The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-06-03
ORIGIN OF OIL SCOUTING.

In the good old days when the petro-
leum wells of Pennsylvania were
kicked" down with the aid of light
iron drill and hickory spring pole, oil
scouts were unknown. There were no
oil exchanges, no pipe lines, no brokers,
and very few spectators. The oil pro-
Queer bailed his well out by hand
power windlass, ran it into barrels, and
hauled it on wagons to the nearest REIN
cry. Oil passed directly from the pro-
Queer to the refiner, and prices were
regulated by the laws of supply and de-
mand. In the Oil Creek valley much of
the oil was sent to market in flatboats.
Occasionally in summer the pilot had to
get out and pour water on the rocks to
hoat his boat over the rifles. Then the
producer managed everything; now he
manages nothing-not even his own
wells.
Oh scouting is of recent origin. The
oil region newspapers are responsible for
it. Years ago they began the practice of
making monthly reports, showing the
number of wells drilled during the month,
thenumber of barrels of crude petroleum
produced by each well, the number of
wells drilling, and the number OF rigs
(derricks) up and building. Correspond
ents specially detailed for this work trav-
eled through the oil fields constantly,
telegraphing from day to day the pro-
gress of operations in the new fields, or,
to speak technically, "at the front" Oc-
casionaIly, when the information thus
teiegraphed was of sufficient Importance
to affect the Price of oil, and it came to
hand early in the afternoon, the news
paper proprit tor used it as a basis to de-
termine his course in buying or selling
oil. Next morning it was published as
news, and the public had the benefit of it.
Brokers and spectators soon saw the
value of this advance information, and
lost no time in proposing to the newspa-
per proprietor that he should divide up
with his early news, and take share in
whatever profits might accrue. As a
rule the newspaper proprietors preferred
to divide their news with their subscribers
next morning, leaving the brokers and
spectators to shift for themselves. Fail
ing to get an advance share in the daily
reports, the Spectators next tried to get
the monthly reports day or two ahead
of the rest of the people, but in this they
were likewise disappointed.
Then one of the big oil companies
which wanted to know when to sell oil
sent out specially selected man to
make a regular monthly oil report, and
TO send in from day to day the news of
the field. For the first few months the
man worked with the newspaper cores
pondents, learning their methods and
studying the typographical features of
the country. When he was able to stand
alone other men were put into the field
by oil companies and brokers' firms, and
in a short time half a score of them were
roaming about the oil regions. AS a
means of distinguishing them from the
men they were called oil
scouts. Their work did not differ mate
rally from that of the newspaper CORE
spondents, but in the course of time they
dropped the making of monthly reports
of operations in the entire field and con-
fined themselves to those portions of the
petroleum regions that were most likely
to affect the price of oil.
OF late years the rapid development of
the oil-producing country, and the over
weening tendency of spectators and
speculative producers to cast halo of
mystery over nearly every well drilled
in new territory, have practically con-
fined the scouts work to the watchingo of
what is known to the trade as wildcat
wells" A wildcat" is an experimental
venture in new and undeveloped terri
tory. One promising wildcat, judi
ciously managed by its owner,
will cause more doubt, uncer-
tainty, and uneasiness to the trade
than ali the rest of the wells in
the country put together. The oil
market is usually In such a precarious
condition that large well in a new field
will depress prices to serious extent. |
It is important, therefore, for company
that is holding oil for a rise to know
the newest wildcat is to become
q prolific well or dry hole, and it is the
scouts business to find tliis out in adj
vance of every one else.
Usually the owner Of the wildcat has
oil Of his own that he wants to sell be-
fore the markets breaks, and he accord |
ngly makes the wildcat mystery until |
he has arranged his financial affairs to |
his satisfaction. He boards up the der |
rick SO that no one can see into it, and |
posts armed sentinels in the immediate |
1eighborhood to warn off intruders. |
Despite these precautions the oil scout
invariably gets the news. Sometimes he
;reeps past the sentinels in the dead of
night and crawls under the derrick door
% watch the drilling; occasionally he
climbs tree to enable him to look down
INTO the derrick, and at rare intervals,
when all else fails, he brides a sentinel to
yive him the news that he seeks. The
work is hard, unsatisfactory and often
dangerous. The scout often sleeps out
n the woods all night in rain or snow;
,oes hungry and wet and cold for two or
hree days at time, and is frequently
hot by over-zealous sentinels. Nothing
Iaunts him, however, and if he makes
uclry hit for his firm he sometimes gets
share in the profits accruing from the
Ise Of his information. Some of the
couts have speculated on their own ac-
cunt and done well. Others have made
money out Of purchases Of wildcat lands.
New York Times.