The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-08-31
Oil Scouts.
They Delicate and Dangerous Work in the OIL
REGIONS of Pennsvfvznia

Ths;- Delicate and Dangerous Work tn the Oil
Regions Of Pennsylvania.
When an operator goes into an unde-
yeloped field and puts down test well
he naturally desires to have the profit Of
his risk. 1t costs him something like
$4,000 to put down that wildcat well,
for which, in most cases, he gets no re-
turn, for the majority of wildcat wells
produce nothing. If he finds rich
sand, however, and can keep it a secret
for while, he has a fortune in his hands.
He can sell oil short, knowing that when
1t is known that new field has been
discovered the price will go down. His
most direct opportunity. however, is to
lease the land in the neighborhood of
his well, to be sold again at an enormous
profit as soon as it is known that it is
productive territory. So he guards his
secret with every appliance he can
invent His most dangerous enemies
are the scouts" They are paid to
discover what he is trying to conceal.
Almost every prominent oil broker
| has scout regularly employed to
keep him posted on the latest doings at
the front. Daring, cautious, patient,
lud ACiicSt, tllC
scout must add to the experience OF a
driller the subtle judgment of broker
and the keenness of an operator. In
the shadows of the night he earns his
salary lurking about in the neighbor-
hood of a new well. out of gunshot of
the guards about the derrick; lying often
in the snow or in the swamp for hours,
with his nose and ears stretched above
the shelter of some friendly log, to catch
the smell of gas or the gurgle of flowing
oil; sneaking up to the tank-house to
get peep in if possible; watching the
motion of the wall<ing-beam, and esti-
mating the depth of the tools thereby;
ready to bribe the dIiller or exchange
shots with the guard at moments
notice.
He sometimes spends weeks watching
| one particular well. He studies the
habits of the men working on it, notes
| if any of them are likely to succumb to
the temptation of his brandy flask, iots
| down the hours when each one takes
| his nap, marks which way their faces
| are mostly turned in their rounds, and,
| if he can not court their favor, devises
scme scheme to get inside their guards
| and at their secret. In the gray of the
| morning he rides away to the nearest
| telegraph Office and communicates with
| his employer before the market opens.
| 1t is ainystery when he sleeps. Almost
any time of the day he may be seen loi-
tering about wherever there is crowd,
| picking up acquaintance with the few
| drillers whom he does not already know.
The emoluments of the work are oc-
~f s
any amount of hardship. For instance,
''SI' Hughes, who got the Anchor Oil
| company pointer on GAG has been taken
| into the company with the Office OF. SUI
perintendent, and a clear tenth of their
| profits. His springs work viii net him
| not less then SO, 900; but there is a we'll
| defined path circling through the woods
| around GAG. worn by the feet of those
| who worked as hard as he and got no.
thing but their salaries, How Hughes
| got his information is still a mystery
lie 10 said C1ufIII IfraU lay uflucr
the derrick for nineteen consecutive
hours, but the prevailing impression is
that he bought the secret from one of
| the guards.
In the course of an experience-meet-
ing the other evening, with Capt Peter
| Grace, one of the men who put down
the 646 well in this district, he told me
the true story of the mystery. Much
| has been written about it, more proba-
bly, than has ever been printed about an
| oil well before, but the captain told me
few things which were new. This
wonderful Cherry Grove district owes
| its development to the misfortunes of
George II. Dimmick. He had been
wrecked financially over in the Coal
| creek region, and Capt. Grace set him
| to work out this way rather to give him
chance to recover than from any other
motive. Land could be leased for q
dollar an acre, and the experiment was
not very costly.
'.When the tools broke through the
shell of the sand about 10 o'clock on
the morning of the 18th of March," said
| Capt. Grace, 1--WE knew we had found
wealth. The Oil filled up hundred
feet before we could get the tools out.
The pressure of gas was tremendous. -
We drove tight-fitting wooden plug,
b feet long, to the bottom of the well,
| poured the hole full of oil, screwed in
the casing-head, and set the tools, which
weigh not less than q ton. on top of it.
Even then when the well flowed it blew
the casing-head off and sent the tools
flying up the derrick.
One trick we played to deceive the
scouts think has never got into print.
| took torpedo man into a room in the
hotel at Warren one day, very mysteri.
ous,y, but took good care to have a
scout see me do it. Of course the scout
Immediately hid himself in the adioin.
ing room. L told the shooter, with my
voice trembling, that | had put my last
| dollar into the GIG venture, and had
found no oil. must get some appear
ance of grease in order to sell my lease
and get ont twhole. / Iarranged with him
to go out that night and torpedo the
well. Well, we went out with make
believe torpedo filed with water. The
scouts were at our heels, of course, and
watched every motion. We went to the
through the form of shooting the well SC
accurately that even the guards about
The well were deceived Tho uexi
morning they complained that the dyn-
amite had given them the headache.
Sharp as they were, the scouts were all
taken in, and did not find out the trick
uHtli weeks d1IeTWaru. -bfQQIOTG St0r-
Alexander II. Stephens is a friend OF
struggling young men and women, and
now has no less than fourteen depend
ent upon him for their education. Fol
some of these he pays merely the tuition
and for others all expenses. To each
goes a check every month, signed by
the nervous hand in the rolling chair.
Since he re-entered congress he has kept
at school about this number of pupils.
besides bestowing with u TOO liberal
hand his means on various other objects
MOTHERSi MOTHERSi MOTHERS
Are you disturbed at night and broken OF yoal
rest by a sick child suffering aIa crying will
the excrucistins pain of cutting teeths If so
go at once and get bottle of MRS. WINS
Lows SOOTHING SYRUP. 1t twill rai,eve rhs