Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-11-06

But his troubles now began; he had oil,
plenty of SO much he didn't know what
to do with. The well never flowed
pump was rigged in and the pump yielded
twenty y-iive gallsns day. He constructed
sats capable of holding about six hundred
barrels. II was difficult to get BARRELS 10
that country. lie found however, in near
ly every cellar about a larger or smaller
number of whiskey barrels, which, alter
being soaked, made excellent oil barrels.
and besides having his watts fall, had about
three hundred barrels flied.
One hundred barrels. at price not re-
membered. were sold Ia a mau named Nc
keown, a druggist at Plttsburg. who also
refined oil as an experiment. Erie, Cleye-
land. Cincinnati, Pittsbure. Philadelphia
aud New York were visited success!yely In
the effort to build up 4 commerce for pc
iroeIm. The undivided and trolcss efforts
OF Colonel Drake wer- finally crowned
with success. The Drake well yielded
probably three thousand barrels OF oil. lie
bored only one other well. and that didn't
yield much OIL Seneca Oh Company sold
out. and Colonel Drake operated iudiyjd-
ualiy until 1864.
In that year, IN consequence OF iil health,
he was compelled TO r,linql,sh his busl-
ness, and after all his hard work be saw
the following year, 1865, the greatest
ullcrs making fabulous sums Of money on
the oil he discovered. and In the boring
aud Introduction OF which he spent not lr>S
than $1,000 while his own hand, were
tied by Illness. The last $500 used 10 the
work on the Drake We'll were borrowed ~
Colonel Drake on his individual rcsponsl-
billy.
Ia 1873 Pennsylvania granted Colonel
Drake c.yti pension OF sl5ol per y,ar.
revsf;ib,c to h., widow whii. she rematus
unmarried. H., fortune had been swept
away aud hi- heAlsh wrecked by lis luccs-
saui .abor, iu the olj interest. On tll.s pen.
sion lie lives m0ie,lly, yet comfortably. II
! hut small rrcompeuse Tor lis public
labor-. IAc twenty y-iiyc-blrsr, well OF
August. l>Gp. has been augmented BY lu.-
oop other wells. With an annual capacity
OF no. less than 100000 barrels. Not
less than $50 p1o 900 worth j. exported Au-
uually and about 81. .oOD 900 !, Invested lu
Ia" business Dr. Spohorl says Fifteen
million baucis-the annual proIuci-os
forts gallons to barrel, Of iaIs ojl would
q 2.Goo 90 O0) lamps holding h4Ifa pint
each or about seven such lamps for every
man, woman aud child upon our globe.
All thus has come - ll-ht from the bowel.
of the earth In less than twenty years.
duriu. which time we have no. only used
all the petroleum we have waited our
selves, but have sent 10 other lands nearly
s.. 90 worth, at the low Cg.tom-house
valuation.
Col. Drake i -cot.emsn OF Intelligence
and refinement. an earnest membrr Of The
Fro'csiau. Episcopal Church. ana though
tie hand Oi Misfortune and slll c.iDl has
borne heavily upon han lac never murmur-,
bu; suffers wiki truc tAri,ilAu resignation.
III, family ,~iic and THREE children. Isl
whom he j. iIOuzri. aul his friends maze
h. life happy aud comfortable. III. vile
j. a noble AIi devoted woman. tp.. DrtAr
may De- spared mAly more years. bAi De-
"l- scarcely recover irom the palsy That
hi ils hand upon Inn eight years ago.
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