Sharp County record., 1885-08-13
OIL WELL ADVENTURES.
Some Curious Information About
the Life of an Oil Scout.
watching the Mysteries "A Man Who
Made $4,000 by Watching a Great
Gusher-Twenty-fou Hours Under
q Derrick Floor "A CAPTURE.

DerrlcR FLOOR - "A Capture.
Joe Chappeau one of the most expert
scouts in the oil regions, gives some curious
information about the life OF an oil scout
The incidents he relates give an idea OF the
dangerous work of prospecting for oil.
1.-TWO men in our business, " he said, "haye
had experience that would make an inter.
esting chapter in any book of adventure
The one is Hughes, the other Beaumont.
Hughes was the first man to make scouting
for oil his business. He had been working
,pt oil wells for several years, when one
&Hy in the winter OF 1881, he received
message from firm OF oil operators at
Bradford telling him OF delicate piece Of
work they wanted done. He was offered a
liberal salary, and bonus if the venture
succeeded. Until he had agreed to accept
the offer no instructions were given him
Then he was directed to spy out the well
numbered GAS.
ITO reach the well where his labors were
to begin Hughes had TO travelfrom Warren
some fourteen miles through great hem
u ak forest. The weather was bitter cold
EMhe snow lay drifted across the poorly
I'm track several feet in depth. No
u the midst ,at oi vii yildeFgfsssJ 6lfsJ
nd the bounds OF civilization Only a
- road connected it with Warren
ies the 9faers' house there were not
haddozen houses between the well and the
town, fourteen miles away. The tall hem
lock trees with close underbrush grew all
about the derricks.
Hughes secured boarding at the nearest
farmhouse and his scouting began. At
first the drillers paid little attention to
him Hewould drop in on them usually
once day, talk awhile loiter around, and
then leave As the drill kept drawing close
to the oil rocks, though, Hughes began to
be looked upon as an intruder. Finally he
was ordered off the premises entirely, and
warned not to approach the well at hiy,
own peril. The trees and thick underbrushN
however attended him hiding places from
Hnlch ne could observe all that was doing
hiVef ne had ben watching the well for al
nloSt Two moths, by certain Indications
known to the oi expert he became satisfied
,Ti unat the drill was about tapping the sand
IN, me vigilance Pbout the well had redOubled.
MS hldng places in the underbrush had
peen discovered, the underbrush cleared
away and the derrick boarded up. Then
'aptam Grace one OF the owners OF the
mystery, brought up a half-dozen men from
the lumber camps to serve as guards.
Each was armed with q breech-loadng rifle,
ana ordered to lse it in protecting the we'll
Ihe lumbermen were wild crew, who de-
Ighted IN then new vocation. When
hughes would be lowering about the mys-
terry on dark night, the least crackle OF
tWlg would call forth shot from one Of the
guards. Then the whole number would
open perfect iusilade into the black forest
that surrounded the well like an inky wall
The bullets would 60 whistling past the
yenturesome scout in way that was any
thing but comfortable.
One night Hughes was called away from
scout duty and left friend who had come
up to visit him to keep a lookout on the
mystery. His friend had hardly penetrated
the rayine in which 646 stood before the
guards began a promiscuous firing in his
d direction. They had not seen him. but had
determined his proximity in some other
way. He dropped behind log in time to
escape a bullet that buried itself in tree
not two inches from where his head had
been. He did not lose any time in scram.
bling out Of range, and the well was left un-
watched for the rest OF the night. When
t1ugnFS ItIulltu Jlit itAb Nldg anu UFdIu Ol
his friends narrow escape, he started i'm
mediately over to see Captain Grace. He
and Grace had a warm discussion over the
careless way the guards were shooting into
the forest, and Grace finally said that ne
would stop the prOmiscuous firing.
If they don't, Hughes said, I'll retail
atop
All right replied the Captain. That
kind Of firing will be stopped, but ! warn
you not to tempt them by trespasslng |
while they have guns in their hands.
Hughes felt much easier; he could work !
with more comfort then. He took close
survey Of the well that night and resolved
on a new course OF action. The derrlck |
reared its skeleton framework right through |
the branches OF a couple Of tall heinlocks.
From the left side OF the ravlne another |
hemlock tree had been partly torn from Its
roots and rested against one oil the larger |
trees touching the derrick. The next night |
was dark and stormy. Making his way to |
the bent tree he climbed TO the larger one,
ard then easily dropped from that to the |
derrick TO descend the framework oil the |
latter without making any noise was the |
work Of minute. AS soon as he eoua