The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-02
Novel Oil Wells.

A Titusville (Pa.) special TO New
York paper SAYS: \ month or so ago
Sebastian Haehn, blacksmith living
in Mechanic street, this city, was spad-
ing in his garden after heavy rain.
As he turned up the earth, he noticed
.hat little pools of crude petroleum
formed in the cavities made by the
spade. He dug pit four feet deep.
1t filled up with Oil to such an extent
that he dipped out five barrels full.
The oil was of excellent quality, and
Haehn sold his five barrels to the Oc-
tave Oil Refinery Week before last
Haehn dug another :" welr' in his gar
den. 1t responded with yield OF two
barrels an hour The well attracted
great attention. 1t produced eighty
barrels, and then ceased to flow. The
excitement over the novel Oil territory
died ont soon afterward. On Monday
last the news spread through the city
that Haehn had opened another well In
his garden, and that it was yielding at
the rate of thirty-SiX barrels a day.
Hundreds iocked to the scene of the
new oil operations The well was
located in the southwest corner of
Heahn's potato patch. With large tin
hand upmp the owner was taking out
of the hole two barrels OF oil an
hour. His previous well had also start
ed again. From that one of Haehn's
sons was taking oil at the rate of twen-
ty barrels day.
Immediately following this strike of
the lucky blacksmith a great demand
for leases of adjoining gardens arose.
Such an oil field had never been heard
of before. Without capital, and with
no tools but q shovel, an operator
could sink well and strike the sand
in half an hour. The right to dig on
four feet of mans garden became
worth 30 bonus and one-quarter of the
oil. For three days Mechanic and
adjacent streets have been thronged
with excited spectators of the new
operation. in oil production, and parties
| anxious to get "a piece OF the terri
tory On Tuesday night Theodore
Avery, who has coal yard adjoining
Haehn's, garden put down a well. At
| the depth of four feet he struck Oil.
| The yield was a barrel an hour. He
| has put down four more wells since.
The five wells were yesterday yield
ing eight barrels an hour.
The success of the Haehn and Avery
ventures led to wide extension of this
strange territory. A vacant lot on
Washington street, southeast from
| Heahns, was yesterday the scene of
active operations. Three producing
wells were put down. The rest were
"dusters." Captain Pickering went to
'wildcatting' under a shed near the
Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Warren Railroad
track, south of Heahn's. He dug to a
depth of eight feet. and got we'll good
for ten barrels day. Two wells were
put down on the ground of the Octave
Refinery. AT five feet oil was found.
One of the wells is pumping twenty five
barrels day. The McKeown Garden,
east of the refinery, was leased by J. p.
Thomas, VIM. McKensie, and j. NJ.
Brinton. Thomas took the northern
half of the garden. He got two five
barrel wells of excellent green Oil The
other parties struck oil, but it was of a
red hue, and had the appearance of be-
ing mixed with tar. In the gardens
along the east side of Washington street
several wells "came in as good pro-
ducers, but the oil was of an inferior
quality. All the property along Oil
Creek, between Washington and Frank
lin streets, has been leased by A. j.
Krafert. He will develop it on q large
scale.
The original Heahn territory main
tains its yield, and is being further de.
veloped. Heahn has made trench all
around his garden and one through the
center. Into these the oil collects rap
idly. The operator is putting up tanks
to receive his oil, as there Is a great
scarcity in barrels. Haehn's garden is
now yielding 100 barrels a day. He ex
poets to increase it to 200. The Oil is
worth at the reiineries S1.10 barrel
The price OF one barrel defrays all the
expense of putting down we'll. Oper
ations are carried on day and night
That part of the city is lighted up al
night by the flaming torches of the OF
men. The weird scene is witnessed
nightly by hundreds of people. There
are no indications of any decline in the
! yield of this oil, and Haehn, the lucky
discoverer of the field, is laying away
not less than 800 day as clear profit
There are many theories in regarC
: to this unheard- rd-of-presence OF petro
l | leum in large quantities SO near 'th'
: surface. One is that the oil is the leak
4 age of tanks and pipe lines, which ha
sunk into the earth until it reached th,
gravelly deposit in which it is nov
found in pools. Another is that thi
] deposit has been forced up from tn
t true petroleum sand strutum by som
unknown agency, and caught and re
: tanned in the stratum where it nov
3 | lies