Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-08
AN ACTIVE OIL TOWN.
Description of the Work Going on in
Mcdonald and Its Environs.
PRODUCTION AND DEPTH OF WELLS
The Baldwin Farm Well at Noblestown
Creates Some Comment.
OIL REPORTS FROM BUTLER COUNTY

lively oil town in all of its youth and beauty
a trip to Mcdonald any day will never be
forgotten. The hustle, hustle and air of
business is something which one unused to
il can scarcely understand, while to the
natives it is a revelation fringed with a
silver lining, with a background of
untold luxuries which before were
only seen IN dreams. Wonderful
stories of the oil country, oil princes, and
drillers had been borne to them by venture
some youngsters who had wandered away
from home To the children these tales
were as interesting as leaves from fairyland.
When the real oil men, the operators, the
drillers, the tool dressers, the rig builders
and even the teamsters appeared at McDon-
aid they were received with q welcome bor-
dering on cordialitv. There was none of
the haughtiness, or the spirit to hold
aloof against which they had to fight
at places along the southern bank of the
Ohio, but all entered heartily into the work
Of getting out the wealth buried 1000 feet
below, As a result of this there are now 40
drilling wells within a radius of a quarter
of a mile from Mcdonald station. Each one
of these when completed will represent at
least $4,000 invested. Many of these
wells are in the back wards of lots on which
are tine-looking homes. Even the church
lot was sacrificed. and a well is now being
drilled within 100 feet of the pulpit from
which the brawny drillers hear the gospel
preached every Sunday. Fully 200 men
left the train which arrived at Mcdonald
station from Pittsburg a little after II
o'clock yesterday morning They scattered
almost instantly TO look after their various
interests and were not seen again until the
train was due to bring then back to the city
New dwelling houses, store rooms and
buildings for all business purposes are going
Up on every side as rapidly as skillful
carpenters can erect them. The switches
along the railroad track at the station are
crowded with freight cars, each one filled
with casing, tubing, or tools for the use of
the men engaged in the oil business. There
are no drones in the little borough. There
is work for all and all are busy.
What the Drill Is Doing.
MCDoNALD-The Royal Gas Company's
No. On the Sauters farm, which came in a
couple of weeks ago at the rate of 100
barrels an hour was not flowing a barrel
Yesterday 1t had been drilled deeper
"Wednesday and Thursday, and the supposi-
tioD is that the drill went through the sand
and the slate and mud from below
pIaStered the hole, and prevented
The oil from leaving the rock. 1t was to
have been shot yesterday afternoon, but
when the shooter was running his measur-
ing line 1t was stopped by psraf1ne. An
effort was then made to clean the hole be-
fore putting in the shot, and if this can be
done the well will be torpedoed to-day,
Only a couple of hundred feet south |
west of the Sauters No. is |
The we'll of La Conlte & Vallilee on the |
Short lot This well has been doing about |
L l. L L.
Z was drilled in, and for few hours run up |
10 100 barrels Yesterday afternoon it sud- |
denly took a squirt and went to 90 an hour
which was its figure last evening. |
Whether it is drilling itself into |
the sand or is drawing from the |
rock around the Sauters is matter of |
conjecture. Clark & Bannister's we'll on the |
Butler lot, which was finished July 1, is |
still doing 300 barrels day, and the we'll of |
Jennings, Ferguson & Beeson, on the Bois-
son and Henri leases about 800 feet north
vest of the Butler, is down to about 60 bar
rels day. j. b. Samuel is drilling at ], 400
lcct on the Campbell lot, one location.
northwest of the Henri lease Garland &
iJ barrels an hour Yesterday. Their No. 2 |
Is about on top of the Gordon and they have
already located three more rigs on the Mil
Ter farm. No. 5 is 800 feet northeast of No.
/: No. /, east of No. 8, and No. )
north of No. l. W. P Black /
Is drilling five wells at Mcdonald
They are all located on a 45O line south
west Of the Sauters No. 3 and the Butler
lot wells His No / on the McNall lot is
down 500 feet; No. 1 George, about 400
feet; No. ! DIR. JamisOn is down $50 feet.
and No. l on the Mrs Springer is spud-
ding. The Peoples Natural Gas Company |
ha 1ot
locared POO feet southwest Of the |
oauters No. 5. The Royal Gas Company
has a rig up for No. s Sauters, which is |
located go feet west of No 8 on the same |
farm The Royal Gas Company's No. /, /
Mary Robb farm, in the extreme western |
edge of the field, is still the wonder and talk |
1f the operators. 1t was flowing by |
heads yesterday and putting out oil at the |
rate Of 10 barrels day. There is one well |
drilling at present within 500 feet of it, and |
this is the No 2 Mongot of Finnegan & |
Downing, which is located to the southeast |
The Robb well flows about four times an |
hour for periods of five minutes each, and
vher at work sounds like a run
away express train. The well is
a puzzle to the producers in the |
field. and none of them have the temerity |
-1 predict which way the belt may |
now 20. Many of them, however, believe |
hat there are two rich parallel streaks run
ming through the field. The well of Iseman
x Co., on the William Robb, 1000 feet I
-outhwest of the Mary Robb, was shot |
Yesterday. 1t was completed Wednesday, |
but will not make more than 20-barrel we'll |
The well of Weixel * Co. on the Smith lot |
Just northeast OF the Butler lot well is put |
town as dry. There have been dozens of 1
reports about this well, and no one vet |
seems to know just how deep they are. The
5hatfer Oil Company's well on the Smith lot |
lr the forks of the road is a small well in
The Gordon sand Mechlin is down about
900 feet on the Peeble's-lot
Another Gordon Well.
NOBL LEsTowN-There.w was a ripple of ex-
element here and at Mcdonald to-day
when it became known that the well Of !
iutfev. Murphy & Co. on the Baldwin /
farm located about half q mile southwest |
from the big Mathews well, was squirting
Ill up into the derrick from the bottom of |
he Gordon sand. For time it was reported |
hat the oil came from the fifth sand, but |
his was found to be erroneous. The well |
was shut down TO await the erection of tank
&c before proceeding further This well is
q bout on a line between the Matthews and
lie Mary Robb. The Matthews well of |
;uIey, Jennings & Co was tapped Thurs
lav night and increased from 35 to
- barrels an hour. 1t was doing about 65 I
barrels an hour yesterday afternoon. |
The well of Greenlee & Forst, on the Mil
Ter farm, back of Oakdale, has been drilled |
i"cpcr, but viii not be good for more than
90 barrels day.
Some Wells About Due.
MCCURDY-NelIon & Wilson'S No 2, on
hc Jane Riddle, should get the sand to-day
and their Dougherty No. , is due the first of |
The week. R. L. Gillespie & Co. s Nos. ),