Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-05
THE CHEAT OIL WELLS.


Pa. Esna-The sfoSt Prolific OH Ter.
risory Ever Discovered.
A letter In the Philadelphia Record from Car
Geld, the new oil town in Pennsylvania, says:
Three months ago this latest oil town was a
| barren wilderness. Now it is town Of $50
| houses, to which additional structures are being
added daily. 1t is the resort of the active OPP
| orators OF the new Cherry Grove oil field. and
| the loungi0g place Of all the land-shsrks, gam
blers and labofers who follow in the wake Of
every fresh oil excitement. The magnitude and
Importance OF this section is now conceded
| throughout the entire oil region. In the older
fields drilling has been entirely suspended the
owners OF the leases recognizing the hopeless
ness OF their efforts TO compete with the thous-
and-barrel gushers on a flfty-cent market The
trade is waiting with ill-conccaled impotence
Tor the developments Of the next sixty DAYS
which may be expected to roughly outline the
Cherry Grove field and define TO some extent its
producing capacity.
The true story OF the manner OF locating tie
pioneer well OF this field has never until now
found It's way into print. The Gao" well was
put down on principles that are regarded IN
oiidom as fundamental, yet no man until Capt.
Peter Grace and George Dmck stroled into
warren one day last winter thought il worth
while to bother with Cherry Grove under whose
sterile hills lay greasy treasure worth millions
Their theory was the simple one that where "A
heavy vein Of gas was struck oil was not far dis
tant in some direction. Now" said Can't.
Grace to the writer, upon lot $50 YOU find the
two COrnen gases drilled 800 feet below the
sand of the Clarendon field. At that depth cas-
was found Of lao pounds pressure to the inch.
Then about a mile south by west of these gas
wells on lot 5S. is the old Roth and Crowell we'll
drilled 10 the same sand as the Cornen wells
but spraying oil through the casing under an
immense pressue OF gas. the production being
about six barrels day Now. we lust put these
wells together, and thought that as one had Gas
but no oil, while the other had gas and oil. too.
there must be big pool of oil somewhere fur
Their along. So We ran a line from the upper
Cornen well, through the Roth and Crowell pro-
ducer. and jumped live miles along this line TO
iot GAG, where We located the Mystery We
were not sure of 1t. but We were bound to work
the market anyway. and SO We hauled twenty
I'VE barrels OF oil TO the well, to be used 10
grease the derrick i'm case she turned ont dry
But she didn't come in dry. as you know" said
the Captain, as he lounged OF With friend
The wells here are the marvel OF all maryels
To oil men. No such prolific territory has ever
been tapped since the Drake we'll first disclosed
the possibilities of petroleum production There
nave been wells as large as those of Cherry
Grove. but they have not been found uniformly
through distance of four miles, as the gushers
have been developed hereabouts. Over the hin
south OF Garfield. on lot GIL is a well shut
down on top of the sand the drill having barely
pierced through the shell which covers the OIL
bearing conglomerate. The well Ii plugged
Yet occasionally it makes a 30-barrel flow OF a
quarter hours duration. When ID is supplied
with tankage it will be opened up and its ca
pacity will only Ice limited bv that or the pump
which is expected TO carry away its production
-Four and one-laf miles northeast of this well
on lot oil. is the gusher of the Forest Oil Com
pany, which is flowing a steady stream of oil at
the rate OF 100 barrels an hour. although drilled
but five feet into the sand. Between these two
wells. for width of two miles certainly. and
probably four or five miles, every well struck
may be expected to start off at 600 barrel
rate. The northern and southern limits of the
neid are likely to be the Roth and Crowell well
on the north and lot 6S2 or 6.l5 on the south
The former lot is the source OF Minister Run,
which is lined on either bank 10y dry holes
Altogether, about ITO rigs up and wells drill
ing is the estimate for the status of this field on
July L. Many of these rigs belong to wealthy
oil companies, and the wells will not Toe drilled
as yet Much of the territory is cut up into
nve-acre lots. on which the lessee is charged
Sl.oUo an acre bonus and One-fourth of all the
Oil produced. Even at this extravagant price
the land is eagerly snapped up. Yesterday
$1,000, with royalty of one-half the oil pro-
duced. was paid by prominent TitusyilIe pro-
Queer for twelve acres OF lot GIG. on which is
situated the great Murphy gusher. This man
will put down two wells. BY the time they are
finished, If no accident happens the property
will have cost him so, 900, So that the two wells
must produce 40. 600 barrels OF .O-cent oil clear
before he can realize dollar OF profit on his in
vestment. The older oil men shake their heads
over such problems and say that all previous ex-
perience of territory like this has been that it
does not last. The oil is i'm a loose conglomer-
ATE, which rapidly eXhauSts itself. In ninety
days, they claim. the wells will fall of at a rapid
rate. and each completed producer will acceier-
ate the decline. But as yet these croakers end
few hearers among the oil men, who are rush.
Ing the drill with yigor never before dis
played. The program is to get down to the oil
bearing rock, then put up tankage get i'm a
pipeline connection, and an hours work with
the drill does the rest. After the wells begin
Moving strongly it is impossible to remove the
TOOLS and they are allowed to remain SUSPENDED
at the bottom of the hole
The burning well of the Anchor Oil Company
on lot GA. about half mile from Garfield has
ceased to be novelty, but the sight is still grand
and impressive. The solid stream of oil spurts
from five to ten feet above the casing-head be-
fore it ignites, when il flashes into flame of
gigantic dimensions surmounted 10y a pail OF
dense black smoke that rises almost to the sum-
mer clouds. The heat is so intense that no one
can approach within thirty feet OF the well. JEFF
ferson Morrison has contracted to extingush
the fire within ten days for So 600 worth of oil
$500 IN cash and 81 600 day for each day less
than ten from the time when the work began
His success is doubtful. at least until the pro-
ductlon OF the well, now . 500 barrels daily has
greatly fallen off. The burning of these inces-
santly-fiowing wells is a new problem to this
generation of oil operators. who watch the ex-
periments of the Anchor Oil. Company with anx-
lous eyes thinking that it may he their turn
next. The Grant well. near Housewife which
was burned in 1865 while gushing 2. 300 barrels
day. was eXtinguished 10y heapng earth i'm
huge pile over the mouth of the we'll But such
remedy would avail nothing here because of
the immense quantity Of gas which escapes with
the oil.
IL Is generally understood though not yet on
clally announced, that the coronation OF King
halakaua will take place on February 12th. 1888,
the anniversary OF his accession to the Hawaiian
throne
The steamer AlhambIa has arrived at ST. Johns,
n. F., from New York, with supplies for Lieut.
Greeley'S party OF Arctic observers.
SEVEN MILLIONS