Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-10-22
NO. 254.
Mistellaneous.
THE FIRST MAN TO STRIKE OIL.

| ~
farmer of Greene county, n. Y. was born
at Greenville that county, March 80, 1919,
and is consequently sixty years of age. He
spent his early days on his fathers farm
in New York and at Ratland, VT, to which
place the family removed in 1925. From
1874 to 1S49 he was express messenger
between Albany and Boston, and from 1S49
to 1857 conductor on the New York and
New Haven railroad. Among his friends
in the latter city were Messrs. Townsend,
Perpont, Ives and Bowditch, who had
loaned money to the firm Of Eveleth 4
Bissel OF New York. Eveleth Il Bissel
purchased of Brewer, Watson Il Co. OF
Titusville, Pa, the oil which was taken
from a spring on their rlands. The oil was
obtained with piece of blanket at the
rate of one gallon day, and from it was
made the celebrated Mustang I.iniment."
The gentlemen named were finally COM
PEELED to purchase the land from which
the oil was obtained When the deeds
were brought to the purchasers at New
Haven they were found defective. 1t be-
came necessary to send some one to Titus
vile and Pittsburg to have the titles per-
fected. Col. Drake was selected to 60 on
this mission. Mr. Pierpont had visited
the lands previous to the purchase. and
had brought back with him a bottle of the
"Sneke" oil. This had been analysed by
Professor Stilliman, who regarded it as Of
small importance. This bottle of oil had
been seen by Col. Drake, who looked at it
as y curiosity of no value. Nothing was
said of petroleum when he lett New Haven
and the owners of the land never thought
that the oil would be source of profit.
The colonel's attention was first attracted
to the oil while in the stage on the way to
Titusville. The driver, Connell, spoke of
'Oil Creek" Col. Drake asked why it
was called "Oil Greek p' because there
is ~ in it, was the reply. Further in
quiries showed that the oil was being used
rs Il lubricator and for Illuminating pur-
poses and that it was gathered with blank
cts from shallow pools along the creek.
In the store at Titusville he was shown "a
bottle of the oil. He became interested in
the oil at once. In the saw mill OF Brewer
& Watson, near by, he saw it used as a
lubrcator on the journals Of large circu-
lar saw making 300 revolutions per min
ute. 1t was also used in torches to light
the mill. As a lubricator alone he knew
there was fortune in this oil. He also
saw that it could be refined, and doubted
not its value as an iluminatOr. DIR.
Ebenezer Brewer, now banker at Titus
vile. took the colonel to the spring from
which the oil used in the mill was taken.
1t was a rusty disgusting looking pool.
The doctor spread blanket upon the pool
and gathered it up in a few seconds, drip
ping with a fluid from which he wrung
half pint of the oil. Half bucket or
more of the oil was thus secured. The
colonel was satisfied as to where and how
the ''Sineke" was obtained. He had al
ready been satisfied as to its value. The
sole question now was: Can the Oil be
obtained in quantities sufficient to intro
duce it as a lubrcator Before Col.
Drake left Titusvlle he had become salts
fled that the oil could be obtained in
quantities by boring for it, His scheme
was regarded as the vagaries of an insane
man. He was. however, nothing daunted.
lie returned to New Haven fully deter
mined to 90 back and bore tor oil. When
he went back he did so as manager Of ''the
Seneca Oil Company corporation he
had organized.
A new and unexpected difficulty faced
Col. Drake when he was ready to begin
operations; he couldn't hire men ''tO
work for n lunatic." In great distress he
drove to Tarentum, 100 miles away. Here
he entered into q contract with salt bOrer
agreeing to give him at least 1000 feet
boring to do. The salt borer was to come
in August, but he didn't. The colonel
went down again and the fellow promised
to come in September. Again he disap-
pointed the now thoroughly vexed colonel.
He went the 100 miles once more. While
in the hotel at Tarentum he accidentally
learned why the fellow had disappointed
IN, Ip
He regarded Col. Drake as crazy, and
.thought that the easiest way to get rid OF
him was to make a contract and pretend
that he meant to come" After ransack-
mo the country for weeks he at last found
another salt borer, who agreed to come
and work for him. This man got as far
as Pittsburg, he died. 1t was now Octo-
ber. late i'm the season. Lewis Ii. Peter
son. Il salt manufacturer and borer at Tar
entum. had become interested in Col.
Drake, and advised him not to do any
thing until spring. Quite unwillingly he
returned to Titusville, housed his engine
and boiler, and did nothing until spring.
In April. 1859, Mr.. Patterson told Col.
Drake that he had man for him, whom
he employed. This was William A.
Smith, of Butler county. who brought
with him one of his sons, the two working
for 81 a day. Later two more OF Smith 8
sons Joined Col. Drake's force. Col.
Drake furnished all the tools. Because it
has been the custom. an effort was made
TO crib down the rock. Water, however,
gained too rapidly, and cribbing had to be
abandoned. Col Drake was equal to the
emergency. lie drove to Erie and ordered
of Liddle, keppler, L. Co., cast iron tub
ing in sections of ten feet. when he pro-
posed to drive to the rock. Boring was
begun about July /, 1889. On Saturday
night. August 20, a depth of SO ~ feet
had been reached On Sunday the old
man Smith walked out to the well and
found it full of oil. He dipped up bar
, rel of oil, and Col. Drake's insanity was
dssipated in an hour. He had been sue
: cessful.
But his troubles now began he had oil,
, plenty of it; so much he didn't know what
to do with. The we'll never flowed; a
pump was was rugged in and the pump
yielded twenty-five gallons day. He
constructed watts capable of holding about