Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-11-10
an olL.klNa.s NIL.
How a Pennsylvania County lost Que
Hundred Thousand Dollars.

How a Pennsylvania County Lost Ope
Hundred Thousand Dollars.
VA delay OF fifteen seconds, caused by
the dropping Of a pen with which. man
was 10 sign his name TO viii, lost TO War
rem County 100000 once" said lawyer IN
Warren, Pa, to a farmer who had dropped
his pen on the floor just as he was about TO
put his signature ON some important
papers.
The dropping OF pen has always made
me nervous and uncomfortable ever SINCE
he continued.
"H r. Rouse, Of Enterprise, Warren
County, was one OF the pioneer OF! opera
tors on Oh creek, and in the spring Of 1861
his wells were yielding him daily revenue
larger than the average mans yearly in
come, says the Oil City Blizzard.
1.-THE first great oil we'll fire in the history
OF the oil regions occurred in April, 1861,
when the Hawley q Merrick well suddenly
began spouting ell and gas IN such auanti-
ties that the oil ran TO waste and flowed
over the ground in all direcuons and the gas
filled the air for quarter of u miie around,
finally reaching an eugene house, where the
fire of the boiler ignited it.
1.-THE result was acres of roaring flames,
which enveloped the spectators that had as
sembled to witness the then great novelty
OF flowing well.
"How many persons were burned up in
that awful fire was never ascertained, but
twenty are known to have perIshed
III. r. Rouse was on the ground when the
explosion occurred aud was hurled into the
thickest of the conhagration Two men,
one Of them named UriaE Smith, now living
near Mercer, rushed into the terrible mass
Of fire and dragged him out in time
Both rescLers were terribly burned and
were months in recovering from the results
of their dash into that fierce sea of ire and
boiling oil to rescue the oil prince.
"Rouse's clothing was burned from his
body, which was one mass Of blisters, His
eyes were burned to q crisp in their sock
cts, and his ears. hands and hair burned
OF. He was carried TO a house at safe
distance.
1.-THE explosion occurred at six p. m, and
in spite Of his frightful condition he lived
until the next morning He never lost
consciousness, aud as soon as every thing
that could be done for him was done he be
| gan the Gictation Of his will.
The intense agony ne suffered made this
I a slow job, and when the will was finished
/ il was morning. When the document was
ready for his signature the person who
/ na1 done Lne Writing OlDpcu tue FSh IN TUG
I ink bottle, but in reaching it toward the
/ dying mans outstretched hand he dropped
/ it.
/ THE pen rolled in under the table, and =
delay at least of quarter Of a minute &C,
4 Cured before it could be recovered. When
/ it was found and placed in Mr. Rouse
hand the hand was powerless TO use II.
"The brave old prince was dead.
SIN his will he had bequeathed the sum
Of 10000 to the poor fund Of Warren
/ County. He had also left 500 each to the
men who had preserved him from being
cremated alive.
THE viii being without his signature
was, of course, legally imperative and his
heirs did not think it incumbent upon them
to carry out his wishes, although they were
expressed under such extraordinary clrcum
stances.
The county lost its legacy, which was
not so much to be wondered at, as the sun
was very large, but the non-payment Of the
two 800 requests to the men who, at the
risk of their own lives, had saved the un
fortunate oil Spectator to his family, a
least for Christian burial, was long a mat
ter OF much comment in the oil regions"