The news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1882-1891, 1882-07-13


log waiting the sound of "next."-
Under big tent is a beer-bottling
establishment, and other business en-
terprises are conducted in like man
ner. When night comes on men may
be seen sleeping under wagons, tents
and all places afording shelter. Per-
feet order prevails, and a disorderly
scene is seldom witnessed.
Alishting from the train at Shelf
field, the first thing to attract your at
tention is Kissing sound like gas
escaping on high pressure, and look
ing up, one sees at a height Of about
thirty feet, coming oat of an inch pipe
a sheet of fame, caused by escaping
gas. Sheets of fame coming from
like pipes can be seen at different
points in the village. At night these
light the place in brilliant manner,
and are put up to serve the purpose
Of public lamps, and are allowed to
burn night and day. The gas is
brought to the village by large pipe,
leading to well two miles distant.
This was sunk for an oil well seven
years ago, but only small quantity Of
oil was found. The escape of gas too
powerful to allow of pumping the oil,
the proprietors conceived the idea
o. conducting the gas to Sheffield, and
using it for the purposes of illumina-
ton and fuel. This was done, and for
six years the houses in Sheffield have
BEEN lighted by this natural gas, and
it is used for fuel in steam-engines
and stoves, and for heating purposes
generally. In addition to this, the
well from which the gas is taken pro-
duces 1000 barrels Of oil day. Gas
wells near villages are more profitable
than the average oil well at present.
SCENES ALONG THE ROAD.
Leaving Sheffield, to reach Garfield
stage is taken and large number of
these are constantly on the road be-
tween the two places, charging $3.50
for each passenger for the round trip
One stage will hold eight passengers,
and as they can make three round
trips day, it is paying business
All the travel from Sheffield to Gar
field is confined to the plank road, be-
longing to the firm that owns the land.
They charge go cents toll for each
team for round trip and make in
this way alone $500 a week, which
will give some idea Of the travel. A
string of wagons mile long, carrying
engines, drilling machinery, lumber
and goods of all kinds can be met on
this road at different times almost
any hour during the day time. Teams
hired by the day are paid for at the
rate of $40 and $12, but working by
contract good team often earns $25
in one day. Green lumber before the
the mills opened sold at So and 81
per 1000 feet. 1t now brings twice
that sum at the mills and teamsters
charge 81 per 100 feet to haul it to
Garfield, and there are not half enough
teams to be had, even at that price.
This is the most wonderful and
probably the richest deposit Of oil
ever discovered, From the time oil
was first struck in a we'll in this
country in August, 1859, up to the
opening of the first well in this dis
trict on May 20, only thirty wells
were found that yielded over 1000
barrels each per day, yet there have
been found here within few weeks
almost half that number of wells of
that magnitude. Not well has yet
been opened here that does not flow
over thousand barrels a day and
some have produced twice that guam
tity. A number have been drilled
down to the sand where the oil is
found, and then plugged, SO that the
oil cannot flow, and are still in that
condition, awaiting the erection Of
tankage and pipes to conduct the oil
away. As soon as this is accomplish
ed at we'll, which is slow work, ow-
ing to the difficulty Of getting the
material here, the well is opened and
the oil is allowed to flow. When oil
is struck here and allowed free vent
it shoots up distance of from so to
100 feet in the air, and is accompan-
led by flow of gas that makes his
sing noise, to be heard several humid
red feet distant.
DEPRESSING EFFECTS OF THE
GREAT WELLS.
Although this district has proved
such a wonderful rich strike, and
millions are being invested in it in
one way or another, yet it has been
productive of widespread disaster to
the oil trade, and many failures are