The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-09-29
SEPTEMBER


rnE OIL WELLS ~ rENSsYLvASIl
Sudden Fortunes Made.---Th
/ Whale Fisheries Eclipsed.
A corrs,pondsnt Of - Nsw York Esen
ing Post, Who be- visited The coil Cree
Settlement" 10 Psnnsylvania, gives the fol
lowing interesting account Of what is thsr
in progress:
IxPoaivn OF rn8 OLE REGION.
Titusville, Crawford eouety, Pecnsylva
mia, 10 the emporium Of ths oil regions, an
from quiet little faruisg comnanity, b.
suddenly become busslieg, thriving town
having within I've or sil nonshs dosbled il
buildings and trebled, II mot quadr apled, i.
population. A newspaper has been saccess
FULLY started ; sn oil rs6sery 10 10 full blast
and steam coopsrags 10 tsrniae out iron
hooped barrels a the rate Of some two hun
dred per day. A Boston company has -
cured site for . large hotel, which 10 yer,
much needed and will soon be built and
railroad is surveyed TO Union Mile, som,
twenty-txo miles distant, which 10 to b,
Immediately constructed. In fact, the crout
Of spectators, and Of miners in search ol
employueat, - veil ~ sisitors from curl
osity. 20 thronk the place ~ TO make it mors
like juvenile San francisco than the quiel
place tSNAa A-tan .aonsAs ssn0e.
| rnK ORIGINAL plscovsaxa.
From the surface indications Of oil which
have long been known to exist in this region
il was inferred that fountains might b
found underneath, and Mr.. Drake VA,
the frat man to conceive the plan of an ar.
tesian we'll in search Of il. Il was only las,
September that he commenced boring, and
not before February or March we're the re-
sults realized which we'll nigh turned the
heads Of most OF the Inhabitants. Iie OBJ
tanned we'll which yielded, BY pumping,
some fifty barrels Of oil per day, worth 10
the crude state, thirty cents per gallon
Other wells we're Immediately commenced,
and have been starting with great rapidity
ever since, until now it is estimated that at
least two thousand are in progrcss, with
aattering prospects,, while some two hun
dred are either pumping, or have found oil
and are waiting for the necessary pump aud
engine to work them.
HOW rHx OIL 10 onrAINED--srppxN roR.
TrNks.
The wells arc all after one model, the
artesian, varying in depth from seventy. Eve
to four hundred feet, an iron pipe Of Eve.
inch bore being inserted in each, and driven
to the rock, usually some thirty I've or forty
feet below the surface. A pump 10 inserted
through this opening, with tubing sufficient
to carry it to the proper oil opening, and by
means Of faxseed bag the waters from
above the oil are shut Of, and the oil thus
prevented from rising outside the pump
The pump 10 then worked by steam engine,
and discharges mixture Of oil and salt
water, into y large vat standing near, where
the oil Immediately separating, runs OF at
an aperture in the top, into smaller vat,
and the water is drawn of at an opening in
the side. From this second vat the oil 10
drawn Immediately into barrels and 10 ready
for market. The expense Of running pump
is said to be not over six dollars per day
Each barrel holds forty-two gallons, and
you can readily calculate what profit thcro is
in the business, when the wells yield from
twelve to seventy five barrels per day
Such is the value Of the oil, that from the
commencement the demand has been in ad-
vance OF the supply, and il is sought with
ayidity BY men ready to pay cash at the
wells for every gallon. There are men here
who have already made their fifteen and
twenty thousands 10 the last Eve months,
from their single wells, and many land.
holders who have realized like sum from
their leases, which are daily becoming more
numerous and prolific
THE "wILMAxs WILL"
] visited the Crosby we'll, which at first
yielded seventy five barrels per day. Owing
to the filing in of the shaft with sediment,
it was at that time yielding but twelve. Mr..
Crosby was sinking another shaft near by,
and rs soon rs il was ready he intended to
shift his pump, and by rimming out the old
well, he had no doubt of obtaining his for.
mer supply. We next visited the Darks.
dale well, which also commenced pumping
last March. This well had steadily yielded
from the first, some fifteen barrels per day,
but tn ] recently increased, and was now
pumping eighteen. A few rods from this,
was the Williams we'll, which, at the time
We were there, was the great and exciting
topic OF interest and conversation. The oil
in this well came to the top with no admix.
turc OF water, and ran over. In order to
save It large plug was driven into the Ave
inch pipe, nnd hole being bored through
the centre OF that, three. eighth lend pipe
was inserted, and being slightly curved, the
oil was led directly into the. .bung Of bar.
rel, and thus steadily, day and night, had it
been running at the rate Of twelve barrels
per day, for several days. We were intro
duced to the owner, who sat whiting upon
. log near by. lie was as happy as q young
father with bis first bdirn. He had former
~ been 10 the mercantile business in War
ren, Pa, and having fsiled, had now gone
in pursuit Of oil, 10 hopes Of retrieving bis
was unsuccessful and he abandoned il al.
most discouraged, and With scarcely cent
left. With the help Of friends, however,
he secured another site, and after patient
drilling for few weeks, had met with what
every one deemed great success. He asked
me II was from New York. ! told him
that was. lie then inquired il ] knew vari-
Gus firms in New York; told him that did.
swell" said he, ewhen you see them, tell
them that Williams, Of Warren, IL all right
that he has 'struck OIL and they will soon
hear from him" congratulated him upos
his success, but he said that only ons-sixsh
Of the oil vas really his own, - bs bad
been obliged to pledge al the rest for means
to carry il through. "But," ssid be, 81
shall take that arrangement up, and put in
the drill again: Am mot sssis6ed with that,
and mean to have thirty barrel well yet"
We laughed At his enthusiasm and thought
he had better leave we'll enough alone. We
left him, however; and, about two weeks
later-as soon ~ be had Yeplenished bis
pockets-as good ~ his word, hs opened
bis pipe, put 10 the drill again, snd after
drilling about two feet and half, opened .
perfect river Of oil, which was forced, BY
the gas, over the top Of the tube, 1t the
rate Of ten barrels per hour for twenty
hours, when, the gas having blown Oh, the
oil sub.ided and settled to . levsl within
sight Of the top oftube. A panp has since
been inserted, and now the daily yield il
from seventy.6v TO one hundred barrels
Another we'll was opened last week, within
few miles Of this, with similar results, the
oil dischsrging 10 such quantities for more
than day, ~ to make il impossible to Sc
cure il, and it 10 supposed that not less than