Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-18
PETROLEUM AND GAS.
West View as the Coming Field for De-
veIopment-A LOCKER. On Says it is
Moving West Along the
SteuhenViIle Pike,

man who generally has his eye on current
happenings and developments but who prefers
to be anonymous, says of the West View oil
and gas field, dying at the back door of our
Northside neighbor:
Since the development OF the Ivory-Smlth-
Kleiman well at West View, operators in view
of the big outcome and the quality of the oil
have come TO regard this territory as the COM
ing heldsfor both gas and oil. The present
well, which is now being piped by the Standard
Oil Company, is owned By Smith. Kleiman Dr.
Hartweger, j. Trimble and a number of Allie
ghenians Outside of the company Smith d
Kleiman have leased 80 acres from J. Farley,
10 acres from NJ; on, 30 .from~squire Ivory,
Breen, making total of nearly 200 acres, for
which they have been offered and refused
S7S,0OO. Smith Kleiman, who control these,
want an even Sl50, 600 or nothing. 1t embraces
several valuable tracts. but they are so stu
ated that unless developed soon they will be
worthless, as still larger syndicate to embrace
Henry Phipps, Jos. Heating, Geo. Weitzel
Martin oakland, F. Detrick w. Jenny. IT.
Shaker. John Allen, ]. Huf, n. Robinson ana
others control Al acres which can ''top'' the
other territory in short srder. Mr.. Walters
the pipe line agent, says no finer oil has been
developed anywhere in Western Pennsylvania.
Outside of these "syndicates," :" "Commodore'
Rogers has leased his II acres to Miller & Co.
NJ. Woog, late of the Monongahela House and
tenant of the Commodore" getting ene-six-
teenth and the Commodore one-sixteenth. No
bonus. The Standard Oil Company has leased
big royalty-no bonus; and the Ray tract has
been leased by the Bridgewater Company, while
Ieebody leased to DImick and the
Hotel Boyer for $500 and one-eighth, and
was offered five times that amount next day
and the Aldinger patches have been leased for
royalty and some bonus. The Klei.nan South
Pool are preparing to sink ten wells on their
leases, while HUFF is in position to tap the
whole pool. Squire Ivory is not troubling him
self now about his grocery store or plank road
stock, and Colonel Heating is about to build
pavilion to Accommodate the rush which il
now here-and will be larger when the electric
railroad passes his door to the Aldinger angle
There is good deal of territory vet unleased
but the owners are asking too high figures at
present to hnd ready market. The territory
as leased is so cut up that the first wells put
down will tap the adjoining territory. If
Miller d Co. get down their well first
of what use is Eagan or South
Deiman tracks on the same belt. If Roden-
baugh put down well promptly it opens the
Sonith Kleiman territory at the other end. If
ritory dome in? If Weitzei or Jenny or a
half dozen others in that vicinity drill first
the Untz tract would be abandoned. And so it
is a scramble all around, as who will get his
drill in first and the devil take the hindmost
Everything is on the boom our here Just now,
but this summer will determine whether it is
really the pick oil and gas territory it is claimed
to be, or whether it will be the champion dry
great expectations, Sut wait little, you can't
always tell from the smoke the amount of pork
IN the meat mouse chimney.
Operations are still very quiet on the south
side of the river. In the Shannopin field a
gusher seems to be received as a matter of
course; it creates but little talk. 1t begins to
look as though there would be some develop
ment back of Stops Ferry ere long. There
has been considerable sighting around of late
by oil smellers and considerable leasing has
been done. 1t is more cautiously done now
than formerly. on account of the decision that
such things are not all one-siced.
Oil was struck on the James Riddle farm. on
the Steubenville pike, on Saturday, but Just
how much the strike is worth has not been de-
termned. The well is considerably west of
most development in that section. 1t is said
that an agent for an oil company was on the
ground soon after the well began operations
and Immediately entered into an agreement
to buy the farm OF 66 acres at $500 an acre. As
this is about three times the farming value of
land in the section, the owner felIcltated him.
self that little spray had been big thing for
him, but in the ardOr of the moment he allowed
the agent to bind the bargain for dollar
made a bargain with but one side 20 ii. The
well was playing Is or 20 feet nigh in the der
rick at the time yesterday morning. the agent
was back, bright and early" but by this time
the opinion had developed that the well was
not likely to be very large and be concluded to
forfeit the dollar and let Mr.. Riddle keep his
farm. Had the latter known. it is supposed he
might have been 500 richer instead OF one Just
as readily.