New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-04
THE NEW OIL FIELD.
HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED.

HOW 1T WAS DISCOVERED.
| THE WORK OF A PRACTICAL ISYEsuGAToR-THE
PROFITS LARGELY REAPED BY orHERs-Ex-
CITEMEST IN ALL BRANCHES OF THE OIL
TRADE.
IPRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRrBrSE.I
GARFIELD, Penn. July 3.-The new oil field here.
in what Is known the Cherry Grove district the
richest deposit of oil yet discovered in the history
of the trade. That 1t should have lai1 80 long I'M
known with oil wells on every side, is q matter of
special wonder. 1t also suggests possible discOy-
cries in other untried fields that give uneasness to
the trade and has get hundreds Of men to project
ing experimental wells in districts not before con-
sidered to be within the oil belt. At the present
price Of OIL however there is little money in It to
producers, except they own large wells, and it is
improbable that another such field will be found
very soon.
The discovery of oil here was not the result Of
an accident or mere chance experiment. IL
science ever had anything to do in developing an
oil field il is supposed to have had in this case.
he credit of the discovery is due to Henry Lands
rath. of Oil City, but others have reapcd all the
profit, az is often the case with ike ventures. Mr.
Landsrath, who has thorough knowledge OF the
oil country ami its geological formation, made
careful study Of the situation III the northern
field and comparison of sand levels and character
each section and he concluded that in TINS section
of Warren County there should exist large body
of oil. BY actual tests he discovered evidences of
the existence somewhere in the latitude, Of regular
oil formations. He finally secured leases
and sunk a well on lot 66S in the
Cherry Grove district. That well proved
failure. it producing only gas. This convinced Mr..
Landsrath that the oil was still farther west, but
by this time he found hs financial credit impaired,
and he disposed of his leases, which would
shortly expire, for what he could realize, which
was not much. The jamestown OH Company
secured the leases, and, under Mr. Lands
raths advice, Dimck 81 Grace, who composed
the company, made the second test on
lot 646, the result of which has produced
such wonderful results. Dimick & Grace, how
ever, had not great faith IN finding oil, and they
went to work in a systematic manner, so that
they could dispose of their leases at profit
even though no oil was no found No one was al
lowed to come near the well, vague hints of indica
tons of big strike gwen out
and every thing was conducted in very
mysterious manner which gave to the well
the name of The Mystery" Oil Spectators
set men TO watch the well and one of these during
the night crawed up to it and got under the panks
of the floor of the derrick and laid there eighteen
hours unknown to those at work about the vel.
This man heard enough TO satisfy MIN that tnere
was oil in the WELL and he crawled out again to in
form bis employers, who Immediately leased all the
land they could get in the vicinity, and in this
way they realized II 900 almost to every dollar
made by Dimick & Grace. Mr.. LandsIath retained
a small interest in his original leases until after the
1915" well was competed, but he was induced to
part with this interest he states, by the mis-
representation that the well had been sunk to a
depth of 700 feet without finding sand. This
true his scientific knowledge led him to believe that
the well must be failure and that the pool lay
farther 70 the west but as a matter of fact the sand
was penetrated al a depth OF 1872 feet
When the well was once opened the how OF OIL
scramble to get leases. There has been steady
rush OF operators SINCE and the old oil fields have
been nearly deserted. The whole trade, producing,
speculative and dealing, has representatives here
every new venture and near can be asceT
tanned the production OF every new We'll The IN
fuence the oil business Is like that OF panic on
Wall Street. Men working about here drlIers
watchmen ana IN various gulses IN order 10 obtain
accurate Information, VINO carry the cipher codes or
the Standard, the Union the lIdewaCer and other
large Oil companies and dealers, and keep them !
carefully informed of every new indication that
may have a possible influence on the market.
The intense anxiety among dealers and producers |
is 10 know early as possible the extent OF this
field that idea of Its future influence the
trade can be had. III II Is a small field the great
Wells being sunk all side and at considerable
distances to determine TINS question There Is no |
cuubt that GAG and other wells that have been How
ing for some time nave already decreased III daily
production but the How is still great to leave
the prOduciyeness of the field matter of dolDt. |
Another puZZllng question Is furnished III the TACT
that wells only lew hundred feet apart produce !
oil of different color and quality.