The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-05
PETROLEUM.
Boring for Oil in Scott County.

Nothing but pressing business of import
ance. at home prevented us from accepting the
polite invitation of Messrs Dickson and Brack-
EFT, to take trip to their "Oll Diggins,"
last Thursday. As we could no, be present,
we cannot do better than copy the following
account of the trip, from the Davenport Dem
ocrat of Friday last:
Our readers have been reading oil, talking
oil, and dreaming oil fer several years past
but the oil and indications thereof were all In
q distant country; only tew-even among
the most sauguine ever counted upon frat
GLASS prospects, right here at home, or actual
operations to develop those prospects, But
here and there, In every part of the country,
are there pioneers in the development of the
earth's treasures, and We are glad that We are
able to name few Of such right here In our
immediate vicinity, and to state farther, that
they are putting their convictions to the most
rigid test.
Occasionly, within the past few months,we
have heard indirectly of rumors touching the
existence of strong surface Indications of Pc
troleum in the town of Buffalo about eight
miles below this city and Within a few weeks
it has become known that actual operations
were to be commenced to determine the truth
or fallacy of the theory.
The company undertaking this great work,
was permanently organized last summer in
Camden, Illinois, and is known as the Rock
River Oil and Mining company with a CAPT.
tai stock of 100000, of which fifty thousand
dollars is set apart as working capital. The
officers are John Dickson, president, Joseph
W. Bracket, secretrry, Z. n. Young treas
urer. Directors John Dickson, w. w. Dob
bins, F. n. Young, G. NJ. Dickson, los. ".
Bracket, Jas. W. Bracket. The property
of the company consists of ten and twenty
year leases On about 900 acres OF land in
Rock Island county, Illinois, and Scott ooun-
", Iowa, selected with view of the devel-
opment of coal, oil, or saline substances, sup
posed to underlie this region, The stookhold-
ers mostly reside In Rock Island and Scott
counties. among whom are several OF our
leading citizens here in Davenport.
So much for that-and now some pgrticu-
lars as to active operations AT the invitation
of our friend Edwin Smith, Esq stock
holder In the company, and one who takes a
lively interss in the development and resour-
ces of the county, we became member OF a
party of distinguished cltlzens OF camden,
Rock Island and Davenport, whose business 1t
was to proceed t. the scene of practical o2er-
atoms in Buffalo-for be it know, oll-huntlng
is no longer a matter of talk merely, but the
best accredited agencies have been put to
work to bring previous specuiations, pros
poets and hopes relative thereto, to practl-
cal test, by diving directly into the bowels OF
the solid earth a thousand feet if need be, to
search the hidden secrets therein stored away
-haply to find oil-perchance only paying
bed of coal. mayhap lake of saline water
possibly nothing but rock, dirt-nothing of
value.
Our party-some fifteen or twenty strong,
arrived in sight of the works at about II O..
clock. They are situated on the bank of the
river, on ID. c. Butchers farm, and nearly in
front of his house, eight miles below the city.
Coming in view of the works, our party saw
what most of its members never saw before
"A towering derrick, nearly q hundred feet
high, together with all the appliances-engi
house, machinery, etc.,-all In actual opera
ton, certain and suYe-boring for OIL
As the cavalcade of buggies and carriages
approached, the stars and stripes were set
ahoat from high hikcory staff mounted up
on the derrick's topmost height: the engine
piped long and loud welcome, and the &C.
tive machinery buckled in with will as if to
bring up something wonderful for our edit
cation. The reception was on a grand and
hearty scale, for which thanks are due to
Chief Engineer Ford. Talk of Pithole no
more-nor of wells wet or dry-down in
Pennsylvania. Right here in our own coun-
ty all the appliances for hunting out the def.
ly hidden oil tanks stored away by the giant
Petrolus himself, ages and ages ago are to
be seen-ln short, we are boring for it at
home. Our party we're soon at the works.
and were soon initiated into it's mysteries by
Mr.. Ford, and his gentlemanly assistants
There was the little house with it's twelve
horse engine. betting upon a drum about mid
way between the engine house and the der
rick, which are some 90 feet apart, thence
the power passes from the drum crank, which
has sssthree foot stroke to the walking beam.
the further end of which extends into the der.
rick house. and from which the drills are sus-
pended. The steam had been let on that
morning. though the well had been COM
msncsd by baud drilling, as is the way to do
1t, the Saturday previous, the drill had de
seended about 25 feet-eight feet of earth
the balance solid limestone-and down thro'