The Fremont County record. [volume] (Canon City, Colo.) 1877-18??, 1883-06-16
STRAWBERRIES AND COAL OIL.
The -Judge" and Captain Roekafel-
low Out I'm . Ralnstorm.


from it we were obliged to judge Of the con-
tents thereof by the external indications.
We saw oil in barrels, everything was
smeared with oil around the derrick, and
oil was standing and running around
loosely over Mr.. Lobach's farm. 1t is
nasty looking stuff, and we neither tasted
nor handled it, but couldn't avoid smelling
and seeing it. None of the officers of the
| company were present to give us informa-
ton. Some men were busily employed
driving iron bands onto 300 gallon oil
tank, and other men were repairing the
rope cable.
As they were not pumping, we applied
our pump to them, and endeavored to
pump them dry upon the subject OF oil,
but somehow the pump didn't operate sue
ccssfully.
We got shale, sandstone and debris in
sufficient quantity, but their oil informa-
tion Tor formstion) must have been deeper
than our suction extended.
Having only common pump, its suction
is limited to about thirty-three feet 1t
takes a longer suction than that to strike
oil IN those operatives. Failing in our
pumping operations we resorted to an old
mining e1pedient, and panned out few
pansful Of stuff brought up from depth of
1 800 or 400 feet with the following re-
suit: Oil was struck in good quantity and
of excellent quality. The oil was so anx-
ious to be liberated from its prison in the
bowels of the earth that it commenced
crawling up the hole 1t had succeeded in
making about 400 feet of the distance,
when it was checked by some material,
which machinery at the top commenced
sending down Somebody WINS enlarying
the hole from Eve to eight inches in diane
ter, and the material thus loosened fell
down into the oil and was churned up un-
til very good quality Of putty was pro-
duced, and that putty-like substance was
forced with great power into every seam
and crevice through which the oil was
trying 10 escape The oil became dis
couraged and didn't try to crawl up the
hole any more IL concluded to stay in
its old prison and let the people in the up
per world get along without its lubricating
and Illuminating properties.
Its encouragement. however was only
transitory. II had, while crawling up thst
hole, caught sight of the stars in the blue
sky above, and il could not forget their
beauty and brightness so in contrast with
its prison surroundings, and it determined
upon another push for liberty.
II commenced an attack upon that putty
like substance that was hindering its exit
from thousand little seams and creyicc-
and, meeting with some SUCCESS, IL was en-
cceding reasonably well. Some parties on
top, discovering the ef!arts of the oil below,
concluded to lend their assistance, and, TO
that end, poured quantity of I've There is
no lie about this) down the hole to eat
away the putty.
Many wells have been seriously damaged
by negiecting TO pump Immediately after
oil was struck, aud it is undoubtedly true
that this well has been damaged by the
trimming out process, and by the neglect TO
pump. II is to he hoped that the damage
and, possibly, mistakes, that have occurred
are only incidents liable to occur In all
such enterprises, in new district
Nothing has occurred TO weaken conf
dence in our having oil, or in the well in
question.
Proceeding from the we'll VIC went over
TO Mr. Lobachis 3 residence and found him
in his strawberry patch, bnsily engaged in
picking or experimenting the picking, of rs
fine Charles Downing straw berries rs could
bc found in any country.
We must confess that our feelings re-
sponded much more readily TO the straw
berry patch than they had done to the oil
patch.
We at once became n berry picker, or, in
other words, we began TO gather them in ~
and only ceased out of consideration tor
Captain Rockafcllow (who was with usl,
and who began to show symptoms of COM
bustion. Recognizing the great calamity
his loss would be to his family and to this
community, as well rs to the state at large,
should an extra session of the legislature
be called, we reluctantly left the field be-
fore all the berries were picked.
Mr. Lobach said that 100 quarts were
picked the day before, and it is probable
. nj al,
that day, but we had no way of measuring
what Captain Rockafellow had gathered
in, for in the matter of strawberries he is
very much like the mans pig, which-as
he said-would eat pail full OF swill, and
then he could put the pig-swill and all
into the pail just empticd.
Mr. Lobach don't sell his berries in scant
quart measures Says that would be too
small business for n man with an oil well
on his place, SO he sells them by the wash
tub full
Mr.. Lobach has one of the finest farms
In Fremont county. Last year he raised
100 acres of corn, and fstted about 100
head Of steers, which averaged him $40 per
head. 1t Is too bad to have such a fine
farm spoiled by having petroleum running
all over it. In case, however of n return
Of the grasshopper scourgc he would have
the means at hand for their speedy cxtcr-
mination.
On our wny home we had quite q severe
shower, which was very refreshing, but
Captain Rockafellow seemed to think that
We were too much protected in the buggy
to enjoy 1t fully, and so, at his suggestion,
We called on s. II, Davis, aud wandered ali
over his ranch, and ambled along tho bank
Of the raging Arkansas, picking bouquets
Of wild roses and taking 10 the rain, for IL
kept pouring harder and harder, and We
wouldn't have been much wettcr had we
swan the river, and landed in the grove
which wns directly opposite us--whcre the
Captain and DR.: Gray purpose having their
camp meeting this all.
We don't know ANYTHING about Mr..
Davis religious views, but VIC would
wager most anything be is Christian,
whether he has Religious view or not,
for he stuck to us through all the drench.
ing rain, and never sworc once. He cheer
fully showed MS his fine garden, his wheat.
which was just commencing to head, his
fruit, his pigs, and in fact everything on
the place, aud we must confess that We
never saw better land anywhere. But
we noticed that when we came 10 the
strawberries, which were very fine, Cap
tain Rockafcllow didn't gather my Of
thcm in, and we concluded that he had
found those he had taken in nt Mr.. Lo-