The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-02-09
Following OIL Northward.

When the Bradford, Pa, oil field wa.
discovered in 1875 of the most extensiv,
industries in Western Pennsylvania was th,
manufacture OF pumping machinery for OF
wells. The wells then did not flow. The
new Bedford field ldeveloped into one Of
flowing wells entirely. This led to the
abandonment Of the pumping wells in the
old regions, and the producers hocked to
operate with the more profitable "howers. >
The old fields were then producing all the
crude oil demanded by the petroleum
| trade, but operations were so curtailed by
the exodus to Bradford that the product.
Ion in all the lower country is not now
more lhan IL, 900 barrels day The aban-
donment of the pumping destroyed
the trade in oil-well machinery of that
kind For four years Bradfords wells
poured their great yield Of oil into the
tanks and pipe lines and the "sucker rod
was almost an unknown thing in the entire
field.
A year ago there began to be demand
for smoker rods and other pumping materi-
al. That was sure indication that the
field had reached the height Of its product.
ion, and was starting on decline. The
production at wells in many parts of the
field was found to have fallen off thirty.
three per cent, and the gas pressure was
weakening, so that it could no longer
force the oil to the surface The demand
for sucker rods has been increasing ever
since. All the second hund machinery
that could he procured i'll the abandonded
lower fields has been shipped to the Brad
ford district and manufacturers have again
started in the business on large scale.
One firm alone of producers here has or
dered 10000 feet of sucker rods this
month, in order TO keep their production
anywhere near its former natural quantity.
Bradfor is still producing $1,000 barrels Of
oil day, but if the pump and frequent
torpe loing OF wells were not resorted to
the amount would be $1,000 barrels less.
The new Allegheny County wells, north Of
here, are all "gushers, and their product
ion keeps the total daily yield at figure
which is too high to give hope for any ad-
vance in the price.
In spite of the undoubted decline which
has set in the northern field, territory
commands as high figures as ever, and the
real estate transfers are nprecedentedly
large. In December, So, S59, $50 was paid
for oil land around Bradford. This was
the largest months sale on record in the
oil business since 1864. .'65, when oil land
in some OF the lower districts was bringing
as much as s., 900 en- acre. There were g.
SS9 wells completed in Bradford last year.
and 1898 in 1880. There are about IL 900
wells now producing in the field, and s, 900
in other districts The decline in Brad.
ford production was greatly stun
ulating operations in the abandoned dis
tricts, bat the sudden developement Of the
region in Allegheny county, New York.
has postponed the temperance OF activity
in the oil fields. There is still large
producing area along Oil Creek and in
ClaIion and Butler counties. which will
become valuable when the northern pro-
duciion is reduced to figure which will
not exceed the demand 80 largely as at
present Lower country oil is worth from
five to ten cents barrel more than the
Bradford article. 1t is estimated that the
northern field is now declining at the rate
of 200 barrels day.