Evening Star Newspaper, June 21, 1931, Page 106

_AT_UQAL GAS WAS DISCOVERED IN SEVERAL LANDS IN VERY ANCIENT TIMES — ° N \ i NOTICED HIS CHARGES ACTING CRAZILY AS THEY GRAZED OVER A CERTAIN SPOT IN THE PASTURE-. ODDENLY FROM THE GROUND> AT THEIR WFEET A JET OF FLAME- LEAPED HIGH ik THE AIR. ONE OF THE TORCHES HAD SET HRE TO A NATURAL GAS ? Y = : 7 ‘, AN'S ACQUAINTANCE WITH = MANUFACTURED, OR "ARTIF I (i S — VBN 1609 HELMONT, A DUTCH CHEMIST, REPORTED> THAT BURNING COAL EMITTED "A WILD SPIR(T" The Story of Fire—Part IX THE GIOATHERD INVESTIGATED, BUT CouLD SEE NOTHING UNUSUAL ON THE GROUND. THEN HE BECAME AWARE OF A STRANGE ODOR ., AT. THE SAME TIME A SLIGHT FAINTNESS STOLE OVER HIM ., P -IT.";’/J%.W.‘ , DAYS - WEEKS - MONTHS PASSED. THE MYSTERIOUS COLUMN OF FIRE KEPT BURNING STEADILY. Ay N N - NN \ v ol ( ) KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT GAS,THE AWE-STRUCK VILLAGERS BELIEVED THE FLAME To BE A SIGN FROM. THE GODS. LATER, THEY BUILT A TEMPLE NEAR THE SPOT. In1660 DR.CLAYTON, AN ENGLISH MINISTER AND SCIENTIST, WHILE HEATING SOME COAL , MADE THE DISCOVERY THAT THE INVISIBLE "SPIRIT (GAS) RISING FROM THE COAL wWouLD BURN AND GIVE LIGHT. 14 THE EVENING THE GOATHERD HASTENED To TELL THE VILLAGERS OF HIS ODD EXPERIENCE ANCIENT PERSIA, B iilP - N INDIA - |, WOV, FLAMING NATURAL GIAS 1 \WELLS WERE WORSHIPPED AS ETERNAL,SUPERNATURAL FIRES. FoR A CENTURY MEN CONTINYED> TO DISTILL GAS FRom COAL AND MAKE VARIOUS EXPERIMENTS WITH IT, AT FIRST THE NEW "SPIRIT " WAS USED CHIEFLY FOR PERFORMING “PARLOR TRICKS . , } REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA. LOCATED ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF SouTH AMERICA . AREA : - 393,976 SQUARE MILES POPULATION:-3,026,878 capiTaL :- CARACAS, POPULATION -92,212 CHIEF EXPORTS :-COFFEE , CACAO, OIL,BALATA AND TEXTILES. CARROLL MANSFIELD THE GOATHERD LED THEM TO THE SPOT WHERE THE STRANGE ODOR ROSE. ALL.-GATHERED AROUND JO EXAMINE THE GROUND BY THE LIGHT OF THEIR TORCHES. ‘ / CENTURIES AGO, PIPING IT FROM THE WELLS N BAMBOO TUBES. MANUFACTURED GAS MADE ITS DEBUT AS A PRACTICAL ILLUMINANT IN 1792, WHEN WiLLIAM MBRDOCK OF C