Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-08
OLD JOHN BARRETT'S WELL.
Bound to Strike Something Hot, and He
Thought He Succeeded.

In the southwestern part of Kentucky,
in Cumberland county. is a great oil
field believed to equal in productive
ness. were it developed, the Pennsyl-
vania oil region. As there is no rail-
road nearer than fifty miles, no one has
ever undertaken to ship the oil, al
though many successful wells were
bored years ago Most of the territory is
now owned or leased by the Standard
Oil Company, which has plugged up
the wells and is holding the territory in
reserve until the other fields are ex-
hausted, if ever that day comes. Some
of the wells are, however owned by
men whose means are too limited to
handle the oil. One great well has
been yielding hundreds of barrels a
day for twenty years, forming a rivulet,
which, after running a short distance,
sinks back into the earth.
1t is remarkable that the first oil we'll
bored in America was sunk in this rich,
though vet neglected and practically
unknown field. Oil was struck there
under peculiar and amusing circum-
stances.
The "Old American Well" was bored
in Cumberland county in 1929. and oil
can still be obtained from it. Petroleum
was then unknown. Salt was then very
scarce in Kentucky. John Barnett,
solid and somewhat irascible citizen of
Cumberland county, thought he could
bore well on his farm and strike salt
water. If so, by boiling the fluid down
he could obtain plenty of salt. He be-
gan work and the neighbors came to
see how the job was getting along.
They did not believe that salt water
could be found. and said so.
LII strike salt water or I'll strike
hell" said irascible old John.
His neighbors laughed and old John
bored away. Day after day and for
several weeks the drilling progressed,
but still there was no salt water. Mr..
Barnett was not at all downcast.
They had been boring through solid
rocks, and old John was guiding the
drill himself one day, when it went
through the rock. There was ii roar
ing, as if the interior of the earth was
in CONFUSION and new volcano was
about to burst forth. The drill shot
high in the air and the rude machinery
was hurled to one side. A deluoe of
petroleum was thrown upward in
cloud of spray and fell in showers to
the ground. Then catching fire from
a little blazing heap of logs Mr.. Bar
nett had built to warm himself by, for
it was in winter, it whirled upward in
a great flame, shooting from the mouth
of the we'll.
The propulsion of air and oil from
the well had overturned old John and
knocked him half senseless. Gather
ing himself up, and seeing the long
line of fire blazing from the mouth of
the well, he was speechless with sur
prise and fear. Heavy volumes of
black smoke, mingled with the sheets
of fire, began to pour forth. Old Johns
hair rose up on his scalp. He seemed
unable to move or speak. At length,
recovering himself, he shouted:
1--WE struck helln, I've struck hell!
MY God, have mercy on me-"
He ran yelling up the valley. Wo-
men and children ran to their doors as
he passed and thought he had gone
mad When they looked down the
valley and saw the stream of flame and
dense clouds of smoke, they half faint
ed with fear. for those were super
stitious days. Men left their work and
ran for the hill tops. They remembered
old Johns wicked and Boosting remark,
and thought he had brought down upon
them the final judgment of the world.
1t was half a day before a few sum-
moned up courage to go to the well
and make an Investigation. They as
sured the others that it was phen-
omena of nature, and that his Satanic
Majesty had not yet arrived upon earth.
Old John never got entirely over his
fright, but it had good effect upon
him. Before, his conversation was in
terlarded with oaths, but he never
swore again, He joined the Church
and died confident that the Lord had
taken him at his word and allowed him
to strike hell as warning in time.