The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-09-20
T,a FIRST Nan TO strike Oii,
HOW EVIL FORTUNE CRIPPLED EDWIN IL
DRAKE, WHO BORED THE ORIGINAL Pc
TRoLEUM WELL.

- no 80 Craena comfy, N. Y, was porn
~ a raenv;lle. that county, March ~ lo1y,
IL 10 Therefore sixty years OF age lio
a,,ar, his early days upon his fa'her i Iarm
s ~ NJ, York and at Rutlandt, VT, to wnich
L.. ~ fbe family moved in 1920. Inc Ooi-
ppmsi was then but six years OF age, but one
;mo;dent of the journey he remembers ais,
.;notlv The route lay through Albany anu
tbs dsv of their arrival there was one OF
~sst importance to the Empire State, ~
WAS the day of the opening OF the ERE
Canal. when, fguratively, " the wafer 1 "
Lake Erie was let into the HUDSON Ane
water was brought to Albany IN pot'io ~
a boat, and emptied into the nuuson WIZ, ',t
appropriate ceremonies. Albany na,t pu'
on her holiday attire and was wllu WIN Joy
sIsipnal guns had been placed at lntery van
all the way from Buffalo 10 Albany WS'
tonce of 325 miles, within nearing u e"1u
other. When the break was MADE, anu tno
waters of the western rivers came tulnolnS
into this immense channel, inc hrss sun
was fired, and at the instant the sounu wnS
heard at the next station the Sunlei NJ ~
appI news and sent the glad tidings speed
-; ~, ,,,,or5 N the east" These scenes and
sn5nJs are still fresh in the memory OF
Cni Drake. Here, too, on the same day,
Gni Drake saw his first steamboat-tne
GOV Clinton. Arrived in the Yankee
home the bow Edwin worked on the FARM
and received such education as the schools
Of those DAYS impaired. At eighteen years
~ age he left home and entered upon the
struggle with the world. ~
In 1SSs he was captain of a packet line
IN the Erie Canal; later, clerk on steamer
olying between Buffalo and Detroit, ana
then sunerintendent of O cloth factory III
Tecumseh. Mich. In 1912 he was Sales
man with Hotchkiss Il Chamberlain, mer-
chants of New Haven. From 1913 to 1910
he filed a like position with Seloy q 90
and LYMAN and Stlllman. in New YORK.
From i845 to 1919 he was express messen-
Ger between Albany and Boston, ana from
9S49 to 1857 conductor on the New YORK
and New Haven Railroad. Among us
friends in the latter city were Messrs'
Townsend, Pierpont, Ives BodWltch,
who had loaned money to the tlrm OF Eve
10th n Bissel of New York. Eveleth d
R;ssel purchased of Brewer, Watson Co,
of Titusyille, Pa, the oil which was taken
from a snrlnr on their lands. The oil was
obtoined with q piece Of blanket at the rate
of a Gallon a day, and from 1t was made
the then celebrated Mustang Llniment.
The gentlemen named were hnally COLI
,olIa6 IN purchase the land from which the
p;I was obtained. When the deeds were made
to the purchasers at New Haven, they were
found defective. 1t became necessary to
send some one to Titusville and PlttsburG
To have the titles perfected. Col. Drake was
ualected to 90 on the mission. Mr.. Fer
mont had visited the lands previous to the
purchase, and had brought bnck with him a
bottle of the ''Sineke' oil. This had been
onaIvzed by Professor Sillinan, who re-
osrded it as of small Importance. lhls
bottle of oil had been seen by Colonel
Drake, who looked at it as curiosity OF
no value Nothing was said OF petroleum,
when he left New Haven and the owners OF
the lands never thought that tho oil would
be a source of profit. The Colonels at'
tention was first attracted to the OIL Whlle
on the stage on the way to Iitusville. The
driver, Council, spoke of soil Greek. d,
Colonel Drake asked why it was called VI
Creek" because there is oil IN II" was
the laconic reply. Further inquiries snow
ed that the oil was being used as lubrlca
tor and for Illuminating purposes and tina
it WAS gathered with blankets from shallo"
pools along the creek. In the store a 7,
Titusville, he was shown bottle OF the OIL
He became Interested III the oil AT once
In the savmill of Brewer Il Watson
near by, he saw 1t used as III
bricator on the Journals OF q lar8
circular saw making 1000 revolutions pc
minnte II was also used in torches
Iobt the mill. As q lubricator he found
superior to sperm oil. He also saw that
conld be refined and doubted not its valu
as An illumination. DR.. Ebenezer Brewer
now banker Mt Titusville, took the Colone
10 the spring from which the oil used L
the mill was taken. 1t was rusty, dl'
oustipp- looking pool The Doctor sprea
a blanket upon the pool and gathered 1t Il
in a few seconds, dripping with some dar
hnid. from which he wrung half pint
the oil. Half a bucket or more of the
was thus secured. The Colonel was Statistic
"a 70 where and how the ''Sineke' was Of
tanned. He had already been satisfied as
its value. The sole question now wa
Scan the oil be obtained in quantities sun
Gent to introduce it as alubrcator.' Befo
Colonel Drake lett Titusvllle, he had bt
come satisfied that the oil could be obtalne
in quantities by boring for it. His schen
was regarded as the vagaries Of an lnsan
man, He was, however nothing daunteC
He returned to New Haven fully deter
mined to 20 back and bore for OIL. Whe
no went back he did so as manager of IL
'Seneca Oil Company a corporation
had organized ,
new and unexpected difficulty face
Col Drake when he was ready to begi
operations; he conldn't hire men ITO wo
for lunatic." In great distress he dro
to Tarentum, 100 miles away. Here
entered into a contract with salt-bOre
agreeing to give him at least l 200 feet
boring to do. The salt-boror was to con
in August, bat he didn't The Colon
went down again and the fellow promis
to come in September. Again he disa
pointed the now thoroughly vexed Colon'
He went the 100 miles once more. Viii
IN the hotel at Tarentum he accidental
learned why the fellow had disnppoint
him. He never meant to 90 to Iltusvill
He regarded Colonel Drake as crazy, al
Thought the easiest way to get rid OF hl
was to make contract and pretend that
meant to come" After ransacking t
country for weeks he at last found anoth
salt-borer, who agreed to come and wo
for him. This man got as far as Pitt
burg, where he died 1t was now Octobe
late in the season. Lewis b. Peterson,
salt manufacturer and boror, at Tarentur
had become interested in Colonel Dral
and advised him not to do anything UNI
spring. Quite unwillingly returned
TitusWlle, housed his engine and boil
and did nothing until spring.
In April 1859 Mr.. Peterson told Col ORA
that he lad man fol- him whom he Ell
ployed. This was William A. Smith,
Butler county, who brought with him o
of his sons, the two working for 81 da
Later two more of Smiths joined the for
and Col. Draks furnished the tools B
cause it had been the custom, an effort W
made to crib down to the rock. The wat
gained too rapidly, aud crIbbing had to
abandoned. Drake was equal to the emit
eeney. He drove TO Erie and ordered
Iiddle, Kepler q Co., cast-iron tubing,
sections of ten feet, which he proposed
drive to the rock. Boring had begun abb
july 1, 1859 On Saturday night, Aug
20, 1859. depth of siKiy-nine and b
~ &C., IL -