Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-09-30
BUSY BOOMING TOWN.
YRW CUMBERLAND MARVELLOUS
GROWTH IN A YEAR.
The OIL Boom and the Benefit It HAs Been The
Mammoth Pre- Brick Industry-Railroad
Extension, House Binding and
General Improvements.
special COrrespondenee q the RegLsler.

| NEW CUMBERLAND, w. VA, Septem-
Der % There are few towns that COM
pare with this in marvellous and substan-
tiai growth. The world renowned fire
brick works, the sewer pipe industries and
the development of the oil and gas terri
tory in this neighborhood have made a
booming, thriving city of this erstwhile
villsge. The striking of natural gas here
hiss been of inestimable importance. 1t
enabled the brick manufacturers to keep
up regular, steady fire, needing but little
attention, and the result was that better
brick could be made at a less cost and Civ
ing greater satisfaction than by the old
manner of firing. Then everything went
along smoothly for awhile, until, from
the starting of other manufactures and
| from natural causes, the supply Of this
fuel began to diminish. Other wells were
put down and more gas came up from the
great reservoirs Of the earth. Some Of the
wells though were valueless holes, but one
of those put down about a year ago show
ed indications of oil. This wss the be-
ginning OF the great oil excitement that
has had possession of this region for sew
eral months past. The gas is undoubted-
ly falling, but everything points TO this
as one OF future great oil territories.
THREE OIL REGIONS.
In this, Hancock county, there are really
three several oil regions that seem TO he
entirely distinct from one another. OIL
operators pronounce this pool terri
tory, signifying by that term that the oil
is not in belts, but that here aud there
there is pocket which contains a supply
of oil. In putting down wells in this re-
gion everything must be attributed TO that
very vague and unsatisfactory term
Chance" 1t is all hit-andmiss. Ga the
farm of Senator Smith, for instance, sew
eral wells have been put down and have
been uDproduciDg, while right in the very
midst of them and surrounded by them, Is
one that produces thirty barrels day.
There are others of the same kind and
operators are completely at loss to account
for the irregulsrity in the striking Of good
wells. Nothing approaching anything of
the kind has been known in other oil fields.
The frst oil was struck less than a year
aco. There are now probably two han
drsd wells down, and Of this number two
thirds are producing. The Morrow farm
in the TarkeyfO foot region, has several
good wells on It. Aud then nearer town
there ia the Harren farm, the BTiCe farm,
the Gardner farm, and others, that all
have producing wells OF the later de-
veloped territory might be mentioned the
Nichols farm aud to the extreme east OF
the oil territory, the Smith farm. Ga this
latter home company called the Porter
Oil Company has secured lease Of twenty
acres, which they will develop. A firm
that has occurred a good many leases here
is the Bridgewater Company. Some OF
the other more important operators IN this
field are Mex Gown, Fisher Bros, Evans &
Coast, Heron, Flinnigan and Craig Pipe
Line Company.
THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY
has done very little leasing in this terri
tory, but some of the operators who have
good leases are known to be fayorably in
clined toward the Standard, if not entire
ly controlled by it. The oil business has
not been pushed lately as vigorously ss
usual. The only well that has come in
within the last few days has been the Her
ron well on the Benton Langfitt farm. IL
is now doing about fifty or sixty barrels a
day.
While some OF the producing wells make
several hundred barrels a day, the great
msiority Of them fall below one hundred.
But in this connection il must be remem-
bered that the wells here only Nave 10 be
sunk to a depth Of 500 or 1,000 feet, and
of course cost much less for drilling than
the wells in the Washington, TayloIs-
town and other fields that have to be
bored twice that deep. II has been eg-
timated that the royalties alone exclusive
of the bonuses, etc, have IN this territory
reached the immense sum Of $1,000, 900.
The oil boom has been a big thing for
New Cumberland, but IL has not been
everything. The great FIRE brick indus
tries have helped TO make the town what
it is. Within the last year the numerous
brick works have all Increased in size,
and the indications are that they will have
TO be still more enlarged. Wheeling has
done much for this town. BY good and
lasting fire brick paving on her streets
Wheeling can scarcely receive more bene-
fit than New Cumberland. IL has been
the experience Of the manufacturers here
that no advertisement can bring them Gs
large returns as the fire brick payements Of
Wheeling.
A NEW FIRE BRICK.
A contract has lately been made with
some Philadelphia contractors To f1rniah a
new kind Of fire brick for building pur-
poses. Under new process the brick is
turned neat and beautiful and is specially
adapted for building purposes. A large
number have been ordered for building
in Philadelphia, and il the test is satisfac
tory. the brick will be used in a number
Of buildings in that city. The 70 q. x
st. l.. K. K. does big business IN haul
ing brick from here, Captain John Porter
alone sending cut thirty carloads day.
The new pottery is in full blast. i. has
bsen running for the last two weeks and
will give employment to two hundred peo-
pie.
RAILROAD EXTENSION.
The survey for the extension Of the
railroad has been completed and the work
will probably be pushed forward as rap
idly ss possible. It is the present intsn-
tion 10 extend the road for about twelve
miles on up the river 70 point about op-
posite East Liverpool, but there seems to
be pretty general desire here 10 have
the lice pushed on to PitlsDuIg. fife
clay has been found along the line OF the
PROPOSED extension aud the land has con
sequently increased 10 value.
One of the causes that have lead 10 tne
growth Of New Cumberland from n village
10 a city of three thousand innsbitanls'
has not vet been mentioned. u j. the
newspapers. There are two journals puo-
Iished here. the TndepHldeat and the Conr'er.
Each is bright, newsy aud prosperous ana
their editors are untiring in their ehofts 70
show the outside world what a growing
town this is.
OTHER IMPROVEMENT
A good many improvements have been
made here lately, the most Important
of which is the fine large Presbyterian
Church. This building cost Sls. 600 e1ciu'
Give Of the stope which was quarried near
town. and il is certainly an exceedingly
cbeap and substantial edifce. O.her build
iugs are going up. Handsome structures
are being built by Mr. l.. o. Smith
snd Mr. W. A. Scott. A splendid
three story hotel will be erected by Sheriff
Sweeney, which will be material i'm
movement to the town. At the rear OF
Smiths Peoples Store large addition hiss
heen mt up and is almost completed.