Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-01-31
Bald Ridge Notes.

Bald Ridge Notes.
Bald Ridge Co.'s well, No. 10, or
the Weber farm, was rodded last Wed
nesday and is pumping at the rate O
60 barrels per day. Their Huselton
farm well is expected in this week
The Sullivan & Co. we'll was rodded
last Saturday, but the pressure of the
gas prevents the valves from working
right. The tubing IN the we'll will
have to be removed and the salt water
bailed out The well has already made
some strong flows.
The Dodds' farm we'll, Forest Oil
Co.'s, is still doing about 400 barrels.
She is said to have filled twenty-eight
$50 barrel tanks in 13 days. Allowing
200 to the tank would make her doing
over 400 barrels.
The Wallace farm well, Philips
Bros, is doing 80 barrels per day.
The exposure of the Patterson &
Leedom fraud, in the Cherry Grove
district, last Wednesday sent oil up to
$105, but it was worth but SO cents
yesterday When certain parties
bought the privilege of making this
well mystery, paying therefor a good
round price, no one thought they would
be able to circumvent the little army of
scouts known to be watching every
move at the well, but they did, and a
very pretty penny it cost them. They
went about their work with perfect
recklessness as to expense, and hired
enough men to guard it closely on all
sides. They put coils of steam pipe in
the tanks so that they could at any
moment get up cloud of steam and
hide the rig from prying eyes. They
did everything that ingenuity bred of
long experience could suggest, and they
kept the well close secret as long as
they could.
StoUelps Petroleum Reporter has
for long time given decidedly blue
picture of the oil trade, but in its latest
issue just to had it dealsin more roseate
tints. In its review of last years trade
it says:
The last year has been altogether
the most extraordinary one in the
history of the oil business. 1t has ex-
hibited among other things these
peculiar phases:
81. The large volume of daily pro.
duction.
"2. The most sudden development
of the richest pool ever discovered.
"5. The largest and most sudden
decline in daily production ever known
"We began the year with daily
production of about 76, 600 barrels. By
the opening of the Cherry Grove field
we increase this daily output in the
month of July to 100000 barrels, the
largest daily production ever reached.
In the month of July the Cherry Grove
field yielded about 10000 barrels daily,
it then became defined and reached its
height. From this time it began to de-
cline, first moderately, then rapidly,
until the close of the year when its
daily yield was less than 1000 barrels.
The general decline in daily yield,
chiefly caused by the decline in Cherry
Grove, has continued until at the end
of the year it reached 81, ,2lO barrels.
"The average daily production for
the year was $4,000 barrels, so it will
be seen that the production at the end
of the year is considerably below the
average of the year The average
daily shipments for the year were about
go, 900 barrels. These shipments NAV
be treated as entirely gone to con-
sumption, and in this view they fairly
indicate the extent of consumption for
the year.
"The present daily average produc-
tion is nearer the daily average con-
sumption than it has been at any time
in the past five years. The conditions
in the. producing field have also under
gone phenomenal change during the
year The Bradford and Richburg
fields (Which have been by far the
largest in area and per r.uanency that we
have ever had) now exhibit unmistak-
able evidence of depletion and exhaus-
ton; and the fewness of the new wells
now drilling in these districts can only
be accounted for by the fact that new
ventures there do not promise to repay
the investment. The only districts
that can be looked to for supplying the
trade fer the present year are the
Cooper tract district and the Grandin
lease in Forest county and the Bald
Ridge district in Butler county but
these districts combined cannot from
their known character be expected to
maintain the decline occasioned by the
depletion of Bradford and Richburg.