, 1865-06-21
OIL IN IOWA.
Prospects On Spring Creek
Working Of a Chicago
Company.
Surface Indications all
Flattering.
tFtem our Own Reporter ]

now engaged in sinking q veil near D,
Mones, Iowa, called ErIght's Well,
| which will probably 20 down to history y
the flrat engineering example Of that kind i
the State.
For several years past, the rumor has bee,
That there were indications Of the exist .uv
4 OF petroleum all over the Des Moines yslls1TF
and Professor Hall, In his survey OF the Stat
lands, Vas Of opinion that it would b. foun,
there, my here, adding that he saw nj
1eascn Why 1t should not be found there n
| well rs in Penn6y lranla. the geolocIcal con
di1icns bling about equal.
| From time to tine 61so. persons of Cooi
teputet ard toI Iretent knowledge came intt
Chicago from those regions, aud reported
that they had actually discovered oil III vari
ths 1ocall'l'e, upon the surface Of uatu,a]
wells; and this cumulative evidence finally
indurcd number of our merchants to SEM
] 6cputAtiou into Iowa for the purpose q
! Prospecting. and OF making themselves ac
| luainted With the real state Of atIIlrs In 1hi,
respect, a: first hand.
The report Of these gentlemen wis SO "a.
volable 10 Practical OPERATIONS TIN. 1. WAS
resolved to organize COMPANY forthwith,
| and try the Issues. This WIS uscoIdipc1y
done, and the company wAs started with =
capital stock Of $500. 900, to be raised "a
| x, COO sEa1cs 1t TIN dollars Zach, fully maid
A .'Dersick" Is skeleton building usu |.
II about folty-hre feet high, sixteen fec:
square at the top. The dtIllfng ma ciiuery
OF the well is worked wistfp this building Gy
means Of "Ealkius beam" thirty frst
long which Is moved hya steam eus9ne, -
cattd in another buiicInS, between eighty
ind ninety fee. Fl ON the "Derri.k."
On our arrival at Wigat's Well, marked BY
the Derrick, the boring had reached SONS
2:3s55 feet in depth. The diameter cf the well
WAS four and half inches, and the straits
through which the dill had passed. were
thus described by The engineer. Seven feet
OF slate rock, thee feet grey fand st one.
tAsrty-fye feet OF sl=te rock, 1ftetn icet soa
st.ne. thirty feet Of black slate rock mixed
With eatoonaecous sha!e, ten feet OF ap
stcIc rock, eight fecs OF white Aand 1oct:.
scytnty.nye feet Of eolp stone, aud twenty
feet OF white and grey sand stoa,, Hhe1e
they " re then drilling.
The machinery was sc.y simple as well es
very effective, and the working Of It uuusu-
aliy ipteTcsGnE to tn: uLhccrstomed to sash
OPP rstions. e ghteeu feet were per:el aud
clear ed during tWeuty-iour hours. The cen
ter bit goes first, and does the hardest work,
biting, leaflDg End grinding the rock until II
is rednced to = plastic mud. To this Is at.
tschtd sn aueee stem, twenty feet lonr. and
tlIs auser is je1Eed to two lion pieces called
"la1s," whose business II Is to draw The au-
ger out Of the rock. A "stliker bar,' s!x
feet long. Is appended to the "ja.s." to maize
to tie 1ope eoeket-msklDe in all strin. Of
lren fott5-two feet long, and weighing 30
pounds. This machinery ia worEed by g
gearing which turns the rope round like q
handlt, and compels the actE5n Of the center
b:t. There vas wooden wihd1ass 10 the
Which seme 80 ya.ds Of rope were
coiltd for the service OF tie wei,
Every noW ind tlCn, at given distance
the drill was withdrawn and TIE sand pump
Inserted to remove The pn1yerikcd rock. The
center bit works irregn:aE'y. and ia rude
frequently Withdrawn from the auger stem,
and xu Inst; t;unenk call d tae Rtantr inserted
In Its place. Tie use OF the Reamer
IS TO prevent the accuLu'ation of debris
tn The well, ard give the tools clear
place for action, by casareiug the nri-
ice, and rounding II 10 q Uniform cslln-
drical shape. Afte: this has been ACCOM-
plished The sand pump is applied once more,
aid the drill replaced. 'fhes. operations
you'd be continued from time to time. unttl
the well Was completed
The Spring Ctetk ian close to the "Der.
rick" and ail along It's surface were uuuts-
taxable eviecnces Of OIL At Ad.lpht, lit-
Wright Well" situate On the banks Of TIE
Des Not5es river, which Is very beautiful
htre. and is endowed with picturesque woods
sud hnly Elopes-Mr. Oven Kelly, who lives
In the vllttage, took Us to see remarkable
part Of toe creek-marked By three fallen
uees which bridge 1t acrus4-whe1e we
found, In spite o. the flowing water, patches.
dabs and long streaks Of OIL upon the surface
OF 1t. The wind was blowing against the
etlealn, and every NOW and then quantities na
large as mans hand were visible, whilst
the mud on the shores was u0ctunus with It.
The same gentleman bad to dis hI. uors2 vel
some two or three feet deeper, and fondd the
setusd, coTered aith a dark green oil. which
had an anuistakal'1e odor to it. VIC collect-
Cd tome Of tar giobulcs in cur hands from .
bucket Of fresh dtawn ws.t.cr. and ,ubh1nr
them together. caught the emell cf patrcle-
nm, although it wAs the faIntest ipsl,Eration
OF II, LIE quantity being 30 small.
There il no doubt that all the valley con-
sai1s more Or Less o!l-sltLough, whether In
paving quantities or not. remains 70 he sem.
We visited Slater's snd Stra.ns' wel1s, also,
which arc both within easy walking dis suc5
oI Wf1sht'e well. Oily bubbles ros- coat1nu-
allS to the surface, where they bu:s: aad
:ca1,e.ed into thin and greasy patches. The
pools and hootpfInis in u: contiguous mud.
we're also covered with an oily Substance, and
,u'ly glittered In tue sra, fmsmc3ts Ike Of
quenched rainbow.
On sur way 10 Spring Creek, about seveo
Dl!ts from Dcs Moines. near email yitlSge
allied The Rising sum-" ne Harc sihown
I'll which is known us = 'OePugh's WELL" 1t
s1oW hottom. Surrounded BY tall c,m trees.
tsfe also were the now wt1! known surface
ao0enons. End when the water aad mud
ttTr ontaf(1ed these became more and more
atislac1orF. I~o gentlemen who were with
s decsared. on the faith of unen1ns nosca,
Hat I1..A-
css, this TIES not the case with hus-althoush
Ee saw the usual dsbs and bubbles on the
urfhce.
We twice visited this district, aud exam.
ned the creek, the wells, aud the lay OF thu
AID, as well us It's geological form alton, and
re- aga'n repeat what nc heard q notaj :.eol-
etst say. 10 DE- Mefnes delegate, In the
ars, at there be ono t1iug more than IN.
lher Certain about the underground we4lth
! Iowa. 1t Is that oil exists there in great
uaEfittts ~
90 our return to Chicago VIC came by VAT
burlington, taking Hartford, Red Ko:k. and
aamyrA tn our cour=c, In 'he uriglhorhood Of
ne three RIVERS, through the E. g.nudest aud
lost rtncraol old woods VIC eve, saw, AtPaI-s
lyIa We turned little bit out Of our wayto
astt tFo tp'ings, near large factory. which
'ere situated on s!oEinG, bo.sy ground.
he boss Of the factory had alTays peca an
il skcptic, when his att-ption was called to
" VIAs ~ LIZ A14-h LII ulb place, WACn |
'ese ut That time covered with oil. lie weot,
nd saw. nod 1aughtd, uckled to thtuk that
c "wouldn't be 6w.nd,ed by chaps a. hal
ut ell in that pool TO fool him. In yain
'crc protestations that cothlng Of tho sort
I'D been doue. He wouldn't believe "hts
WI father on that pint-" Aud so IL ba!ed
ut tie Hater. Ecooped out the mud, aud left
= Three or four Eeeks after ward ne found
ae well covered with oil. aud gathered dry
? day, until At last he bad collected great
ottlc full of coarse strong petroleum. Then
c also turned 1sroelite, and wears as greasy
hat and pants as any .'old clothes" man, IN
,e crowd Of the oil guild.
We found The soil around this we'll bosgS
} we Eald, and epEipgy and one Of our psr
"a heavy man-jnmped a hornplpc on It,
ID at last sent up the oil bubbles from the
ell bcttem to gee what wns the matter.
his was all We saw there ut that time. But
{ went down the s1ops 10 a log cabin, where 4
wcnsn waf sitting st her cnse amidst her
aildren. where twelve year old girl. was
~ oiE.g tns Pot for dinner, on stove OUTSIDE
ell and its products. Sue replied that her
usband h2d sold ont, on lease, for If
tn'h7 at1 h.s sfght TO the nfnere,s on that
"enty acre bit and that he was half crazy
eW. a. ms toi'y. Why, sig, them two
he arth!" And VIC have no douht It is frns
ID will prove 60.
We nay add IN corclustop, that s. B.
,we.t, Jr:, Esq., Of Esgle Grvrt. Iowa, in.
'rpta us TINT Fort podee Is as 1tch In oil
lnds rs The ysltey of the Desmolnts and
1ot company bad been formed there with
lnchin.Fy already on the gro2nd to c:m-
lerce operations.
The existence, indeed, Of so many natural
f,!s all ever that valley, extendior over
'un1ty one hurdtcd and twcGty flyc miles
re-, by from twenty-five 10 thirty. five mills
Cad. is. one would think, indication
'ough to jr.tfy nny number OF p-ncticalc cx-
rimf MIS-. Oil has bcsn collected from these
e1ls by members Of the Spring Creek cam.
ny, in quantities sufficiently large to al
ore than one quart bottle, and specimens
sy be set at the office Of Mr.. Wright, tho
c'c'ary, on Wafer street.. Whether the
rieht we'll on Spring Greek proves a failure
y spcces:. vii affect yesy little the qu:s~ +