The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-03
KENTuCKY'S FIRST OIL WELL.
How the First Flow Of tho Olengcnou
Fluid PnrAlyxed n Horor.

How the First Flow Of tho Oiengcnou
Fluid Paralyzed n Borer.
dIa'ao,s, tHy.,) Tins. ..i..,.i-y
The first oil well drilled in Kentucky
and possibly In America, was bored II
Cumberland county In 1920, II was un
Intentional, and the last issue OF til,
Burksvillo Herald has tho following
amusing account Dit: nm strike sal
water or III strike hip was what thu
contractor said when he began borint
what was alterward called tho "Olt
American Oil WelP' in this county In
thn year 1920. ~ N H.nmi,l
Al that day aud time petroleum was
unknown to the world. The people Il.
Illuminated their homes With the wax
taper or tho old tallow candle. III tho
uncertain glow Of tho latter most OF our
fathers pored over their blue back spell.
lera and solved their mathematical
problems; by It our grandmotheB knit
ted, aud our mothers were woo0d and
won, while our grandiathers snoozed In
the ahadowy corners or watched the
slnouldering Goals In tho broad old.fasll.
ioned Fireplace. They were ,uncon-
sclous Of tho wealth Of oil practically at
their doors, and knew not OF its yalua.
bic qualities. = r.. -.-,1 -. = 'N',
The Old American we'll wns borod for
salt water, as the irreyerent renark Nv
the contractor quoted at the bepinniny
Of our story indicates. liz "woull striks
salt water or hi would strikn k-in
The crowd OF men who mad coma f,om
miles around TO see the drilling nrorsa.
laughed az his remark and theupht M
more OF It for the Tins being Day nfter
day for several weeks thv drilling nro.
prcssetl without interference Evr,v.
thing WIS moving along sotisfactori,
". No danger Wan unHreh"nd"J hv
the CONTRACTOR M he vnidcI tha d,;iI
and kent tin. with its dull thud with
merry songs and whistlinv, hut alasi
tho rock was suddenly gone through
and a deluvc Of petroleum with In
drill shot Itch into The air and came
down in shower to the ground knock.
ing down the contractor and rinnlinv ofr
on the waters OF the Cumberland. The
unfortunate contractor was utterly
speechiess with surprise md fear Xix
knew not what lad happened IA he
gathered himself up from tho ground his
knees smote one against tho other and
his teeth clicked ominously. Castinr
bis eve. about him he saw n huve Ilome
rolling toward him, Barely u.l1inu ont
OF lis way the fiery caravan passoI him
md made in wav in II solid shppt down
the river. Tho oil had caught tire from
the engine. and tho we'll was vom;t;n"
forth black smoke, lie stood with his
di!u,,d srrs riypted upon II seeminolv
unabl. to move, and his tonpu. Glove tn
the roof of Ills mouth. SnIdenIv hs
thought Of the remaik-I'll strike salt
watcr or mi strike h-l-hr ma,lN wLen
he began boring. and with A wild wnnlv
he took TO his heels velI;ru 10
he went nm the valley:
"pyo struck h-l! I've etruck hill
NV tiol have mercy on ma Ii
Wnm,,n nnI rL;tdron ran =, ,bo J,ou,
ma h. nassau their homes onl tLoM.h,
In wac mad. Int whan thov 'I ioutsaJ
down III. vnl1ev and saw ,h: ,an";na
h;ss;no ta".s and III. dams" cl ,."p' y
smnta az ti,av rallied awav tou .uua1 49,, !"
Heavens thsy iell isintiny m tha Jo w.
stens NIrn left their nows s,onI;no
in The burrows and ran I for thss
hill,ons Thev t"o ,hou"h. 'r ~
the Wicked contrsctor's rawarl. and
i,al;.veJ h. haI hrnnrht donn az ,t INV
the anal ;nlnmeut n, Tho Void ~ an ,de ~
thsir chans ard sxr;,emnnt t,,a. a wv ~