The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-07-31
IS THERE OIL HERE2
MR. Q. D. noNnINs LEASING LANDS
For the Purpose of Making Tests III this
Couuty-wRnt 1t may Mean-An EH-
perrs Favorable Opinion Concerning
the Existence of oil and Gas.

Nj, @. D. Robbins, who has sunk two
or three wells in this county in search OF
oil, all in vain, so far as the public Is con-
cerned, seems to have confidence In the
field yet. AT least he has gone right on
leasing land in TrIRdelphiR and Liberty
districts. Twenty.ssvsn oil leases from
farmers in these two townships to Mr..
Robbins, were entered for record at Clerk
Hooks Office yesterday, The Consldera'
ton named is ons-eighth Of the oil or gas
produced, and Mr.. Robbins agrees to be-
gin a test well in each township within 3
year from the date Of the leases, and II oil
or gas Is struck, TO commence another well
on the adjoining farm within sixty days,
and another on the next adjoining farm
to that in sixty days after the second well
strikes oil or gas, and 60 on till wells have
been sunk on all the farms leased,
1t has repeatedly been questioned
whether any decisive test has ever been
made as to the existence Of oil or gas or
both in the strata that lie In the bowels Of
the earth beneath the Nail City and the
surrounding country, Mr.. Robbins seems
10 think not. There Is now in the city an
expeIt in such subjects who Ia sure no
conclusive proof has been furnished that
one or both do not exist right here, He
Ia Of the opinion that they do. This gen
tleman's experience with gas runs back
to the beginning OF the gss-iuel era, and
he has had opportunities for observation
aud experience in oil operations for almost
as long as anybody, and has been en-
gagged In the business for q quarter Of Q
century, In that time he has followed
the great oil belt from New York State,
beyond Bradford, to Wheeling, covering
the distance time and again on foot,
He SAYS the conformation Of the ground
here and . the geology OF the strata
under this section, 30 far as known, con,
vince him that Wheeling is on the oil
belt. The fact that q well or two has been
put down without success proves nothing,
There Is not and never was an oil field
that has not Its "dry holes" To secure
oil, the drill must go down on the syn
clinal-that is, below the summit Of
formation where the rocks arc npheaved.
or from whatever cause, have the form 0!
an inverted letter ".
But this Ia not all that Is necessary. Tt
find either oil or gas In profitable quaint
ties the drill must pierce q stratum Of roch
composed Of coarse, porous sand, which
has interstiCeS and pores enough to furnish
reservoir for the fluid in such quantities
Even this sort Of rock may exist and vel
ITO oil be found in 1t. The rock must BIZ
free from crsvices or leaks that will let TIT
oil out. To hold gas, rock must be Cruste(
over or topped with o stratum imperviouI
to tho gas. To hold oil it must have {
crust or imperVlous stratum beneath it
The escape Of gas from the surface Of thu
earth Ia an uniavorable sign, for the'rea
son that 1t shows the reservoir is not ga
tight and cannot retain the gas at a pres
sure TO make 1t valuable.
When, this gentleman argues, the reQui,
site reservoir Is pierced by the drill In lhiI
vicinity, tho oil or gas will be iorthcom
Ing. II Is here, just as surely as 1t Is a
Washington or MACkBburg, and II 1t Is moi
obtained right here 1t will be because no
body has the enterprise and intelligence
to reach It. He prophesies that inside o.
eighteen months oil and gas will be iount
as close to Wheeling as anybody wants Ia
see them.