The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-11-05


eclipse the Lima field in productivenessr
and that one company alone had leased
1000 acres, After the first grand squirt
Of the Hamilton we'll 1t had been shut
up and closely guarded, The "mystery"
tactics were used with an effectiveness
that detied overthrow, 1t was then thai
the Dispatch correspondent came down
TO this region to make thorough and i'm
partial Investigation,
tits well enough to state right here
that he didn't find any l,COO'barrel well
nor anything that indicated that the re-
sion was likely to equal the prolific Lima
field; nor did he fnd that any one com.
pany had leased over 0S3 square miles OF
territory, But he did find that the oil
belt OF West Virginia ia likely to pro-
duce much oil in the near future, and
oil OF superior quality.
From the time the oil was struck up
10 Thursday afternoon, October 81, the
Hamilton well was worked as a mystery,
being carefully boarded up and closely
guarded, On Thursday the guard was
removed, aud, when the correspondent
visited the well, there was not soul to
be seen around 1t, nor was there any at
tempt at concealment, The reason for
this change OF tactics will appear further
on, At the time OF the visit to the well
Il was as quiet as tho surrounding hills.
But It had flowed for q few minutes dur.
Ing the day previous into q small tank
with which pipes had been connected
latter the first big squirt
From Mr.. Fleming Hamilton, the
owner OF the farm on which the well Is
drilled, II was learned that small flow
occurred every twelve or fourteen hours
That is, the accumulation OF gas In the
well under the oil which gradually
gathered In the hole, forced the heavier
LIQUID up about once a day. The tank
with which the pipes are connected
will not hold N ore than fifty barrels.
Gu Friday the well was capped and
plugged to prevent any further flow
while waiting for pumping machinery,
which has been ordered. When the
we'll was capped there were not more
than thirty or forty barrels OF oil in the
tank, as near as could be asCertained by
climbing on top Of 1t and looking through
the gas vent hole OF the cover. This,
positively, ia all the well has done 80 fur,
yet a Wheeling paper Of Friday morn
ing, under display head, said:
"The Hamilton well, which has been
kept by It's proprietors secret, is no
longer a mystery. Yesterday 1t gave TO
the owners new and lasting encourage.
nent. No one was astonished when,
about 8 o'clock, she showed in one.hali
hour production Of an average per day
OF 500 barrels. Oil Is flowing freely into
the hidden tanks regularly"
NOT 500 BARRELS A DAY.
It is needless to remark that the 500.
barrels-per.day idea caused many amused
smiles among the shrewd oil operators
here, who knew the facts and read the
paper. There was some talk OF organi.
zing a battalion to 60 out and search Tor
the hidden" tanks; but 1t was aban-
doned on account Of the weather, and
the intense absurdity Of seeking for u
hidden thing which was not hidden any
more than 10 "a city set upon tho hills"
1t is not at all possible yet to deter
mine what the Hamilton we'll may do
eventually. Gu account Of the Jealousy
naturally existing among rivals In bud.
ness, the oil operators here searching for
leases seek facts and express views as
will best suit their own Interests, and
they do not agree upon a unanimous
verdict. Same say that 1t has gone
through the Gordon sand, and that as
pumper the well will not BIZ better than
a Hve-barreler. 0thers with equal con.
ddence assert that 1t will BIO about
twenty-five barrel producer. None 90
higher than the latter figure.
Yet mark this fact; All Of them want
leases II they can convince the farm
ers that the territory Is only wildcat,
they can get leases at a much less bonus
than II they admitted that the Ham.
ilton we'll Is likely 10 prove a big pro-
Queer.
The actual depth Of which the Hamil.
ton we'll has been bored IL 1884 feet.
The oil that was found was in the Big
Injun sand. The drill went down IA
feet In the slate beneath the Big IDjun,
and there stopped, ostensibly Tor fear
that the salt water might be struck.
But there Is strong reason for saying
that the fear Of salt water might be told
~ .ne snUse st9'aPrHteS o.
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