Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-05
WEST VIRGINIA OIL.
The Pioneer Operator and His Ven
lures at Burning Springs.
WORK AT PRESENT In PROGRESS.
The Butler County Producers Still Pushing
the Drill.
NOTES FROM NElGHBORING FIELDS


ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE p1sPATcH.i
BURNING SPRINGS. w. VA, Septem-
Der 4.-Following is record of some of the
operations at Burning Springs, together
with test of some of the experimental ven-
lures under way in the Old Dominion. The
first well drilled at Burning Springs was
by Buck Skigraian in December. 1889 in the
"Big Injun" sand, and it flowed eight bar
rels day naturally for four months, and
has since been pumped and is now making
about two barrels day. The next venture
was drilled by j. c. Palmer of the Oil
We'll Supply Company on the Dennis
the Burning Springs well. 1t was drilled to
a depth of l.6l6 feet. and in the big Injun"
sand got showing of oil. but not enough to
pay for operating. Failing in the horizon the
well was deepened to reach the Barrier grit, hut
this they did not find. Beetman Bros. Stett-
elmer & Gilbert and P. Watson were the next
to try their luck and drilled well 1,66O feet on
Burning Springs wells and the Palmer well. In
this well there was a small showing IN the
big Iniun." They went down to the Barrier
grit, where they found only small showing.
The product of .his field is shipped to Park
ersburg, down the Kanawha river. in bulk
boats, the same facilities used in early days
along Oil creek to the Candens Consolidated
Oil Works, distance of 80 miles. Eight miles
north from Burning Springs, at Oil Rock, the
Augusta Oil Company started drilling well
last March, but owing to bad fishing job, it
was never completed.
THE RIG WAS MOVED
half mile to the west, and they are now drill
ing another well on the Mcintosh farm. F. p.
Hays, president of the Southern Oil Company,
is now drilling well on the Prentice Csden
29OO-acre tract. near the old Orchard well,
which is down 1000 feet. Mr.. Hays has built
another rig in the same vicinity, and Will soon
bounce the drill. In Ritchie county, five miles
east of the break. on the l.. jackson
farm, Mr.. Hays drilled a well 2,375 fee,
completed in July. which was failure
in all senses. He also drilled another well
in the same county on Camp Run, and found
only slight showing of oil in the Big InJun"
sand. This well was finished in August and in
a few days will be shot: they expect to make
small producer of it. In Richie county the
same company are also drilling well at Ritchie
mines, which, report says, is strong gasser
and spraying some oil. West of the Ritchie
county wells, in Writ county. Alexander Ham,
iltOn drilled well on the Perrine farm, in the
vicinity of the California House, which is re-
garded as an important venture. At Sol feet they
struck the big Injun" sand, which had depth
of 40 feet The well was shot five feet from the
bottom of the sand, and has since been averag
ing five barrels a day. On the John Creel farm
the same parties are drilling well which is
down 800 feet, and will be drilled in this week.
AGREAT GAssER.
Colonel Roberts, at Burning Springs, is drill
ing a well on the Fox-Miller farm. At 500 feet
he struck gas, which kept increasing until a
depth of l. 100 feet was reached and 1t is now
sending out the caloric fluid at the rate of g.
600, 600 cubic feet a day. Mr.. Roberts is still
drilling for the Barrier grit, where he hopes to
find big oil.
Along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad in RItchie county, near Petroleum,
Showalter Bros. are drilling a well. and five
miles east OF Petroleum, at Carlo, Boden &
Aiken completed fve-barrel well some time
ago. and are building another rig in the same
Ira Dewitt. of Pittsburg, is drilling well on
the Chancellor farm, at Cairo, which is down
J, 900 feet and has another rig up on the Wright
farm. Since Bradley q Vandergrift's failure
at Stillwep, Wood county. there has been no
more operations in this section. Carr Bros, of
GAINESVILLE. o.. also completed a duster last
month at Davisville, on the line of the Balti-
more and Ohio, The well was drilled 1900 feet
deep, and just as they were about to enter the
sand. from some cause the casing collapsed
drilling another well 25 rods east of the first
venture.
In Tyler county Davis & Co. are drilling on
the Corbett farm, near Pursley, at depth of
about 300 feet The Owl Head Oil Company,
on the j. ii. Smith farm, near Middlebourne,
are nearing the sand. L. G. Murphy, on the |
Alf Conaway farm, near Centervlle is down
over LOCO feet. The Natural Gas Company of
West Virginia is getting nearly down on the |
Jeff Anderson farm, at Joseph's Mills. The !
W heeling Gas Company are drilling an ex-
perimental well Is miles southwest from |
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