The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-03
FROM THE OIL COUNTRY.
The Sugar Creek Btrike--OOndidon
and Prospects OF SUGAR Creek Terri
tOFy--The Gold and silver Story
Tspre,sI o-orre,Dopdsuoe Cleveland LrADEs.I

ID largely IN upper sugar OreeK tetfIoEy
On the strength of my letter of the 3Oth ult,
which repeated the report Of q six hundred
well near the Lake. Warned by
manyprevious canards regarding big strikes
I distinctly declined vouching for the ruth
the report for I did not believe it my
self but only reported it as among the ur-
rent sensations Since then l have visited
Sugar Creek and find that the report was
not only exaggersted-(thAt would be only
natural for the oil regiOns)-but wholly
without foundation, SO far as yield is con-
cerned. Although there are a number OF
wells going down upon the Lake branch
noneofthem are yet in sufficiently sdvsnc-
ed state to expect oil from them, exceptth
we'll of the Henrietta Oil Company, one
half mile above COoperstown, which has
bean pumped but is O being drilled
deeper. Oil men have good expectations
Of the territory upon this branch, but it is
as yet only in process Of development.
Upon the middle branch, a we'll about
two miles above CoOperstown is considered
very promising. 1t has an unusually good
ashow."
Among the wells inthe immediate vicin-
ity of CoopenGown the Morgan aud the
Pannebsker wells have been considered as
promising as any. The latter was pumped
for 8 few days and some oil obtained, but
not enough to sstiafy the owners andthey
are putting it deeper. The Morgan welli is
$40 feet deep and will be pumped in a few
days. The sand-pumP brings up more or
less oil daily and the owner feels very SAN
guine.
The unfinished have scarcely sn idea of
the multitude of apparently trifing occur
FENCES which may very seriously retard the
work of putting down 8 well. The rope
NAV break and let the tools drop 10 the
bottom of the hole, to be fshed out only
after much labor and time; the drill may
strike an Oblique crevice and stick 50 fast
as to be almost impossible to get it out
without breaking the rope; the engine may
get out of order in some minor part, but u
trip to the nearest machine shop may be
necessary to repair it;-these, and a thou
sand other s~nnOysnces, may go hinder Yeur
drilling as to make your progress exceed
ingly slow. Then, when your well Ia sunk,
and you commence pumping, you msy
have to experiment for & week before you
can get the seed bag in just the right spot
to shut off the water ard not shut off the
! oil q joint of your tubing, perhaps 300
feet from the surface, may be defective
and burst involving the tedious drawing
OF the pips until you reach the faulty
part: the seed-bsg may burst and drown
| out your vol or your sucker rods may
break. The remedying of sl these things
takes much time, and so days and weeks
slip by with little actual progress. Men
come here thinking to make their fortunes
in a dAy or 3 month, not hsving patience
to wait the slow accommodations of trade,
when in point of fsct there is no business
in the world that more tries 8 mans
patience than to put down an oil well,
especially if you attend to it yourself and
give personal attention to all the stoppsges.
The above observations explain the sp-
parently slow developments of the Sugar
Creek Territory. Many wells are going
down, but nearly all of them we're begun
since Winter gave place to Spring and
they are not yet tested. When they shall
| bel have strorg faith that this valley will
i-not be behind others, now far more noted,
in It's production Of the greasy commodity.
| do know that Oil Ureek men, who have
and lost money in oil wells, and
claim to be posted on buying land, are
| putting QUWn weTs H5rB mud bHY5 "6EeaL
Expectations" equal to Pip's.
The new McUslmont we'll is steadily
pumping oil. This we'll was put down
only forty feet from the old well, sndthere
is an open communication between the
two, IS is proved by the fact that grain
from the seed-bSg, and even pieces of old
rope, which had got into the old hole, we're
draAn out of the new one. Hence 1t was
useless to pump both of them, and the old
III was plugged up.
The HomRn Company, which has twenty
acres, a short distance below the Mccall
ment, is putting down Two wells. They
are not yet far enough advanced to war
rant an opinion as to what they will do.
e. Upon the Saunders farm, two miles from
the mouth, and just above the Sugar Dale
| Company s lands, some Oil Creek parties
are putting down 8 well which has reached
q depth of $50 feet. This is deeper than
the msiority Of wells upon the Greek. The
driller asserts that he is now in the third
sand-rock, which has not been found in any
other well upon the Greek. II he is cor
rect the results of his work will be looked
for with much interest, as the heavy lubri-
eating oil is found in the se5ond ssnd-rock,
while the lighter Oil Creek oil is in the
third. -rr
TlbA C,1a. naNz N,nnza.- ho-a ahan
doned one of their wells, st the mouth of q
ravine, but will immediately commence
putting down two more higher up the rs-
vine, confident o fstriking oil in one ofthem.
Their other well is pumping 8 very heavy
stream of very salt water. AS s curiosity
the agent boiled down two quarts of this
water q day or two ago, and it produced
half q pint of pure salt of excellent quality.
If after pumping this we'll long enough to
test it. no oil follows this water,
the Company could make money by put
ting up salt works, IS about twelve hun
dred barrels per day of this salt water is
pumped out.
The Day Farm, opposite the Sugar Dale
and the Saunders farms, is not yet devel-
oped ct all. 1t is the only tract of any
considerable size (it contains $50 acres)
which has good bottom land, betWeen the
mouth and Cooperstown, which is as yet
untouched. It has very fine fat and q
wide front upon the Greek. r
The Sugar Creek Company (which owns
the celebrated Shipper Well) owns owe
three hundred acres of splendid bottom
land. This company has recently leased
so acres of the northern portion of this
tract to the Sugar Greek Developing Com
pany, which will immediate put down ten
wells, the derricks for six being up al
ready. THESE Will be pushed as last as
possible, and it is reasonable to expect that
some ofthem Will be of large yield.
The Shipper well, with new machinery,
and. q new superintendent, is giving 8
higher average yield than ever before, 1t
is called 9 seYenty.hve barrel we'll and
probably gives full sixty barrels per day.
This oil sold last week for S23 per barrel.
That would be q nice little income for you
or me, and we would even greet the reve-
nue. assessor and collector with q merry
smile if we had it in our hands.
The Junction Company, which now has
one we'll pumping some oil and 8 CREST
deal of salt water, below the Shipper well,
have " new derricks up and are prepsr-
ing 70 put down 8 large number Of wells
/ during the summer. This is the true way
IN keen stocks M and make diyidends-to