The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-05
HUNTING FOR PETROLEUM.
TIE HIDDEN TREASURES THAT GEOLO-
GTSTS FIILED TO FIND.
Madness with n Method In it--A switchmnn
Who has Become Millionaire Roses Bioom-
Ing all Winter Around ~ burning Well.

BRADFORD, Pa, Feb. 2S.-But little more |
| than year ago this place consisted of lumber
mems tavern and II few scattering farm houses.
To-day IT has $500 inhabitants and its half
dozen good sized hotels turn away nightly hun
| dreds of strangers whom every train pours into
tho village The sudden change has been
wrought by petroleum. Fourteen years ago.
job Moses. having made fortune by selling
quack medicines, came into this valley and
said that there was oil underlying II. Tho oil
fever was then at its height in the Pennsylvania
counties south of Mexican. Moses spent thou
sands Of dollars tnstino tbis ,erritorv Noaatis-
factory result followed. but his BELIEF that there
| was oil here never changed. People began TO
| look upon him ns crnzv Ue brougb, yoolnyis,a
n,1 ,hn ,aiIa iota, :, ,.en 49,, anti,
60 You might we'll turn your drills heaven
ward and bore for oil as to dig for it here"
I'm, Mnsos diggod yn,l of,er r,oIi ",rhor,,s
Du' MVses uiseeu wen alter wel' Iner's
oil here" he said. II | can only find the belt"
He got control Of all the land he could. and
spent MS entire fortune IN hunting Tor the
Then he was compelled to ouit. but his cntbu.
sinsn, ,yas No .,roa, no e,cr IT,, indursd other
mon with capital to continue tho invcs tigation.
md Mt last the holt vns found At 1 1OD feet he-
low the surface the precious sand" was
pierced and a flfy-barrel well was the result
Other "holes" were nut down. and every ono
"'i "'''S WIZ r"' u""H, """ O'''S ~
flowed abundantly The oil trade, however, WIS
at that time stagnant. An oil well then was very
rnJosir,bio ,,rorcrt, with ,bc s,dd.n rnvivnl
wv, W W, w,
OF the trade n wear ana nan ago'the newly
discovered Bradford territory attracted the at
,or,iop of on.rotors No,v ,hnre .ro an vvolls
Union y, op'r"'''s' 40" u"''o a'o ''V N'',S
The oil belt seems 20 be about two miles wide.
md i,hos hoo, ,i.r.ed ,,r .i,,ht p,iI.s ~, and
down the Tunungwant creek and along its
branches
The excitement that characterized the first
days OF the oil discovery in the originalterrtory
| il dunlieatad in this reoion II has oxtnnded
into cattnrnuriIs and Allegheny counties New
York. Evcrywhore within twrnty-ive miles Of
n'lyan""J tric"s becaus,. Of the bclinf tint Oh
iurks bcnantn n Is fnr ms cubn. in The G"nosee
Wiz nnd Ren1oI l' n,nmn,, !" thn V rots of
cnttoygap M" .onntv He landhoI1srs gra posivn
thnt fhev,ve a,"t Il :" One man living on thn
s sny I' 1n HEN o s or GY I an Oo'o
any W., "mt ind oil 80 hieh mn' man snid an
or.crratoir " rs in the Valleys T., p
~, ,n MINI, ;horc Va. ,o'i whrrm N.Y.
s, y with sGe"s oil Now yrT pennsy,mnv siratys
Sint no 6fsra mine yoleaine @toas what
I ny place: where Dies tnrm NILS come ron,
mint, action ym,nnic antion ,,iv"s the y.orth
a. ,s' ana nlahes MI Sunhus 10 reason ~ III
Q way i must leave 4 bug hole What ms me
You never see ,po2tier Volcanic acii3n than in
| bradford Hallway
: rpRs thr2neh the new territory from SarrNl,on;
: NJ h,S VI 'u,vn VIZ nH,u y ,h W. ". ,
Win ~ VII VIZ SupvIhunIeni vi W. NV n"i
nre M on wa AM nsp 10 an iron Tbe
a MINI tutheu gu, NOUNS, pu. wy iodu pun W.
CSmpany ir%nIPcrns T s gmq b SH% rnm
l. ~ "n" %, 'h pos. r l vi ',n,
l. Stat LIN ara stations that sa,e grown ny IN a
y f a, I'M :, ~ w., ~, ,'n M ,-
si fsv rn s,2 Wln s 40 Nov, ;,
i ing ~ 1,iu NM o H.
since have Been had almost for The SIl taxes " i
"a 1t eonsss 4" , az il was @ b , NJ
!. Old Irishm,n unined M.t'nrtv To- his snn Mil,
= ,. H. r 1911 a, ME- ,,as ',s
N on the Eric Railway nj SnInmnurn His rrinri
v H r 6 %. s y W wn s Win nnT WIN I'm
he could pay the taxes on the farm Two oi
three years ago he would have sold i
it., AMI thria week. aso he s"id tHr"
lie acres for ss OoO cash There nro several wei.
on his place. and h. gotta a one-cightl
ROYALTY on ali they produce His incom,
IS il now 500 week. Mix sticks 10 his oil
~ god-hcaded cane. H. is throwing his mon.l
IL around loose among the boys. H. is u secon,
re- saamanca His wife baiit Rouse Some ' year
, ago. and it was a long time before he could un
ie WhcnaVar h" zane hone aftor sprce' She Ven Ven
NJ she coui Ind This was funded and result,
IT, in the house. Mike tells how he felt when h
h found it out
Ia " BE dad Ill was very mad. For. dye
, moind, whn Id foind no money in mo pockets
80 fought / spnt il wild the hys. and I'll - l.
u wur-r-k contintel. But whiu | found M
H. mOneyd been washtcd IN bOorls for shanty
il was disaplnted WAS. sure
w Til. parties of whom the elder Mozart!
rr bought the farm reserved the right To oil for tel
o years The time expired the day Mike sold Tia
!, three acres. -,
H. A nun named MIDGET. OF Salamanca, sold
IL Mexican county farmer an organ and took f.
ne pay sixty acres OF wild land. Mudgct sold tn
e., land two years ago for 81 an acre; OF has beer
~ found on II. and II j. bringing $1,000 an acr
~ now People in Bradford and all the othe
ct towns lease their d9oryards. gardens an'
= every available spot they have TO operators
ii Whenl the business was first begun lessee
=" were satisfied with n one-sXeenth royalty
rr Then they asked one..cighth. BY and 10y thee
H. got up e. quarter. Now they are dcmandln.
al 5000 bonus and quarter OF the oil. Man
ts people who used To SIT around III the tavern
~ beg tobacco. and borrow money TO pay uei
= taxes now 10 l"isurely 10 the Oil Exchange an'
he draw their royalty
N The lower oil country l. very jealous OF III
IT, now Bradford district. The operators in tn
! latter that oil superior to that OF I'll