Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1886-01-01
MADE HIS PILE QUICKLY.
A story Of the Pennsylyania
Oil Fields.
A Transaction BY Which One Man
Became Wealthy in a Minute.

long uie''09' Uldl the incident IN queS-
tiOn happened. The year was 1865.
andthe theatre Of operations the then
red hot city Of Pithole With the simple
aid of twig of witch hazel. Thomas
II. Brown, whose anc .stors were
among the early settlers of New |
York city, located the well which ush
cred into its brief but exciting career
of oleaginous existence the phenome-
nal Pithole oil district. Mr. Browns
rod of witch hazel made Thomas
Holmden, the owner Of a bleak and
sterile farm, one of the richest men in
the State. The Frazier well, which
was the Pithole pioneer. was finished
on Jan. s, 1865. The 250 barrels of
oil it poured into tanks during the
first and subsequent days of its exis-
tence was worth IS a barrel at the
well, but in those days it cost the con
sumner only Sj.55 barrel to place the
stuff in the New York market.
Every commercial traveller who has
ever visited Erie, Pa, knows the
sneeze and the patriarchal white beard
and bald heal and suave manners of
Col. F. H. Ellsworth, for many years
proprietor Of the Ellsworth House and
later of the Reed House. The Colonel
was not always hotel man. He was
one of the earliest operators in the re-
gion, and at several periods in his ca
reer was worth great deal of money.
1t happened that the Colonel, who
was ohe Of the early birds, came into
possession of snug slice of the fam
oLSA sden farm. Several wells had
-. -. - on thrvtraoh, and all came
in asF ihoney makers. The ColonePs
patch was not considered as choice as
The rest A well was started, and
the drill began its search for oil. at
this time hundreds of strangers, with
fat pocketbooks or big bank accounts,
roamed over the field in quest Of desir-
able locations Thus the land, once
yaueless, became immensely valuable.
Landowners exacted a fearful big bo-
nus, and, besides, got one-eighth of all
The oil the wells produced The aver
age bonus on leases was $4,000 an
lcre. although the price in several in
stances ran up to $1,000. Among the
ldventurers who flooded the country
vas tall, lean, lank and N ngry look
ng chap from Illinois. He had heard
hat fortunes could be made in a day,
ut the thought never for a moment |
ntered his noddle that he was des-
ned to grow rich in minute. While
Doking around he ran across Col |
llsworth, who was watching the
rillers at his well, which was about
v feet deep. The stranger entered
to an animated conversation with
m. When he went away he carried
slip of book paper upon which the
)lonel had written in pencil this:
hereby agree to sell threefourth of well No
= Holmden Farm, for $4,000, payable within
rec days.
F. H. Ellsworth.
The tall Westerner was not yet out
the ColonePs hearing when he was
costed by a well-dressed stranger,
'on whose spotless piece of linen
shed diamond as big as horse
estnut.
'Do you know where 1 can buy a
cd piece of oil property?" eagerly
lured the man of the diamond.
I'm your huckleberry, stranger"
d the Westerner, adjusting his
uch hat rakishly on the side of his
ad. 1--WE got an immense bargain
re for the right kind of a man. You
that well over there? Well, | own
interest in it and also
the land surrounding it. The well
4Oo feet deep, and is within a few
Is of all the gushers. 1t will be a
well, no doubt"
What will you sell out for?"
'seventy-fve thousand dollars will
7 me out slick and clean and put
1 In possession"
It's a bargain" said the stranoer
! ne pulled out a long pocketbook,
icn was nearly bursting with its
d of greenbacks.
4 nelghboring stump served as a
k.
Auere you are. now give me the pa. I
b ne remarked, as he handed over t
lack OF bills. The Westener count
'ue money, and found that there {
70 seventy-fve $1,000 bills.
all this time Col. Ellsworth stood i
ten feet away. Had he strained
ears ne could have heard the Z
eva Westerner drive his bargain,
ne dld not know what was hap a
nng' and the chances are that he
not enlightened until several
rs afterward.
colonel was somewhat sur f
''u when the man from the West !