the nineteenth century gas boom in delaware county, indiana

7/23/2019 The Nineteenth Century Gas Boom in Delaware County, Indiana

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Impact of Nineteenth Century Gas Discovery on Delaware County, Indiana

By

Lyla Spath

The short-lived East Central Indiana1 gas boom changed the region irrevocably in many ways,

and Delaware County was at its epicenter. In fifteen years,2 the countys economic base changed from

agriculture to manufacturing. The local supply was so plentiful that gas was piped from Muncie to

Indianapolis at one point. Muncie became headquarters for Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing. Factories

were constructed, neighborhoods developed and civic improvements made. Additionally, there was real

estate speculation, loss of life and property, waste and environmental destruction. Residents referred to

events as having taken place either "before" or "after the discovery of gas.3 The Indiana Geological

Survey has records for approximately 560 wells in Delaware County, although many more were

undoubtedly drilled.4

Muncie historian Frank Kemper described the mood of the era and its impact.

In the spring of 1886 farmers of Delaware county prepared their fields

and sowed them, as had been done for years. Contentment and material

well-being were possessed by homes throughout Delaware county, and the

continuance of such was the most that was hoped for...before the year was

out, all was changed. An awful force had struck the land, and with the

knowledge of fluid wealth beneath their feet, men forgot the soilmen

worshiped Gas. Where had been fields, the earth was scarred by drills,

and derricks were strung across the landscape...5

Gas was discovered in Delaware County almost by accident. In 1876, a local coal exploration

company drilled a 600' deep well in Eaton. Coal was not found, and the two feet high flame of natural gas

produced was ignored because "gas was not thought to possess value."6 After development of the

Trenton Gas Field in Ohio, George Carter, one of the Eaton well investors, visited the Karg Well near

Findlay. He realized that the odor from the Karg Well was like that from the abandoned Eaton well.7 In


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early 1886, Carter and fellow investors formed Eaton Mining & Gas. Co.--the first business of its kind in

Indiana.8

In Autumn, 1886, the Eaton well was reopened. A deeper hole was drilled, and gas was struck.

George Ames of Eaton was asked to climb the derrick and light the well. He told a Muncie newspaper

columnist

'The derrick was 75 feet high'. A two-inch pipe rose above it

several feet and on top was a T-burner. I climbed the pole and was warned

as I applied the flame to be careful because the gas would light with a roar

and I might be knocked off. I held on tightly, lighting first one end of the T and

then the other. The gas was of such pressure that the flame was several feet

from the burner.'9

After the well was lit, people flocked to Eaton to see the gas flame. Local residents took their children to

see it and wrote about the occasion in their diaries.10 George Carter was credited as "the discoverer of the

Indiana gas field."11 A few months later, the first gas well was successfully drilled in Muncie.

By March, 1887, natural gas was used to light shops. Drilling was profitable, and the need for

experienced drillers and tools surpassed availability.12 Real estate speculators sought to profit from

Muncies anticipated growth. A syndicate purchased $150,000 of real estate in Muncie and nearby. A few

days later, other investors bought $60,000 of suburban property. On April 6, 1887, Muncie Daily News

reported that $200,000 of real estate sold the previous day. Values were no longer based on real worth

but on air-blown estimates of the future... Every time a new Flow of gas started, the hopes of citizens

and the prices of real estatewere given increased buoyancy.13 Newspapers were full of articles about

new wells and factories, gas companies and predictions of great things to come. Muncie had an industrial

base prior to the gas boom, three railroads, close proximity to food sources readily-available building

materials and up-to-date amenities, all of which positioned it for expansion. After the discovery of gas,

Muncie offered free industrial sites with developed gas wells, to manufacturers willing to move to the

city.14

"To attract manufacturers and utilize the gas supply, 15 civic leaders formed the Muncie Board of

Trade in 1887, followed by the Muncie Commercial Club in 1889. Also circa 1889, the Muncie Natural

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By 1892, six railroads passed through Muncie, with plans for a trunk line of a seventh the

following year.30 Even so, there were admissions that the gas supply was weakening.31 However, the idea

that it might not last was dismissed. By1895, Muncie had 27 major factories with a combined estimated

total of 5,680 workers.32 More than 25 percent were glass manufacturers, and almost 15 percent were

steel factories. Statistics from 1895 showed combined monthly payroll for just 14 of Muncies factories

totaled $241,500, 33or$6,145,400 34 in 2009 dollars. Product value for a dozen of the citys manufacturers

was $6,602,00035 ($167,999,734 in 200936).

During the gas era, Muncie made many community improvements. In 1882, Muncie had 15 miles of

streets, one sewer, and no paved sidewalks. By 1891, there were 40 miles of streets, 10 miles of sewers

and 12 miles of paved sidewalks.37 In 1890, Muncie Street Railway Co. began laying tracks for street

cars.38 (A short section of tracks is still visible in Muncie.)

In 1894, President Grover Cleveland enacted the Wilson tariff bill, reducing duties on imported

glass by almost 50 percent. The following year, Muncie window glass employees' wages' were reduced

25 percent because of lowered tariffs.39 Glass companies stayed in Delaware County because "natural

gas was the pre-eminent fuel"40 for glass manufacture. From 1886 to 1893when the Indiana gas field

was being developed, but the Ohio and Pennsylvania fields were declining--41 the total value of natural

gas in the United States increased from $300,000 to $5,718,000.42

Unfortunately, much of the natural gas supply was wasted, due to ignorance, poor environmental

practices, and belief in an unlimited supply, even though Ohios field showed signs of depletion before

widespread drilling in Indiana's Trenton Field43 began. Early twentieth century historians expressed

dismay waste. A Butler college student wrote that

The most salient feature of the history of natural gas in Indiana is

not the wealth obtained through its utilization, but the enormous

waste which attended its discovery and its use. Exploitation of natural resources

means the impoverishment of these resources...An appallingly large

amount of the gas...was wasted, so that Indiana has not secured a gain

commensurate with the value of the natural resource which has been destroyed

forever.44

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Waste began with drilling. When gas was struck, it was allowed to flow for some time

prior to capping of the well, and "wells were occasionally allowed to flow continuously as an

advertisement."45 When the Muncie Exploring Co. discovered gas in 1886, a newspaper

announced "the gas well will be kept burning and hundreds of people will visit the well this

evening. The flame...will be visible from all portions of the city."46 The average waste from

uncapped wells was estimated at 10,000,000 cubic feet per day.47 Risk of life and property also

accompanied drilling. Sometimes, "when the gas was ignited before the removal of the derrick,

the heat was so great that the derrick andsurrounding structures were consumed."48 A Muncie

newspaper article with the headline "SHOT! BUT NOT KILLED,"49 described the spectacle that

accompanied a well "shooting." The purpose of the event was to increase gas flow by setting off

nitroglycerine in the well.50 Several hundred people crowded around the derrick when the

nitroglycerine exploded. After "the pipe was again placed in position the blaze was much brighter

and so large that the heat set the top of the derrick on fire."51

Wasting gas was a form of amusement. "It was part of their entertainment to open one of the

gushers in the neighborhood and allow its flame to leap heavenward."52 In 1887, an excursion train

brought more than 1,100 visitors from Cincinnati to see Muncie's gas wells.53 The White River was set

ablaze for the occasion. "Pipes were laid under the water, and the gas allowed to escape...flames spread

out over the water...The water became so hot...that the fish perished and vegetation along the banks was

cooked."54 Flambeaux55 burned 24 hours a day throughout the county. One flambeau used "150 to 200

cubic feet of gas per hour."56 A historian stated that "the horizon was aglow with the flames from

thousands of gas lights, and some farmyards were so brightly lighted that the chickens never knew the

proper time to roost."57 Indiana passed the Flambeau Act of 1891, prohibiting flambeaux to be burned.

The burners enclosed in glass used to light some towns were to be lit only between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.58

Farmers who owned their wells resented the Flambeau Act, which they saw as an intrusion on their right

to use their property as they wanted; they continued to use open gas torches.

In homes, gas waste was due to ignorance about the correct mixture of fuel with oxygen. When more

pressure was applied than needed, only part of the gas was utilized; the rest escaped. Unburned

escaping gas sometimes resulted in explosions or suffocations.59 Residents turned on furnaces full force

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and opened windows to let out the heat. They left the gas turned up when away. "Carelessness, together

with a varying and uncertain pressure resulted...in great losses. After 1900 scores of houses were burned

every year by a strong pressure coming on and overheating a stove or furnace at night in the absence of

the owner."60 Much gas was wasted because it was inexpensive and plentiful. Gas was sold on contract.

Customers paid "75 cents to- $1.50 per month,"61 regardless of the amount used. Promoters stated that

gas was "so cheap that it would not pay to steal it... For [a] house, the cost of heating and lighting...will

not exceed $12 to $20 per annum. Even if a man should not need the gas in his business, he would be

repaid for bringing his family here on account of the cheap fuel."62When the supply began diminishing,

metered usage, which consumers had resisted, was introduced63 for general use.

In addition to Muncie, communities throughout Delaware County had gas wells. By January,

1889, Delaware County had 39 producing wells (Muncie alone had 25)64--more than any other

neighboring county.65 Well-to-do farmers sunk wells on their farms; others leased their land to one of the

gas companies.66 The well owned by Granville farmer Calvin Crooks produced enough gas for his home

and those of two neighbors. Some gas lines, including Crookss, were laid on top of the ground and froze

in winter.67

Delaware County towns sought to capitalize on natural gas. New Corner changed its name to

Gaston. Eaton's newspaper was named The Gas Light. Between 1891 and 1894, Eaton gained several

industries.68 Although gas was first discovered in Eaton, Albany "benefited more from the gas discovery

than any other town in the county outside of Muncie."69 In 1893 alone, a paper company, a furniture

factory, two glass companies, and a china manufacturer opened. The Selma Citizens' Co. organized to

promote the town to manufacturers. Selma later became "one of the centers of the gas and oil

industries"70 in the county.

Unfortunately, some boom town dreams did not materialize. The East Muncie Land Co. organized

in 1892 to help attract factories to DeSoto. In its first month, the company claimed to have secured a

manufacturer and have several prospects. A well was drilled to provide fuel in anticipation of industry, but

a year later, the company went into receivership and later sold the 4,000 acres of land it controlled for

what the cost of sinking the well.71

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In the 1960s, a driller convinced Norman Miller to put down a gas well on his Cowan farm. Millers

brother had a usable well on his nearby property, and at one time, neighbors had a gas cooperative. The

well drilled on Millers farm produced gas, but of insufficient flow to be practical. The driller Miller hired

blasted to increase the gas flow. His first endeavor reduced the flow. After the second effort, the flow

returned to its original volume. Miller said that he spent more on the project than the cost of buying gas7

from the gas company for the rest of his life.83

As petroleum prices increased, there interest in the Trenton field renewed. A 2008 YouTube

video of a backyard oil well in Selma84 resulted in several national television stories.85 Today, there are

50 active oil and gas wells in Delaware county, many of which have been drilled in the last few years.86

When oil prices skyrocketed to $140 per barrel, it became profitable to drill for oil in Delaware County

again; oil found in Liberty Township sold for as high as $120 per barrel.87 However, Muncies days as 'the

Indiana gasopolis'"88 are over.

Photos

The five Ball brothers, four of whom founded Ball Glass Manufacturing and moved it to Muncie during thegas boom. Muncie civic leaders conducted an aggressive economic development campaign to enticemanufacturers to relocate to the city. (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

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A gas boom era Ball glass jar (left). The unique color was created by the grade of silica in the sand usedduring the manufacturing process. The Hoosier Slide in Michigan City (right) no longer exists because thesand was used by various glass manufacturers during the gas boom. (Courtesy of The MinnetristaHeritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

Muncie businessman James Boyce overheard a man state that he wanted to rent a first floor office, butnone were available. On Monday, April 18, 1887, Boyce contracted for a one-story, six-room building tobe constructed and completed by that Saturday. By working day and night (thanks to gas torch light),workmen finished the project on time. Boyce-- one of eastern Indiana's biggest employers even beforethe gas boom--developed Boyceton, a Muncie suburb, in 1888. 89 To entice Maring-Hart Glass Co. tolocate to Delaware County, he personally gave the manufacturer $10,000 and land in Boyceton on whichto erect a factory.90 Boyce also is credited with influencing Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Co. to relocateto Muncie.91 (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

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Front page of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, January 19, 1889, showing a crowd watching naturalgas flambeaux burn. A flambeau was a pipe with an open gas flame burning at the top. Flambeauxburned day and night and contributed to the enormous waste of natural gas during the gas boom era.(Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

In the 1890s, several boom books were published to help market Muncie to potential manufacturers andinvestors. Some heralded Muncie as the magic city (left); others enticed readers with titles like Muncie,Indiana: The Natural Gas City of the West (right). (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection,Muncie, Indiana).

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In 1899, the Muncie Commercial Club formed. Its functions were similar to that of local Chamber ofCommerce. The former Muncie Commercial Club building in still stands in downtown Muncie and isoccupied in part by Jacks Camera Shop. (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie,Indiana).

Muncie YMCA was one of a number of local organizations founded by Ball family philanthropic efforts

during the gas boom era. Ball family members, such as Frank C. Ball, former YMCA president, were well-known for their service to the Delaware County community. (Courtesy of The Minnetrista HeritageCollection, Muncie, Indiana).

Gas boom era photo of a field full of Ball canning jars ready for shipment. Natural gas was an ideal fuelfor glass and steel production. (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

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Apartment buildings, mansions and other residential buildings were constructed to accommodate

Muncies growing population. With the exception of Peacock Apartments, the other downtown Munciebuildings in the photo (above left) still stand. (Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie,Indiana).

George A. Balls former residence Oakhurst (above left) and its restored gardens are open to the public.In 1998, Minnetrista Cultural Center was constructed by the Ball family on the site of Frank C. Ballshome. Visitors are greeted by limestone columns which were part of Frank C. Balls home. The 40-acreMinnetrista campus has been nominated as an historic district to the National Register of Historic Places.(Courtesy of The Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana).

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the nineteenth century gas boom in delaware county, indiana

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