clinton'"' sands which were reached at depths of 967 and 3,019 feet respectively. About 2 barrels of oil was bailed from the upper bed and 10 gallons from the lower one.

Swan Township. - The western part of Swan Township is included in the great "Clinton" gas field that extends across Vinton County from north to south. In small areas oil has also been found in paying quantities. In this township drilling began about 1901 and _ since then 95 deep tests have been made of which 67 gave good yields of either gas or oil. The main gas field lies in the western part of the township in sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31, and in the southern part in sections 28, 29, 32, and 33. Two small oil pools are found, one near Hue in sections 5, 6, and 7, and another south of this in a ravine in the northeast part of Section 30 and the southeast part of Section 19. The following record of a well drilled in February, 1920, by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company on the Caroline Williams property in the southwestern' part of Section 29 is about representative:

The altitude of the well head is 793 feet and its position near that of the Quakertown coal. The daily production was 1,488,000 cubic feet of gas with a rock pressure of 810 pounds.

In the eastern and north central parts of Swan Township the drill has penetrated the "Clinton" sand in a number of places without satisfactory results. No pool has been developed but good "showings"' are not uncommon. 'The sand is present with fair thickness and continuity but appears to be too fine and hard to allow accumulation. In the producing field in Swan Township many of the gas wells were large, having an initial flow of 1,000,000 to more than 5,000,000 cubic feet per day. The rock pressure varied considerably but in general it was between 700 and 900 pounds. In the few oil wells near Hue the initial production was from 5 to 50 barrels of dark greenish oil of medium gravity. The decrease was rapid but a small yield has been maintained for many years. Swan Township is very thoroughly prospected except small areas east of the Hocking Valley Railway.

Jackson Township. - The search for oil and gas in Jackson Township began in the summer of 1899 on the headwaters of the East Fork of Queer Creek in sections 3 and 4. Testing soon led to the development of a small oil pool and to the opening of a large gas field which eventually included sections 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 34, 35, and 36. In this township the ''Clinton" sand has been reached by the drill in every section except 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 30, and 31. The total number of wells drilled is nearly 100 of which about two-thirds have produced gas or oil in commercial quantities. The history of the early development is recorded by Bownocker as follows :!

"In the Jackson Township pool the first well was completed in August, 1899. By September, 1902, five oil wells, one gas well, and three dry holes had been drilled. Nearly all of these lie in sections 3 and 4, along the Vinton-Hocking line. These wells are now (1910) the property of the Southern Ohio Oil Company. Two new wells were drilled near these in 1909 and small producers secured. These belong to the locust Grove Ridge Oil and Gas Company. Early wells ranged in production from 10 to 70 barrels per day, later ones being smaller. In the spring of 1902 the four producing wells then completed were yielding 125 barrels a day. By the following September the production from five wells had dropped to 109 barrels and in July, 1910, to 12 barrels or less, one well alone producing nearly one-half of this. At the same time the two wells drilled in 1909 were making 7 barrels per day. The gas pressure is strong with the result that an occasional flow of oil still (1910) takes place. The oil has a density of 473° Baume and a green color, but when viewed in small quantity with transmitted light, its color is amber. The producing sand is spotted, and this increases the hazard of drilling, but it is soft, and consequently the wells seldom require shooting. Commonly the 'pay' has the color of brown sugar, but sometimes it changes to red-brown."

The development of the gas field in Jackson Township is mainly the work of the Ohio Fuel Gas Company. Many of the wells were large, having an initial flow of 2,000,000 to 10,000,000 cubic feet per day. The record of the J. Seitz No. 1 well in Section 26 is given below: black shale, 25 feet thick and 845 feet below the surface, is the Sunbury which is exposed at many places along the Scioto River near Chillicothe. The underlying Berea sandstone is also well represented along the outcrop over a wide area to the west. The succession of red shale below the Berea is more typical of central than southern Ohio. It is representative Bedford shale which has a wide range in central and northern Ohio. In the succession of black and light colored shales, from 1,065 feet to 1,798, the dark portions with the light interbedded layers are Ohio, and the light, basal portion is apparently the Olentangy. The shale, variously colored and lying below the Big lime, is similar in many respects to the Rochester shale exposed in the gorge at Niagara Falls. The shells and red rock, from 2,625 to 2,653: feet, is not greatly different from the Dayton and Brassfield limestones of southwest Ohio and from the Irondequoit and Wolcott limestones of the New York section. The "'Clinton" sand of the driller is one of the Medina beds of New York, apparently the Whirlpool member.

Eagle Township. - lIn its extension westward from Jackson into Eagle Township the ''Clinton" sand becomes so thin and patchy that few paying wells have been found. One producer was secured in the northwest part of Section 11; one in the southwest part of Section 24; and another in the northeast corner of Section 35. The best of these is on the Thomas S. Slagle farm in Section 24, and had an initial yield of 2,500,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The Berea sand was reached at a depth of 662 feet and the "Clinton" at 2,244. One or more tests showing little or no gas have also been drilled in sections 10, 13, and 25.

Harrison Township. - Harrison Township has been a profitable field for the driller as the "Clinton" sand in the northeast part has yielded large quantities of gas for many years. The producers are located as follows: six in Section 1, six in Section 12, four in Section 11, four in Section 14, two in Section 13, and two in Section 24. A small gas well was also obtained in the northeast part of Section 6. The drill failed to release satisfactory flows of gas in one or more trials in sections 2, 21, 23, and 26. A few of the wells also show some oil of the usual "Clinton" grade, but no pool has been developed. In the eastern part of the township the Berea sand lies about 450 feet and the "Clinton" nearly 2,000 feet below the valley floors.

Richland Township. - Richland Township has been a fruitful area for the driller since 1898 as the "Clinton" sand in most of the area has been highly productive of natural gas. For a comparatively shallow bed, the Hamden sand, in a small pool in the southeast part of the area has also been a good contributor. In all about 225 wells have been drilled in this township. Of these nearly 190 went to the "Clinton" sand and the remainder only to the Hamden or to the Berea. Of the total, only 35 wells were dry or were too small to be worth tubing.

Oil And Gas 379

The chief production in the ''Clinton" is in sections 1 to 4, 7 to 23, 25 to 29, 32 to 36, 3 south, 4 south, and 5 south. That in the Hamden is confined largely to sections 35, 36, 1 south, 2 south, and 3 south. Tests without satisfactory results were made only in sections 5, 6, 24, 30, and 31. In a large percentage of the "Clinton" wells the initial flow was from 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 cubic feet per day, and the rock pressure from 720 to 900 pounds. One of the largest gas wells ever drilled in the State was that completed in September, 1917, by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company on the farm of Ella Gibson, in the north central part of Section 19. The log of this well given below was supplied by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company:

In this test the drill started near the contact between the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian formations at an altitude of 878 feet. The flow of gas was so large that it could not be gauged accurately but it was estimated at 20,000,000 cubic feet per day. The rock pressure was 850 pounds.

The field is very irregular in outline and is divided by breaks or dry areas in which the sand is generally present but thin and hard. One of these passes across the field in sections 24, 26, 27, 28, and 29. Unproductive, tongue-like areas also extend into the reservoirs both from the east and the west. The cause of these features is not known but it appears to be due to the lenticular character of the sand and also to the low porosity through filling of the cavities of the stone with cements.

Elk Township. - The "Clinton" sand in the northwest part of Elk Township has proved highly productive of natural gas; but elsewhere, although tested by the drill in a number of places, it has failed to give more than a showing of gas and little evidence of oil. In all the sand has been tested in 42 places, and of this number 30 gave gas in paying quantities and 12 were dry. The producers are distributed as follows: 5 in the southern half of Section 5; 5 in the southern part of Section 6; 16 well distributed over Section 7; 3 in the northeast part of Section 8; and 1 in the north central part of Section 18. One or more dry holes are located in sections 4 to 9, 17, 20, and 33. To the present (1925) work has been confined entirely to the western half of the township, and nearly all of the wells were drilled by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company since 1916. The log of the John Howell No. 1 well in the northwest part of Section 7 and drilled by the above firm in January, 1919, is given below:

The initial flow of this well was 4,257,000 cubic feet of gas per day and the rock pressure 600 pounds. The usual flow, however, of most of the wells in this part of the field was between 500,000 and 3,000,000 cubic feet. The variation in the rock pressure in different wells was from about 400 to 900 pounds.

Madison Township. - The "Clinton" sand in Madison Township has been tested in only a few places and results thus far have not been encouraging. The Preston Oil Company in 1915 completed a test on the E. W. Strong property just north of Zaleski in Section 36, the altitude of the well head being 760 feet. The record furnished by the Preston Oil Company 1s given below:

Oil And Gas 381

In this well the "'Clinton" sand was dry and the Berea sand made only a showing of gas. On a tributary of Wheelabout Creek, nearly 2 miles east of south of Zaleski, citizens drilled a well on the E. Fischer property in 1919. The plan was to drill to the "Clinton" sand but work is reported to have stopped at 3,000 feet, just short of that horizon on account of caving. Near Vinton Furnace two ''Clinton" tests were drilled by the Vinton Furnace Company in 1913. The one located near the central part of Section 31 went to a depth of 3,047 feet. The Berea sand was charged with brine and the "Clinton'', although about 20 feet thick, was devoid of oil or gas in paying quantity. The other well was drilled at the mouth of a small north tributary of Elk Fork in the southwest part of Section 25, and to a depth of 3,037 feet. The "Clinton" sand, about 30 feet in thickness and broken in character, was dry but the Berea sand, at a depth of 960 feet, made a showing of both oil and gas.

Vinton Township. - Testing of the shallow sands in Vinton Township began as early as 1865 but that of the deeper "Clinton" was not started until 1909, and since then the bit has reached the lower horizon in six wells. The first of these was drilled on the V. E. Cotterill farm, near Raccoon Creek in the northeastern part of Section 13. The well head was 645 feet above tide. The bit reached the Maxton sand, about 40 feet in thickness and with a showing of oil, at a depth of about 300 feet; the Berea sand, hard and dry, at approximately 900 feet; the Big lime, 900 feet thick, at 2,160 feet; and the "Clinton" sand, thin and limy, at 3,210 feet. The tools stopped in shale at a depth of 3,268 feet. On the A. Radcliff farm, now owned by G. R. Morris, located on the small stream in the north central part of Section 8, the Ohio Fuel Gas Company drilled a 'Clinton' well in 1919 with only a showing of oil and gas. The elevation of the well head was 710 feet. The log is given below:

The Ohio Fuel Gas Company in 1918 drilled a dry hole on the Cline property in the south central part of Section 12. The Chicago- Oreton Company on their property in the northwestern part of the township drilled three "Clinton" wells that were failures. Two of these were on Alman Run in the northwest part of Section 22. The No. 1 well, completed in 1918, made a good showing of oil and the No. 2, drilled the following year, yielded a small quantity of gas. In the latter well, however, the sand, when shot, filled with brine, thus causing its abandonment. The third test by this company was located in the northwest part of Section 35 and was completed in 1920. The "Clinton" sand was red in color, had fair thickness and porosity, but gave only a showing of oil.

Clinton Township. - Until recently little drilling was done to the deeper sands in Clinton Township. Gas in the "Clinton" sand was secured west of Wellston, Jackson County, and later in Vinton County near Hamden in sections 30 and 18.

The first "Clinton" test within the area was drilled in 1910 on the I. N. Bay farm on Little Raccoon Creek in the southeast part of Section 7. The sand, 11 feet in thickness, was reached at 2,576 feet but contained neither oil nor gas in paying quantity. The drill penetrated the red Medina shale and stopped at a depth of 2,666 feet. The record of a well drilled on land of the Puritan Brick Company in the northeast part of Section 21 is given below:

Oil And Gas 383

Both the Berea and "Clinton" sands were dry. The well head was about 120 feet below the Vanport limestone and 787 feet above tide. Large areas of unprospected territory in the eastern and southern parts of the township may eventually prove to be productive.

Wilkesville Township. - The drill has reached the "Clinton" sand in only three places in Wilkesville Township, twice near Miner- 'ton and once near Wilkesville; hence the area has not been thoroughly tested. The first well was drilled in 1922, by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company on the propeity of John Lawler on the ridge in the southeast corner of Section 33. The sand was devoid of either gas or oil in paying quantity. The same company in January, 1923, completed a '"Clinton"' well which gave only a showing of oil on the J. A. Newsom farm in the east central part of Section 10. The drill starting 815 feet above tide reached the Vanport limestone at 263 feet, the Quakertown coal at 508, the Maxtons and at 561, the Berea sand at 1,306, and the Clinton sand at 3,450.

Berea Sand

The Berea sandstone, known to the driller as the Berea sand or the Berea grit, was named by Newberry for deposits exposed near Berea in Cuyahoga County. The formation outcrops in a broad belt, extending from Ashtabula County west to Huron and thence south to Adams and Scioto counties on the Ohio River. Under deep cover in eastern Ohio it is also very persistent. It lies just above the Bedford shale which is the oldest formation in the Mississippian system of rocks and which is commonly recognized by the driller on account of its argillaceous character, its weak resistance to the bit, and its light gray, chocolate, or pink color. The overlying formation, the Sunbury shale or the Little Cinnamon slate of the driller, is also easily recognized by its brown to brownish black color and by the tough, flaky character of the chips. In general the Berea is a fine-grained, argillaceous, light to bluish gray sandstone which is moderately resistant to the bit. The deposits are made up of alternate layers of sandstone and shale, the former predominating, in quantity. The upper layer of sandstone known as the cap rock is often very hard and resistant. The thickness of the Berea formation varies from 5 to 200 feet. In these deposits many small pools of oil and gas are present in the eastern half of Ohio.

In Vinton County the Berea is a very persistent formation as it is reported in nearly every test made to such depths. The average thickness of the deposit is 34 feet and the usual measurement between 20 and 50 feet. The texture and composition of the stone penetrated in Vinton County appear to be much the same as that exposed on the outcrop to the west near Chillicothe. The formation dips both to the east and to the south. This is shown by the fact that the top of the Berea sand lies 217 feet above tide in the Ovitt No. 1 well in Section 10, Eagle Township; 295 feet below tide in the Hewett well in Section 34, Waterloo Township, Athens County; 33 feet above tide in the William Poland well in the northwest part of Section 3, south, Richland Township; and 491 feet below tide in the J. A. Newsom well in the east central part of Section 10, Wilkesville Township. At present, 1925, only three small pools have been found in the Berea sand in Vinton County. The largest of these is in the west central part of Brown Township in sections 29, 35, 34, 28, and 33; the second is just west of Bolins Mills in sections 2, 3, 32, and 33, Knox Township; and the third pool, with only a small number of wells is near Zaleski in Section 36, Madison Township.

Brown Township. - In Brown Township the Berea sand was the objective stratum of the driller in 56 tests and it was passed in 5 others that were drilled to the "Clinton." The results at present (1925) are 28 producing oil wells, 2 abandoned oil wells, 9 producing gas wells, 8 abandoned gas wells, and 8 dry holes. The producing field is in the west central part of the township along Raccoon Creek in sections 35, 29, 34, 28, and 33. The oil wells came in with an initial production of 1 to 5 barrels and are now pumping from one-fourth to 2 barrels. A few of the best gas wells had an initial flow of 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 cubic feet per day with a rock pressure of 200 to 300 pounds.

In the southeast corner of Section 35 the Ohio Fuel Gas Company drilled, in 1918, a small oil well on the farm of L. P. Backus. Four tests have been made in the southwest part of Section 29. The No. 1 well on the B. A. Myers farm gave oil in paying quantity and the No. 2 well only a showing. The work was done by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company in 1918. On the adjacent property of G. P. Drayer a fair gas well was drilled by the owner in 1919 but the flow rapidly decreased and caused its abandonment in 1923. In the deep well drilled by the Pure Oil Company in 1922, the Berea sand gave a production of 14 barrels of oil per day and the "Clinton" sand 200,000 cubic feet of gas. In its continuation southward this Berea pool extends across the eastern half of Section 34 where 13 wells have been drilled along the valley of Raccoon Creek. The first test was made about 1895 on the Frank P. McGee farm. The well gave a strong flow of gas but as no use was made of the fuel at that time the casing was pulled. On the same property but farther notth the Logan Natural Gas Company obtained in 1918 a gas producer which is still flowing, and which now (1925) has a rock pressure of 45 pounds. 'These tests led to further drilling on this property with the result that oil was secured in four wells and gas in one. The log of the McGee No. 5 well is given below:

The altitude of the well head is 730 feet and its stratigraphic positjon not far below the horizon of the Lower Mercer limestone. In the southeast corner of Section 34 on the Stevens property two gas wells and one dry hole were drilled by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company. One of these wells is still producing about 50,000 cubic feet of gas per day but the other was abandoned in the spring of 1925. Near by on the George Stein farm the Logan Natural Gas Company brought in two producers in 1921, but one of these was "pulled" in 1925. ~

The Berea sand in the area west of this in Section 28 has proved to be a good producer of oil and has also yielded some gas. In all, 24 Berea wells and one "Clinton" test have been drilled since 1914; only one of these was a failure and that more through flooding by water than the absence of oil. The present production (1925) is 11 barrels of oil per day from 16 wells and about 600,000 cubic feet of gas from 5 wells. Three other wells also produced gas for a few years. On the H. E. Pence farm the Preston Oil Company drilled 9 wells and the Logan Natural Gas Company 4. The other 12 wells were drilled by G. P. Drayer on his own land. 'The record given below is that of the H. E. Pence No. 8 well drilled by the Logan Natural Gas Company in July, 1917:

This well had an initial production of 877,100 cubic feet of 'gas per day anda rock pressure of 290 pounds. The well head is 980 feet above tide and the sand about 70 feet below this level.

In its continuation southward this Berea pool extends into the northeastern part of Section 33 where 10 Berea wells and one "Clinton" have been drilled since 1913. On the S. W. Wrightsel farm oil was found in three tests by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company and only a showing in another. The Preston Oil Company drilled two oil wells and one dry hole on the C. N. Pence property and two oil wells and one gas well on that of J. M. Elliott. The log of well No. 2 on the latter farm, drilled in 1920 by the Preston Oil Company, is given below:

The head of this well has an altitude of 895 feet. The initial production was 2 barrels and the present output is about 1 barrel per day. Scattered tests of the Berea sand have also been made in sections 21, 25, and 26.

Madison Township. - Prospecting with the drill in Madison Township led in 1916 to the opening of a small Berea pool near Zaleski in Section 36. In the next three years oil was obtained in 11 wells, 'gas in one, and only a showing of oil in one. These tests were all made by the Preston Oil Company on the property of E. W. Strong. The largest wells had an initial production of about 5 barrels per day. At present (1925) the total yield from the 10 wells still being pumped is about 5 barrels daily. The record of the Preston Oil Company's No.

Oil And Gas 387

The well head is 880 feet above tide and near the horizon of the Lower Kittanning coal. The Berea sand is overlain by 25 to 30 feet of Sunbury shale, which on account of its dark brown color is known as the Little Cinnamon. The oil in the Berea sand is in the upper part of the stratum, usually from 3 to 6 feet below the surface. The lower portion of the formation is charged with brine. In both shallow and deep tests made in the east central part of Section 36, gas was encountered in the Berea sand. In the Preston Oil Company's No. 17 well drilled in January, 1919, the initial flow was about 200,000 cubic , feet per day, but due to the presence of salt water the well was abandoned in May, 1925. The Berea sand was reached at a depth of 912 feet or 132 below sea level. Gas was found in the first 3 feet of the formation.

Near Prattsville in the northeastern part of Section 26, on the farm of George Verigan, a test of the Berea sand was made in 1895 but neither oil nor gas was secured. In one of the ''Clinton" wells drilled near Vinton Furnace a small flow of gas was liberated in the Berea sand. Further drilling in Madison Township may show the presence of other small pools of oil and gas, as much of the area is as yet not thoroughly tested. No large structure is evident within the territory but minor deflections are present in several localities.

Knox Township. - Through the activity of the Ohio Oil Company a small pool of oil was found in the Berea sand near Bolins Mills in central Knox Township. The first test was made in 1900 on the J. N. Staneard property which is located in the southwest part of Section 33. Since that date 37 wells have been drilled in the township and at present,

1926, the tools are active in extending the field both to the north and to the south. Most of the wells had an initial production of 2 to 10 barrels per day but the average yield of those now being pumped is about one-half barrel per day.

The Ohio Oil Company between 1900 and 1919 drilled 7 producing oil wells and 2 dry holes on the J. N. Staneard property in Section 32, and 6 producers and 1 dry hole on the same lease in Section 33. The results on the farm of H. J. Radcliff in Section 2 were also favorable as 5 small oil wells were secured in 6 tests. This company also has one producer on the W. M. Beckley farm located in the southeast part of Section 3. The Devaughn Oil Company. in 1917 drilled two wells, one with an initial production of 5 barrels and the other of 2 barrels, on the L. H. Quick land in the eastern part of Section 2. Recently 1 dry hole has been drilled in the east central part of Section 34 and 2 dry holes and 1 well with a small flow of gas on a tributary of Onion Creek in the eastern part of Section 28. Just east of Bolins Mills the drill has also released a small flow of gas but as yet no oil. The main pool appears to extend southward into Section 1 where production has been secured in three wells operated by the Beeghley- Shaffer Oil Company. The log of the William Dearth No. 1 well completed by them in March, 1926, is given below:

The flush production of this well was 114 barrels. The altitude of the well head is 812 feet and its position near the horizon of the Upper Freeport coal and about 100 feet below the Brush Creek limestone. Another well near by, aside from the oil, gave 94,560 cubic feet of gas per day.

Vinton Township - The Berea sand has been the objective stratum in 7 wells drilled in Vinton Township and has been passed in 6 others that went to the Clinton. The results have been encouraging but have not been successful in developing a pool of either oil or gas. In 1895 H. C. Chapman drilled a well on Elk Fork near the mouth of Flat Run in Section 24. The sand reached at a depth of about 1,000 feet gave only a showing of oil but a heavy flow of salt water. In the same year near Eakin Mill in Section 10, Mr. Chapman put down a second test to the Berea formation. It made a good showing of gas in the upper part of the sand but only brine in the strata below. The log of this well follows:

Drilling started near the horizon of the Vanport limestone at an altitude of 640 feet. The Ohio Oil Company, in 1899, completed a test on the farm of William Arbaugh in the northwest part of Section 9 and another on that of Martin Pierce in the north central part of Section 13 but in these only a showing of oil was obtained. On account of the recent development of the Fisher pool in Athens County, work started again near Eakin Mill in Vinton County. On the G. Mc- Laughlin farm in Section 10 the Myers Oil and Gas Company drilled one Berea well in 1924 and another in 1925 but neither was a success. South of Vales Mills, in the south central part of Section 4, more favorable results were secured on the P. McLaughlin property. Drilling is still in progress in this vicinity.

Wilkesville Township. - Aside from the three Clinton wells the Berea sand has been tested at only one place in Wilkesville Township, which is near Minerton in the southeastern part of Section 27. This well was drilled about 1895 and is reported to be approximately 1,300 feet in depth and to have made a showing of gas which is still escaping through the drive pipe.

Hamden Sand

formation. Through local changes in character and through structural relations, one or more of these strata may become a reservoir for the accumulation of oil or gas. On this general horizon, but not directly correlative, belong the Wier sand of West Virginia, the Hamden sand of Pike, Jackson, and Vinton counties, the Welsh stray sand of Monroe County, and the stray sand of Columbiana County, Ohio. In southern Ohio the Hamden sand is a part of the Cuyahoga formation and lies on the average about 100 feet above the Berea sandstone. It consists of a number of distinct layers separated by shale partings. The sandstone strata vary from a few inches to 4 feet in thickness, from fine to medium coarse in texture, and from light gray to brown in color,

The Hamden pool is located northwest of the village of Hamden in western Clinton and southeastern Richland townships, Vinton County, and in northern Washington Township, Jackson County. In this area drilling began in the early sixties and has continued in a desultory way since that time. The main pool, however, was really opened in 1901 and was well developed by 1915. That part of the Hamden pool in Vinton County contains about 70 wells of which approximately 55 have yielded gas in commercial quantity. In most of the area the sand is found at a depth between 600 and 800 feet. The main production is located in sections 25, 26, 36, 35, 34, 33, 1 south, 2 south, 3 south, and 4 south, Richland Township, and sections 7, 18, and 19, Clinton Township. The initial flow of these wells was from 100,000 to 1,000,000 cubic feet per day and the rock pressure from 200 to 300 pounds. 'The pool is now (1926) largely exhausted.

Big Injun Sand

The Big Injun sand, widely known to the driller in eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia, is correlative with the Black Hand conglomerate which outcrops so prominently in this State in Licking, Fairfield, and Hocking counties. Where typically developed it is a coarse-grained, conglomeratic sandstone varying from 50 to 200 feet or more in thickness. It acts as a depository for oil and gas in a few fields in eastern Ohio. In Vinton County the Big Injun sand has shown promise in only one area, near Eakin Mill in Vinton Township, where some gas and much water were encountered in the stratum.

In one of the pioneer wells in Vinton County the drill on entering the Big Injun sand released a strong flow of gas which issued for many years. Andrews' account of this well in 1870 follows:

"An oil well was bored in 1867 on the land of John Calvin (now owned by L. A. Arbaugh) in Section 10, Vinton Township. At a depth of 95 feet a seam of coal was reported measuring 5 feet in thickness. At a depth of 490 feet a fissure containing gas was struck. The gas rushed up with great force and took fire from the engine fire,

Oil And Gas 391

40 feet distant, and burned to a height variously estimated from 75 to 200 feet. The burning continued for a fortnight, and caused no little consternation among the people of the neighborhood. The gas is still (1870) emitted with great force. It seems a greal pity that so much heating and illuminating power should go to waste."

"About ten years after the well had been drilled, during all of which time gas had been wasting, it was cleaned out with the idea of using the gas in the manufacture of lampblack. However, the time had passed for such a supply, and the well soon ceased flowing entirely."

Just east of the pioneer well the Myers Oil and Gas Company in September, 1924, drilled a test on the G. McLaughlin land in hope of securing production in the same gas-bearing stratum. The Big Injun sand made a good showing of gas but contained so much water that the well was abandoned. Drilling started near. the horizon of the Vanport limestone at an altitude of 660 feet and stopped in this sand at a depth of 460 feet. Several of the Berea wells drilled in this locality also gave small flows of gas from the Big Injun sand but the gas is directly underlain by brine. In this area the sand is uncertain in extent, variable in thickness, and usually highly charged with salt water. As the texture of the sand is coarse, the flow of gas is rapid. The rock pressure as reported is from 100 to 200 pounds. :

Maxton Sand

The Maxton sand, named for an oil-bearing stratum on the Maxton farm near Sistersville, Tyler County, West Virginia, appears to be correlative with the Sharon conglomerate. In southern Ohio the Sharon member is well developed in local areas in Pike, Jackson, and Scioto counties. East of this under deep cover such rocks occasionally become depositories for oil or gas.

In Vinton County a small pool of gas has been found by the drill in the Maxton sand or Sharon member near Wilkesville, in Wilkesville Township. The best wells are located on the J. A. Newsom farm in Section 10, and were drilled by the Ohio Fuel Gas Company. The sand lies on the average about 285 feet below the Vanport limestone and about 40 below the Quakertown or Wellston coal. In the No. 1 well drilled on the Newsom farm in May, 1922, the initial flow of gas was gauged at 998,790 cubic feet per day. The rock pressure of the well was 140 pounds. In this test, starting 675 feet above tide, the Clarion coal was reached at 105 feet and the Maxton sand at 400 feet. The bit penetrated the sand 7 feet .before work was suspended. The record of the Newsom No.2 well, completed in July, 1922, is given below:

The initial flow of gas in this well was 2,251,000 cubic feet per day and the rock pressure 155 pounds. The altitude of the well head is 765 feet. In the third test on this property the flush production was 900,000 cubic feet of gas. The drill, starting 755 feet above tide, struck the Vanport limestone at 180 feet; the Clarion coal at 185 feet; the Brookville coal at 233 feet; the Quakertown coal at 425 feet; and the Maxton sand at 462 feet. In the Nos. 4 and 5 wells only shows of gas were encountered in the Maxton sand. The Ohio Fuel Gas Company also drilled a well to this sand in October, 1922, on the Hannah Forest property located in the northeastern part of Section 10. The flow of gas was too small to be commercially valuable. The record below shows the position of the Maxton sand with reference to the Quakertown or No. 2 coal and the well-known Vanport limestone.

The Maxton sand is also present in a few of the wells drilled in the western part of the township but as yet no production worth saving has been obtained. The stratum varies in texture from a medium fine sand to a coarse conglomerate, and is very unsteady in thickness and extent.