The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-08-12
.4HE MARION OIL EIHID.
The Operations Now Going On
in the Fairmout Region
THE GRANGERs' EYES OPENED,
A Great Boom in oil Lauds-NeaFly
Every Farm Under Lease-A Lo'
cal Concern with 10000 Acres
of the oil Territory,
speotal cOr,,pOnde,ct Of tAe Intellqenoer.

Special COrrtipORde,let Of Lhe EHteligeRatF,
FATRMoET, w, Va, August ll,-Eyery
stranger in these parts nowadays Is an
oil man or under suspicion, When l
stepped up to the hotel counter to regis
ter a man followed me and stood waiting
for his turn, Suddenly he asked the
clerk, "Whose barometer Is thatP" He
had spled barometer lying back on
tho desk and knew II belonged to an oil
man. The man OF an inqulring turn Of
mind was an oil man himself, The man
who owned the barometer was a geolo-
glst in the employ Of the Standard Oil
Company, who has been in these parts
for several days taking observations.
The Standard has great nose for oil and
does not intend that any good thing
shall escape II. ! drove out with party
to the southern limit Of the Dolls Run
field, and II we had had faster horses we
would have seen more ol the field.
RUSHING THE RIGS.
We saw and heard enough to know
that the drill Is at work and more drills
are seen to begin pegging away, was
told that from the southern limit OF op.
eratlons to and including the Mt. Morris
field fity.tlve rigs are up, nearly thirty
in the Dolls Run field. We expected to
see the Hukill well on the Miller iaTm
brought in, but an accident to the cable
had delayed operations for several days,
At the Smith 4 Aiken well on the Price
farm We found them in the reef rock,
which Pennsylvania oil man In the
party said was handsome and promising.
This well will bein by Monday or Tues.
day barring accidents. AT both OF these
wells the tapks are ready and good re-
suits are expected. In the event Of q
strike the extension OF the pipe line
would follow fast.
THE dRASoER's EYES OPEN.
The farmers talk oil and take little in.
terest in anything else, Nearly every
farm Is leased. Some Of the owners are
willing to lease for a good round bonus
and big rental, aud some will not lease at
all, saying that the development Is 80
close TO them that they prefer to wait
and get the full advantage. Men are on
the ground ready 10 take up every foot
oil Il. A farmer five miles Routh Of the
nearest derrick had just been offered
Sl00 cash, s. a month rental and his
royalty for II acres and had not made
up his mind to let 1t go at that. A
month ago he would have been glad 10
lease for the royalty and ten cents per
aero yearly rental until drilling began.
The farmer Is getting the fever as well
as the operators. The oil Of this region
commands a premium OF 25 cents bar.
rel, as that Of the Washington field does.
II you happened TO have u 900 barrel
well this premium would be an item.
A HOME COMPANY GETTING TO WORK.
The West Virginia Gas, Oil and Gas
Coal Company, local concern with ter
ritory enough tojustify It's long name,
to-day made contract to put down
well In Mannington District OF Marion
county, operations TO be begun within
thirty days. i cannot be exact, but l
think this tract is more than twenty
miles from the Dolls Run region. IL Is,
however, near the well territory now
being developed by Prof. !. Q, Whites
company. Professor White thinks he 10
sending the drill down into great oil
pool, and his friends will hope that he
may not be disappointed. Capt, Frank
Burt, OF ManningEon, is President Of the
West Virginia Company, w. A. 0hley,
Of Fairmont, is Secretary, and Charles
Z. Wells, Of Giover's Gap, is one Of the
leading spirits. This company has
about 75,6OO acres In Marion, Har.
rison, Wetzel. Doddridge, Tyler and
jackson. II has 1,o00 acres In the
heart Of Hukill's leases in the Dolls
Run country. The carly development
OF this territory was considered al yes
terday's meeting Of the directors, but
they refuse to say what action was taken.
| know they declined 10 sub.let 10 parties
who offered TO put down two wells at
once and at least four within q year.
The next time visit Marion county !
hopeto find its good people rolling In
grease. There will, oil course, be dis
appointments, but unless the oil sharps
are of In their calculations, there 10 an
abundance Of oil In this region, and its
development Is already fairly begun.
An oil man from the Washington
region told me that all oil men would be
glad TO aee o big development in the
neiVhborhood OF Wheeling. at ts a
good deal like an oil town now,h he
4 Nj