The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-02-06

AN AMH8ICAN DAALDEC.
PIrucLE. Pa. Dec. q, 1S79.-'In
that seat there BY the stovs,' said the
conductor. pointing 70 naa With
pa'ched psntsloons. and . slooch hat
with lock Of hsir sticking through .
hole in the top-'sitsine there With one
srm on that oil cloth carpstbaG with the
black worn o6. 10 oos-third Of the pop
ula.ion Of tho great city Of Pthols.
Shall introduce you! Mr. john
con. Mr. Perkins, etc.
Then you are ahoet oil there 10 left
in Pithols 7 reoarksd - ! at down
behind the man.
No. thar's twice - many . oe thar.
The Fergusens ssd Hsnts. shsy ars
thar yet. Pithole suits them; they're
farmers They ass plowios up the
streets. an raising potatoes end corn
whsrs the posto0ios and epsfA houss
were. 6seo 81 - Oilorolis with Ne,
sod I'll take yoa over 70 - the fsins,
II you'll furnish the team
All right. HI do r. I Mid. aDd in
two hoass the horses pulled ~ from
Oilopolis to tLs modssn ruiM Of Pishole.
Palmyra and Thsbss are justly ceIebra.
ted - very ancient ruins. b1t Pithols.
Pa. 10 probably the srsndest young
ruin in the world. here was great
city. which was founded. grew TO opu-
lence, tell. and whose streets are now
onion aud c.bbses patches-all within
fifteen years. Why; it took these slow.
coach Egyptians two thousand years to
make such . ruin - this! Such 10
American enterprise.
'When did you come here ? asked
Mr. johnson. who acted in the capacity
Of both founder and gaids tn the ruins
i am . carpenter, you knew b said.
i came here 10 1866 b help put down
the 6rss we'll for the United States Pet.
releum Company on the Holudsn farm.
Tho country around here wss almost
uniohabited. The sround was stony.
and the fields were foil Of pine stumps
Did you strike oil r
Il should say ws did. We struck .
flower She threw . thousand bar
rels Of oil into the cir every day. AZ
soon - she flowed the sp~culators went
o6 in the night and bpught the farm Of
Tom Holmden. Lord! When be came
to zee the we'll next morning didn't hs
feel bad. thoaeh!
what vas the effect of tie th0usaud.
barrel well.' I asked.
why. it seemed to set the whole
ueiShborhood crazy. The whole oil rs.
gion turned out anl came up here. |
Soldiers with pockets full of money.
just discharged from the army, came
pouring in with the rest. In fact. Ton
Holmdeu's farm. in lees than forty.
eight hours, looked % il IL he'd teu cirii
euses on II. You never saW suck 81
scrambliDg. And prices! Why. you
never heard Of such prices. Twsnty1
wsllt were under wsy in week. Ma
chinery had to b drawn through thu |
mud frsm the station. on the Miller |
farm, four miles distant. Thou.ands of |
barrels of oil. worth Is q barrel. had to |
be drawn through the mud. Fsrmers
rushed In with teams for fifty miles |
around. ContTsctsss paid 600 Ter
drawing au engine four milss through |
tho mud. Fifteen dollars . ton for |
drawing coal. Ten dollars for taking
. trunk. Farmers got ten dollars for |
cArrying one passenger. Two and three
dollsss we're paid Tor meals, and ave
dollsrs 6nr . bed. Dollars weeo - eoo.
mon - sictsls are nov. Why, could |
msks % dollars caspeotsrisS. u got
$3.50 for building . one story building. |
and ! did tho work with four nso in . |
day ano . half. GOT t45 tor putting |
up s,me shelves for dsusg;st. ssd did
the work in thirty ninotss. Nails |
we're fifty cents per pound, aud lumber |
$500 . thousand. Farmers tore down |
their fencss for wilss orouud ssd nd
them TO the Grassy oil operators. 0rsat |
guns! hsw the merchants poured in
and what prices they got; $s5 for . |
pair Of hoots. end . dollar for . drink I
Of whishsy. Festanes were ma6e and I
lest - . day. Huudrsds of wsrls went
down sna wsrs sold st fabulous prices,
sfterward ending ia dry holsa'
How were The wells usually sold ? |
asked. -
They were divided late sixtseoths. |
Thousands of soldisss, farosss, end
business isen vet6 invsiglsd into hut-
ing theee dixtseetha Boae oa6s toc. !
tunes end nero lot aik epeeulokossl
paid $500 1or the rsfusal of . sixtesnth
sext 20 . producing wsli. t6lsgropAGa
to New Yosk o. Philadslrhis snd made
several thousaad dollars II lev hours.
A nxteenth Of . we'll oltse ool6 tag
ga, 600 eash. Nfllioos q 1ollsss 0nj&
Cd into rishols. IHotels vent % M
magic. Theatses spsang into bsing. |
Murphy tuilt . shanty. est dance |
woman BY The name II Ma Bsignoli.
and oil nen would throw alty-dollae
bills q Hae leet. Streets 6pEane heei
line. Ws1is si1ty days thissy pse0y !
bar maids wefs holding forth at . free
and easy. I Fire sereee, ~ n q rnde
bard room. . ~ co. =
when did Psthole sulainale r
Well. she seasted ID Jsso. 1865, and
IN June. 1895. shs vas 4 fall -asdeod
city. With u: 900 psnple, VIM esioinals, |
pelicsnsn. eassRymen. chufches, sehools
and The thisd lAfgess posse6ics ID the
State q Pennsylvsnia. Why. poet-
uAstsr Ull Aa6 osveA Gl0ks, nd %
ese lsssss. - Nd 70 seand II ! po1e-
o0eo rov ~ halt N hook. We k1A : !
Mayor. . City Councsl end daily ssvs-
papses.'
Did yos hsvs any gsad baildiags 2
I asked.