The
ancient peoples of Greece, Persia, and Indian subcontinent discovered natural
gas many centuries ago. The people were mystified by the burning springs
created when natural gas seeping from cracks in the ground was ignited by
lightning. They built temples around these perpetual lames so they could
worship the mysterious fire.
But,
about 2,500 years ago, the Chinese civilization recognized that natural gas can
be used to work. The Chinese pipe the gas from shallow wells and burned it
under large pans to evaporate seawater for the salt.
But
it is a matter of fun that only few years ago like 1816, natural gas was first
used in America to illuminate the streets of Baltimore with gas lamps.
Lamplighters walked the streets at dusk to fight the lamps. Soon after, in
1821, William Hart dug the first successful American natural gas well in
Fredonia, NY. His well was 27 feet deep, quite shallow compared to today’s
wells. The Fredonia Gas Light Company opened its doors in 1858 as the nation’s first
natural gas company. By 1900, natural gas had been discovered in 17 states. In
the past 40 years, the use of natural gas has grown.
0 comments:
Post a Comment