The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1889-02-01
sOUTHBURY's OIL WELL.
NO OIL YET-A DEPTH OF 1860
FEET-NEW CABLE NEEDED.

FEET-NEW CABLE NEEDED.
Forty years and more ago, shaft for
coal was sunk on the farm of Truman B.
Wheeler, Southbury, about a mile and
half from Pomperaug station. As told
before, the shaft caught fire and burned
for a long time, defying all attempts to
extinguish it., until at last, to save the
Wheeler homestead, the shaft was filled
and the subterranean flames extinguish-
ed. None had then heard of gas or oil
beneath the surface of the earth and the
cause of the fires remained hidden. At
last, during the Summer of 1888, a COM
pany of Waterbury capitalists, including
Senator Ell. A. Matthews, who has been
identified with Southbury and its inter-
es,s, sent prospectors who learned that |
nowhere in the State is configuration of
the earth's surface or the rocks and sand
so indicative of oil, gas or coal as in the
valley of the Pomperaug river. At once
the Wheeler farm was leased, drilling
machinery and men to run it imported
| from Pennsylvania and the work of bor-
ing for oil began, among the jibes of the
unbelieving public.
1t was early in August when active
preparations were begun and the drill
was started about tho middle of Septem-
Der. Down through the surface they
went, struck rock at SIS feet and penetrat-
ed this to find the red sandstone SO wide
i ly distributed through the valley of the
Connecticut. Six hundred feet of this
! and then peculiar white sand or sand
/ stone, which is always found with oil
and gas, but is not always accompanied
, by these. Still lower went the drill and
, still the people smiled, while the South
: bury Oil company, which has been incor-
: lporated, pursued its quiet and conserva-
tive demeanor. Springs of both warm
and cold water had been found and it
. was necessary to insert tubing to depth
of 1000 feet. Below that, no springs have
the earth and necessitates occasional bal
ing.
When about 1900 feet below the surface
indications of gold bearing quartz were
found and specimens sent to the assay
office, but returns were dilatOry and the
u result of the assay was not known. Al
a depth of AGO feet, the drill was stop
!. ped at p m, last week Friday; the 1900
l. foot cable, an inch and seven-eighths il
/. diameter. could go no further. 1t wa:
reported that unmistakable indications o.
Il oil had been found at this depth, but ;
Dt,r- S,,1 of
l. kind. The soil was still white sandstone
e compactly formed, with no more indica
= tions of oil than at any previous time
., The reporter was told by men at the der
~ rick that, although the hope of reach
- ing oil grew stronger as the depth in
l. creased, nothing like oil had yet bee
. found. As soon as a new cable could
. procured, boring would re-commence an
u would, if no insuperable obstacles wer
- encountered, continue until a depth G
!" 5000 feet or more should be reached, III
less oil was first discovered. The ne
" cable will be $500 feet long, two inehe
in diameter and will weigh more tina
:. 5000 pounds; the present price is 15c
pound. 1t is doubtful if work is resun
;, ed before the first of next week. Abou
!. 20 feet day has been fair averag
= since the drilling began, while vexatiou
delays have been quite rare. Only one
has loug delay occurred and that wa
er when the drill became fastened in tn
a well and it was necessary to cut til
lg cable and obtain tools from Pennsylvani
d. i'm order to extricate the drill
It., No; oil in Southbury is not yet an a
sured fact, though members of the Soutl
&C bury Oil Co. are still hopeful of ultimat
10 success.