Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-29
THE GREAT OIL WELLS.
The Most Prolific Territory Ever
DlscOvered-The Rush of Develop.
ment-The Burning Well.

Garfield Correspondence Philadelphia Record.
Three months ago this latest oil town was
barren wilderness. Now it is q town Of
one hundred and thirty houses, to which
additional structures are being added daily.
1t Is the resort of the active operators of the
new Cherry Grove oil field and the lounging
place of all the landsharks, gamblers and
laborers 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 sus-
pended, the owners of the leases TeeoguiZ-
ing the hopelessness of their efforts to COM
pete with thousand-bsrrel gushers on a
ffty-cent market. The trade is waiting
with ill-concealed impatience for the de-
velopmen Of the next sixty days, which
may be expected to roughly outline the
Cherry Grove field and define to some ex-
tent its producing capacity.
The true story of the manner of locating
the pioneer well of this field has never until
now found its way into priat. The 646''
We'll was put down on principles that are
regarded in oildom as fundamental, yet no
man, until Captain Peter Grace and George
Dimick strolled into Warren one day last
winter, thought it 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 distant in some direction. 'Now," said
Captain Grace to the writer, "upon lot 556
you find the two Cornen gasers drilled 300
feet below the sand of the Clarendon field.
at that depth gas was found of 140 pounds
pressure to the inch. Then about mile south
by west of these gas wells, on lot 5S3, is the
old Roth aud Crowell well drilled to the same
sand as the Cornen wells, but spraying Oil
through the casing under an immense pres
sure of gas, the production being about six
barrels day. Now, we Just put these wells
together. and IL ought that as one had gas
but no oil, while the other had gas and OIL,
too, there must be big pool Of oil some
where further along. So we ran line from
the upper Cornen well, through the Roth
and Crowell producer, and Jumped five
miles along this line to lot GAG, where we
located the Mystery We were not sure of
it, but We were bound to work the market
anyway, and SO we hauled twenty-five bar
rels of oil to the well, to be used to grease
the derrick IN case she turned out dry. But
she didn't come in dry, as you know" said
the Captain, as he lOunged off with friend.
The wells here are the marvel of all mar
vels to oil men. No such prolific territory
has ever been tapped since the Drake well
first disclosed the possibilities of petroleum
production, There have been wells as large
as these of Cherry Grove, but they have not
been found uniformly through distance of
four miles, as the gushers have been de-
veloped hereabouts. Over the hill south of
Garfield, on To- GIL, is well shut down on
top of the sand, the drill having barely
pierced through the shell which covers the
oil-bearing conglomerate. The we'll is
plugged, yet occasionally it makes 8 30
barrel flow Of a quarter hours duration.
When It is supplied with tankage It will be
opened up, ID its capacity will only be
limited by that of the pump which is ex.
pected to carry away its production.
Four and On s-half miles northeast of this
well, on lot Gil, is the gusher OF the Forest
Oil Company, which is flowing q steady
stI cam of Oil at the rate of one hundred
barrels an hour, although drilled but five
feet into the sand. Between these two
wells, for a width of two miles certainly,
aud probably four or five miles, every well
struck may be expected to start off at
one thousand barrel rate. The northern
and southern limits of the field are likely to
be the Roth and Crowell we'll on the north
and lot 682 or 695 on the south. The former
lot is the source of Minister Run, which Is
lined on either bank by dry holes.
Altogether, about ITO rigs up and wells
drilling 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 be drilled as yet. Much Of the territory
is cut up into fve-acre lots, on which the
lessee is charged thousand dollars an acre
bonus, aud one fourth of all the oil pro-
duced. Even at this extravagant price the
land is eagerly snapped up. Yesterday
$4,000, with royalty of one-half the oil
produced, was paid by prominent Titus
vile producer for twelve acres OF lot 6l9,
on which is situated the great Murphy
gusher. This man will put down two wells.
BY the time they are finished, IL no accident
happens, the property will have cost him
$4,000. So that the two wells must produce
10000 barrels so cent oil clear before he can
realize dollar of profit on his investment.
The older oil men shake their heads over
such problems, and say that all previous
experience of territory like this has been
that it does not last. The oil is in a loose
conglOmerate, which rapidly eXhausts itself
In ninety days, they claim, the wells will
fall off at rapid rate, and each com mpleted
producer will accelerate the decline. But
as yet these croakers find few hearers among
the oil men, who are pushing the drill with
vigor never before displayed. The pro-
grSmme is to get down to the oil bearing
rock, then put up taDkage, get in a pipe
liue connection, and an hours work with
the drill does the rest. After the wells begin
flowing strongly 1t is impossible to remove
the tools, ana they are allowed to remain
suspended at the bottom Of the hole.
Inc burning well OF the Anchor Oh Com
pany, on lot 647, about half a 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 before it ignites,
when 1t flashes into sheet of flame of gi-
gantic dimensions, surmounted by pail OF
dense black smoke that rises almost to the
summer clouds. The heat is so intense that
no one can approach within thirty feet of
the well. Jefferson Morrison has contracted
to extinguish the fire within ten days for $3,.
COO worth Of oil, 81, 500 in cash and 81. 900 a
day for each day less than ten from the time
when the work began. His success is
doubtful, at least until the production OF
the well, now $500 barrels daily, has great
ly fallen off. The burning of these inces-
sanity flowing wells is new problem to
this generation of oil-operators, who watch
the experiments of the Anchor On Company
with anxious eyes, thinking that It may be
their turn next. The Grant we'll near
Rousevile, which was burned in 1865 while
gushing 1900 barrels a day, was extinguish-
ed by heapIng earth in a huge pile over the
mouth of the well. But sucn a remedy
would avail nothing here because Of the i'm
mense quantity Of gas which escapes with