The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-03-03
Elk County busters.

setting sun, is W SOine eNtent, 10 uTeau
winning; that is to say, making n
living for itself. The land, which
originally was held in large tracts 10y
lumber companies, with the disappear
ance of the valuable timber, has been
cut up into small holdings. A few of
the frontier townships are as yet
wrapped pretty much in solitude and
timber, but some portions Of the in
terror present, in limited way,
Garden OF E len aspect quite in con-
trast to its backwoods" locality The
topography of the country is broken
like Mexican county. Its hills are
bold, bluff, and, when denuded of
timber. remarkable bald. The highest
peaks contain coal, and the mountain
brooks are alive with trout. The
county, in word, is famous for it,
tannerieS, its dry holes and for its
unique political complexion. Among
its tanneries is the largest leather
manufacturing establishment in the
world, to wit, The Schultz Tannery,
Wilcox. Its dry holes are the driest
in the land, while its Democrats are
the democratest anywhere.
Elk county has long had aspirations
of the oil character Away back in
the times just prior to the late "on-
pleasantness," Il fever of speculation
swept over the county. Thousands of
acres were taken up which subse
quently reverted to their owners
undrilled, During the war and i'm
mediately succeeding that event, IA
number Of oil producing enterprises
took shape. Several companies were
organized, and some of them proceeded
to business in business like manner.
Operations in those early times were
confined to valleys and adjacent to
large streams, under the then existing
belief that oil flowed in regular sub
terranean channels. like rivers do on
the surface. According to this theory,
the valley of the Clarion River. being
the largest stream in the county, was
very popular as well sites.
In 1864 George Dickinson. victim
to the prevailing oil fever Of the times,
lands i'm the western suburb of Ridg-
way. The labor was prosecuted by
water power. He worried the hole
along and i'm year or so had punched
q.
struck gas. The enterprise soon after
this was abandoned. Later, work was
resumed by Mr.. Hagerty, of Ridgway,
under whose direction the we'll was
sunk to ~ deph Of 900 feet. No oil
being found, the sponge was thrown
up and the welT abandoned for good
About the same year General Stew
art and Others drilled u shallow hole
on Elk Creek one mile west of Dagus-
cahonda. This venture a so graduated
at 600 feet. No oil was found. The
same parties drilled another well, two
and a half miles west of Dayuscahonda.
This one died carly likewise. In 1874
BrOokvillc parties secured a Tease at
the mouth of Milestone township, ON
which well was drilled. an,
without reliable data concerning il.
The log, ir any was kepr, is very I'M
perfect. \ dril.Cr who did service on
the well states that 100 feet of sand
was found, and "a showing of oil OBJ
tained. The showing of oil is all
right Thatpart has been corroborutcs
by competent witnesses. The same
authority states that the well was
drilled 1000 feet and then abandoned
without testing. In this connection
people living hard by the well say that
the mill men in all that country side
get their supplies of crude oil from
this well. The oil which they Use
for both Illuminating and lubricatinl
purposes is obtained by dipping from
the conductor hole. Milestone town
ship is in the eNtgeme southwestern
portion of the county. Millston'
Greek is q tributary of the Clarion
River. This one was the frs
GeeD wen uIliltu III tIlc ctliIlSi am
the only one in some fifteen tests tina
is accredited with oil. In the thre
years following the completion of tn
Milestone well, the drill was given
rest in this county.
The next wildcat venture to distur
the afternoon Siestas.Of the owls WA
that of the late lamented John Wa
lace, now in Heaven. This ventur
is located on warrant 3,26l, Ridgwa
township, two miles northeast of Wi
cox. The drill was started in Apri
ls7s,and stopped June 26, having regi
tered $50 feet. No oil was discovered
The sands were found regular, bt
there was not very much of it. TIL
drillers say they thought they coul
de ect the presence of oil in the san
pumpings. Only suspicion of it an
nothing more. The drill stopped Il
feet below the ocean line.
About the same time the z. C. l..
=. Co. built a rig on warrant 3,2o
Zones township, about one mile east
Wallace WELL. The drill was starte
April l, and stopped in the bottom
the hole at 1892 feet; elevation abeN
tide level, | ,595 feet. The well WI
cased at $50 feet; salt water was four