Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-11-07
Two MAMMOTH OIL WELLS.
Thousands of People Watching the
Flow of Petrolc um From the Chris
tie and Phillips wells-A Record o
Six Thousand Barrels Day.

Thousands of People Watching the
Flow of Petrolc um From the Chris !
tie and Phillips Wells-A Record OF
Six Thousand Barrels a Day.
PIFTsBURG, Oct 1S-The two great |
est OIL wells ever struck in the world |
are still sseuting oceans of petroleum |
within 80 miles of this city. Railroad
trains for Butler county are thronged
daily with visitors to the field. 1t is
estimated that in the one week past no
less than $4,000 people have been to
see these. Baldridge gushers. Since
the Christie well was brought in this
week, with its first days production
sef J, 800 barrels, and since the Phillips
well was completed last week, with an
increasing capacity of 4, 500 barrels
per day, interesting comparisons have
been In order with other great wells
of past years The Christie wells
production of nearly 6,eee barrels la
"a hours gives her the first place in
the.history.of petroleum rs the biggest
wonder of the oil trade. Her rival,
the Phillips we'll, with its A, 500 barrels
every "a hours, ranks next Some
history about other big gushers will
be interesting at this time.
SOME BIG WELLS.
After the discovery of petroleum
and the boring of the first oil wells'l IN
Pennsylvania, in 1889, the first large
strike to attract widespread attention
was the Hamilton McC Clinton we'll,
miles north of Oil. City. In Janu-
airy, 1860, it started off at the rate. OF
go gallons Per minute, or 2, 100 bar
rels per every "a hours. The people
were astonished by such tremendous
flow and so great was the volume of
greasy. stuff that they could not get
sufficient storage for it and much of
it went to waste This shameful
waste is well illustrated in the case of
the Cornplanter OIL Gompany's we'll.
on the Clapp farm, in: Venango coun,
ty, zone year later. 1t was by NO,
means large well, but 100 barrels
were filed in the FIRST 16 hours and
the waste filled a pond 25 square rods
in extent.
But it was in September of 1851 that
the most intense excitement was Great
ed all over the country by, immense
wells. Oil Greek. developments in
Venango county had progressed as
far as the Tarr farm, without doubt
the most prolific piece of territory
ever discovered All at once the Dom
Pedro, or Phillips well, No. 9, struck
oil at a depth of l, 900 feet. A perfect
geyser spouted forth. In the first "a
hours she vomited 1900 barrels and
kept that rate up for quite a long
period. The excitement knew no
bounds. Thousands of Spectators
who had at first held aloof now rush
ed in on the infant petroleum indus
try A few days later this excitement
was greatly augmented by another
huge strike. In close proximity to
the Phillips well the Empire we'll was
| finished, with daily prod action. of
1850 barrels. An extract from a
newspaper published in the oil regions
in 1861 reads: so much oil is now,
produced that it is impossible to care
for it and thousands of barrels are
running into Oil creek: The surface
of: the 'AlleghaneyS river is covered
with oil for miles below Franklin.
Some wells are being plugged to save
production. Fears are entertained
that the supply will soon be exhaust
ed if something is not done to prevent
| the waste. Our waterways and farms
are saturated so deep with the. surplus
of this dangerous fluid that vast fires
are also to be feared"
:. GREAT FORTUNES IN OIL
In January Of 1853 the Noble and
! Delamater well on the Farrell farm,
on Oil creek, started off at the
rate OF 5000 barrels. ASS result tie
| Caldwell well, near it, decreased one
half in production. The Delanaters
bought aud plugged it SO that their
wells flow would not be interfsred
with, paying $175 600 for it. UP to
August they had sold from their
great gusher Is, 600 barrels of oil for
1854, 600. and the market rate was
still SIS so per barrel. In August of
the same year the Maple. Shade well
was started at 1000 barrels per day;
In March of the following year it was
burned, with 80, 600 barrels of oila In
February; 1864, the Noble and DeIa+
mater well, above alluded to, was
sold for 1920, 600. Up to that time it
had produced 303, 475 barrels, which,
at So so per barrel-lessthan the aver
age price-would amount to 81, 062,1
155. Illustrating the quick decline of
oil fields, we find that on November
16, 1865, the entire production of the
Tarr farm wells had dwindled down
to 700 or1 900 barrels per day. =
IN THE PrrHoLE DISTRICT.
Il From 1866 to 1872 operations in the
Pithole district occupied the attention
of the people. One of the. largest pro
ducers IN that section was the Ne
rate of 1900 barrels. Subsequently
two wells with the the same produc
ton were brought in on the Modoc
field. The Hunter and Cummings
well near st. Joe, in Clarion county,
was brought in November, 1874, with
500 barrels per, day. The Lady Hun
ter well near it also did 1 ,2G0 barrels.
The celebrated Bullion we'll, that
caused such speculative excitement
in 1876, was only asmall producer, 10
or 20 barrels an hour, but it opened
up the vast territory, then new. By
agitation it was afterward increased
to ], 900 barrels per day. In June,
1877, the drill in the Bullion region
brought to light the big Ipjun" well,
with $500 barrels per day. 1t ceased
fowingon the goth of the samementh,
but after being torpedoed went off at
1000 barrels. The Cherry Grove ex-
,citement of 1882 is well remembered.
Its two greatest wells were the Muir
ply No. 2, rated at 3,46O barrels per
day, and the famous Mystery well,
No. &c. which was generally &C
credited with 1000 barrel gait
The size of all these wonderful wells
can better be comprehended when one
remembers that the average size of
oil wells is from 20 to 800 barrels
day only.