The Trenton Natural Gas Field of Indiana

The Birth and Death of the World’s First Giant Natural Gas Field

By Chuck KnoxKnox Geological LLC

Chuck Knox Knox Geological LLC 260-466-2422 f4tknox@comcast.net

Timeline of the Discovery and Abandonment of the Lima-Indiana Trenton Natural Gas Field

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 18911884

•Dr Charles Oesterlin owner of the Findlay Natural Gas Co. drills his first natural gas well into the Trenton formation. It is complete November 16th and produces 250,000 cubic feet of gas per day.•Dr Oesterlin had speculated for 20 years that vast amounts of gas lie under Findlay.

The Birth Of A Giant

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 18911885

The Finday Natural Gas Co. drills 8 more wells in the Findlay area with no market or method transporting the product profits are limited, estimated daily production was 4,000,000 cubic feet per day.

Women Cut No Wood In Findlay

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 18911886

•On January 20th 1886 the city of Findlay was awakened with a frightening roar as the monstrous Karg well came in at 1,146 feet, blowing 20-50 million cubic feet of gas per day. •The massive well that caught the attention of the world was uncontrolled and blowing wild.•The Karg was the 13th well drilled by the Findlay Natural Gas Co.

Lucky Number 13

•The Karg well ignited the gas rush to the Lima-Indiana area. Most every community in the area raised monies to drill wells looking for the fuel. •In Indiana natural gas was discovered in Portland, Eaton and Kokomo which marked the discovery of the giant Indiana Natural Gas Field.

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 18911887

Large gas wells were being drilled in Indiana and Ohio, The Indiana gas field seemed never ending. Communities were offering free gas to entice industry to come to their community.

“The gas fever of 1885-’86 spread over the Mississippi Valley as rapidly as the gold fever of 1849. W.J. McGee: Geologist in Charge U.S. Geological Survey 1889, Eleventh Annual Report

The Great Indiana Gas Rush Begins

Indiana Natural Gas Field

Lima Oil Field

1886 Map of the Lima-Indiana Trend

Findlay Gas Field

Karg Well

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 18911888

• The Indiana gas field encompasses approx. 5,000 square miles and has an average shut in pressure of 320 lbs.

• This is a time of great waste of natural gas, wells of 5,000-10,000 mcfpd left to flow “full head” for weeks at a time.

• Communities are advertising their ability to deliver gas to manufactures by the size and amount of flambeaus that are left open 24-7

Optimism, Great Waste And Speculation

1888 Natural Gas Map of Indiana

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891

Gas Flowing Out, People and Capital Flowing In

• First laws enacted to try and control the transportation of gas across state lines. These laws would later be declared unconstitutional.

• The field is starting to show pressure declines in some areas.• A combination of poor completions and blatant waste has caused injury and

many wells are abandoned due to salt water invasion.• There are 94 mills and manufactories in the field, capital investment is

$5,478,000 ( over $100 million in 2010$) and employ 6,564 workers.

1889 1891

1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 189918921892

•The Findlay gas field could no longer support industry by the early 1890’s and by 1900 was only supplying gas for domestic purposes. •Much of the early production was wasted in an attempt to attract industry to the area. •Wells were left wide open and the flambeaus used to advertise the areas natural gas supply. •Natural gas was used as a tool by speculators to run up the price of local real estate. Free gas was given to industries as an enticement to relocate in the Findlay area.

The End of The Natural Gas Industry At Findlay

1892 1893 1894 1895 1895 1896 1897 18961893

The Power Of The New Fuel

• Over 300 manufactories now using natural gas.• Real estate speculation is now becoming “of the most violent and unreasonable sort”.• Initial pressures are dropping from 325 to 225 and even lower in developed areas.• Wells in the Kokomo area have filled up with salt water and are worthless.• Pipelines to Chicago and Louisville are using compressors to transport gas and by law

limited to 300 lbs of maximum pressure in the lines.

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

The Beginning Of The End• Over $300,000,000 has been invested in the Indiana gas field ($6 billion in 2010$).• The failure of the field has begun.• Initial pressures on new wells are 225-250 lbs with existing wells even lower some

are down to 100 lbs.• Compressors are now becoming increasingly necessary to keep pressures sufficient

for delivery of gas.

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

Industry Hungry For Natural Gas

• The protection of the gas supply is now becoming important to local operators.• The gas field is now down to 2,500 square miles with 7 large pumping stations

needed to deliver gas.• Industry is still moving into the area and the consumption of gas is increasing.• The average formation pressure is now 230lbs.• There are over 325 companies listed as delivering natural gas in Indiana.

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

• The great field is divided into 3 zones. • The outer zone is 5-15 miles in width and is mostly flooded with saltwater. • The middle zone is 10-25 miles wide and is the principle source of fuel and holds the

most productive wells in the field; a majority of the wells are starting to show water.• The third zone is the heart of the field and not invaded by pipelines and includes

parts of Madison, Delaware and Grant Counties; this zone comprises 400 square miles.

What Was Once One Is Now Three

Zone #2

Zone #3

Zone #1

North East Section of the Indiana Natural Gas Field as of 1896

Fort Wayne Natural Gas Co.

Ohio and Indiana Gas Co.

Indiana Natural Gas Co.

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

Shortages And The Great Battle For Alexandria

• Manufacturing is forced to use less gas due to shortages.• Little work is done to extend into the third zone but it is reduced to 300 square

miles by local consumption.• Of the 5,400 gas wells drilled since 1886, 2,800 have been abandoned by

1/1/1898.• Oil producers now account for the biggest waste of natural gas; the Alexandria

field alone is wasting 25,000 mcfpd in the oil production process.• Average pressure of the field is 191 lbs

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

Drilling Continues, More Pipelines Installed

• Zone 3 has been reduced to 100 square miles.• More wells are drilled and pipeline laid than any year in the field’s history.• Most wells showing salt water.• Improved technology is helping to control saltwater.• 5 more compressor stations have been built and 5 stations have been

upgraded. The Muncie Glass Co. is the first industry to use a pumping station.• The average pressure is 173 lbs in zone 3 and 155 lbs in zone 2, abandoned

wells on the West ½ of the 1st zone show higher pressure but trivial amounts of gas.

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Drilling Continues At A Record Pace

• The pressures of the field are not equalizing, the field resembles a collection of smaller fields.

• Indiana Natural gas Co, has 3 large compressor stations, Greentown, Fairmont and Fowlerton and 3 pipelines to Chicago (2) 8” and (1) 10”.

• Manufacturers are paying the salary of assistant gas inspectors to help control abandonment.

• The 3rd zone is rapidly disappearing and will be totally drilled by 1901.• More wells drilled than any other year.• 30 pumping stations are working , the 3rd zone is supplying the majority of the gas

and the pressure is down to 115 lbs.

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Entire Indiana Trenton Gas Field Is Drilled Up

• The location of wells is becoming more cut throat due to a lack of undrilled territory.

• The percentage of failures is greater each year.• Wells are very sensitive to a heavy draught and are easily overworked.• 41 pumping stations are working in the gas field with as many as 100

compressors.• Many factories are reporting shortages of gas with some closing due to a lack of

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

The Start Of In-Fill Drilling

• Wells are dependant on the size of the structural closure.• Majority of drilling is done between old wells and abandoned locations.• The average well comes in at 500 mcfpd or lower.• Smaller wells are profitable due to higher prices and existing infrastructure.• The metered sales of gas is becoming popular.• The Indianapolis and Logansport markets have been abandoned.

Manufacturing Abandoning Gas As Fuel• Large sections of pipelines are now abandoned.• Consumption has decreased more than any time in the history of the gas field.• Little gas will be used for manufacturing in one year.• Plugging laws are becoming important with little ability to enforce.

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Improper Plugging Becoming A Cancer

• Fresh water from the Silurian limes is becoming a problem.• Many of the larger gas companies have abandoned their leases to the oil

companies.• Very few good wells are drilled this year.• Factories are reduced to summer use of gas only.• Indiana Natural Gas has removed ½ of their compressors at Fairmount and

Greentown.

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Field In A State Of Abandonment1905

• Where plugging laws are rigidly enforced the gas pressures have increased by 1/3.• The condition of the field is better than the previous year.• There has been less drilling since the field’s discovery.• The Indiana Natural Gas Co. returns to areas abandoned 6 years earlier and drills

100 wells between Greentown and Sycamore with IP’s of 200mcfpd.

• State gas Super. Kinney thinks Indiana Natural Gas Co. will be able to go back to old territory and get producers for years to come.

• Pumping stations are being dismantled and the pressures are increasing.• A number of fields are being reopened after being considered dead over the

past 5 years.

The Demise Of The Pumping Stations

Greentown

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Pressures Start To Increase

• Where pumping stations have been abandoned and wells properly plugged the pressure is returning.

• Jay County pressures have gone from 70 lbs to 145lbs.• Conditions in Madison and Delaware Counties are improving every year.• 2 pumping stations in Grant County continue to hold down output.• Improper plugging continues to be a problem.

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907

Gas Field Down To 20 Million CFPD

• Where pumping stations have been dismantled the areas show an increased flow of gas and new wells drilled have given a promise of a continued supply of fuel.

• Only 7 pumping stations are still in operation.• Indiana Natural Gas Co. is still piping gas to Chicago from Greentown and

Fairmont .• The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. of Kokomo has drilled 256 wells in Howard County

with an average pressure of 200 lbs.

1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915

Gas Field Drops To A Low 10 Million CFPD

• Wells are being drilled in Madison and Grant Counties with pressures from 40-100 lbs.

• Jay County shows pressures from 20-160 lbs• Howard County has a better gas supply that it had 2 years earlier.• The Fairmont pumping station is still in use.

Fairmount

1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915

New Plugging Laws Enacted

• A new plugging law is passed with the main provision being that an inspector must be present at plugging.

• 3,029 wells are plugged between April 1, 1909 and January 1, 1910.• 788 wells are plugged in Grant County alone.• Drilling continues in the old field and conditions are improving with hopes of a

rejuvenation of the field.

1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915

New Plugging Laws Effective But To Late

• The new plugging law has had an impact.• Over 2,500 gas wells are now properly plugged.• 50,000 mcfpd is being produced.

1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915

The Death Of The Worlds First Giant • The field for the most part is abandoned• Indiana Natural Gas Co. drills 15 wells in Tipton Co., 3 in Howard and 1 in Grant.• Pendleton Natural Gas and Oil Co. is still working Madison County.

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

Coal Is Now King

Indiana Natural Gas and Oil Co. continues to drill a few holes in Tipton and Howard Counties.Pendleton Natural Gas and Oil Co. is still drilling a few holes in Madison County with one in 1918 listed as “a good gasser”.By 1915 many of the larger cities in the gas belt are receiving gas from West Virginia, Fairmont being one.Some smaller cities in the Southern part of the field are still using local gas.

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

1920 1935 1950 1965 1980 1995 2110 2016

A Fading Memory

1920 1935

• Pendleton Natural Gas and Oil Co. drills a few wells in Madison County.

1950 1965 1980 1995 2110 2016

• A few wells are drilled in the gas field during this time for the most part looking for oil.

• Only a small amount of gas is being produced from the field most of it out of non-commercial gas wells.

• Much of the better areas of the gas field has been ruined by fresh water leaking into the Trenton from the overlying Silurian Limestone.

The End of a Great Story

The Natural Gas Industry Was Born In The Fields of West Virginia And PennsylvaniaIt Grew Up and Matured Here In Indiana.

What was accomplished here In Indiana provided a firm foundation for the

developing of a young, maturing oil and natural gas industry.

Petroleum Geology: the implementation of the I.C. Whites Anticlinal TheoryLeasing: The modern oil and gas lease was first used in the Lima-IndianaOrigin of Petroleum: The speculators theory of the never ending supply of gas was disproved, the theory of the distillation of plant and animal remains as a source of petroleum was fully developed in Indiana.Documentation: A.J. Phinney of Muncie was the 1st modern scientist to study and document a giant gas field and along with I.C. White one of the founders of modern petroleum geology.Pipelines: The first interstate high pressure natural gas pipeline system connected Chicago to the giant field.Compressor technology: Gas compression was in it’s infancy at the fields discovery and matured dramatically by its abandonment.Metering: Sales of gas by metering was implemented in the Indiana field.Well Completion: Cement used in casing designs, stimulating with acid

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