Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-22
SOME OIL DEVELOPMENTS.
NEW WELLS REPORTED IN THE
MCURDY AND MOON FIELDS.


in large tracks and the owners are not rush.
ing the work with the energy they did at
| first.
McCURDY-Switzer & Co.'s well, on the
| Shaffer farm, about half a mile east of the
field proper, was reported last night to have
been drilled through a dry rock. This will
| condemn the territory around it and pretty
well define the eastern limits, of the belt.
The Huot & Richards well, on the Cowan
farm, south of the field about a mile, is
standing full of oil and 1t is believed that
when it is drilled in it will make fair we'll.
The interests of Huot & Richards in the
lease have been purchased by Dr.Hussler, of
Mansfield. The well has been shut down to
move the boiler. The Woodland Oil Com
pany's No. 2 well on the Adams farm, has
been shut down on top of the sand until the
boiler can be moved. 1t will be drilled in
this morning. Mellon & Co.'S No l. on the
Jane Riddle has been drilled to the bottom
of the sand and filled up only 200 feet with
oil. 1t will be small well. r. E. Gillespie
& Co.'s No. !, on the Hall farm, was expected
in last night. 1t is one of the closest wells
to the Bell farm well of the Orion Oh Com
pany. Black, Emerson s. j. NJ. Guffey's No.
i well, on the Aiken farm, in the northwest
-ern part ofthe field, is due to get the sand
to-day.
Not So Very Big.
MooN-F. E. Boden & Co.'S No. L on the
John Stevenson farm is through the sand,
and will make a 25 or 30-oarrel WELL 1t is
located about 600 feet south the Moon post
office. The Kanawha Oil Company's No. ?
on the Onstott farm was shot yesterday, and
is showing for at least l25 barrels.
Work Around Wildwood.
WILDWOOD. NJ. Patterson & Co.'S well on
the Poff farm about half a mile northeast
of wildwood station was expected to reach
the sand last night. 1t was a fair gasser in
the 80 foot sand. Bowman and the Augusta
Oil Company's No. 8 Whitesen was given a
small shot yesterday and increased from Is
to 25 barrels an hour. 1t is one of the best
ready produced small fortune. Their No.
4, the same lease, will be shot
tomorrow for the first time 1t is
only a ten barrel well. They have
a rig up for No. on the same piece, but have
not commenced drilling. The Smith Oil Com
pany has made locations for three new rigs on
the Smith farm. Black SHool1er have cased
their No. 9 on the Hardy. Black & Emerson
are near the salt sand in their No. . on the
Murray lot.
Still Holding Up.
NoBLEsrowN-The big we'll of Guffey, Jen-
nings & Co., on the Mathews farm, is still
dong about 40 barrels an hour. The Forest
Oil Company's WELL on the w. c. Heron,
which was expected to get the fifth sand
yesterday, will not get it before this after
ing at the Ewing well in advances of Nc
Curdy. The trouble was caused some weeks
ago by the collapse of the casing.
Showing for Big Well.
MISUNDERSTANDING, Ferguson & Bee
sons well, on the Bush and Henri lease, is
in the Gordon sand and spraying about So
barrels. with plenty of gas. 1t is making a
better showing from the Gordon than any
other well which has so far been drilled in
the field. Ireland 6 Hughes well, on the
Cedet lot, is making 75 barrels from the
fifth sand. 1t will be shot in the Gordon to-
day with the hope of increasing the output
from that level.
Some Ne 7 Work.
BAKERsTowN-The Superior OilCompany ISL
building a rig for its No. on the Monks.
Their No. on the same piece is making
about 10 barrels day. The Butchers Oil
Company have gotten the second string of
casing out Of their No. Clendenning and
have hold of the third string. They shot |
their No. on the Pat Kennehan yesterday, i
but the increase was light.
Personal
J. NJ. Patterson, the successful producer |
who opened up the McCurdy field, is in Phil
adelphia.
j. N. Guffey, the operator and producer,
has gone to New York.
L. E. Hamsher, producer and successful
business man of Bradford, ind C. b. White
head, formerly postmaster of the same city |
under President Cleveland, are visiting in
Pittsburg.
Taxing Natural Gas.
The Toledo Daily Commercial has this to
say of the decision of the Board of General |
Appraisers in upholding the collector of Gus
toms at Buffalo that duty of 10 per cent ad |
valOrem must be paid on natural gas: ''The |
Board of General Appraisers of the United
States has rendered a decision affirming the
finding of the collector of customs at Buffalo, |
that natural gas imported from Canada must
pay duty of 10 per cent ad valorem under
section OF the tariff act. That section pro-
vides for duty of this amount on all nom
enumerated manufactured articles, but it
was contended by the gas company that
natural gas should be free, because,
/, it is crude bitmen. and free under
paragraph 4s5; oo or 2 as Crude crude min min;
merely says: we cannot sustain the two |
contentious that natural gas is free on the |
grounds stated, but no reason is offered |
further. In effect 1t amounts to'a decision |
that this gas is neither bitumen nor a |
mineral inasmuch as it cannot be denied |
that it is crude substance. The interesting |
query arises: To which of the kingdoms
does it belong? Is it animal or vegetable? |
Had the board decided af1irmatively TO which |
of these kingdoms it belongs it would have |
be a mineral. In any view, the board went |
much farther than the Supreme Court |
of Pennsylvania would consent to go in de- |
fning natural gas. In that court stated |
Il
involved was whether natural gas be a |
volatile substance. The Court declined to |
decide this holding it was not matter of |
law, but a question of fact to be tried by the /
jury with the assistance OF such expert evil |
dence as might be brought before it under 4
proper instructions from the Court. There /
Is great difference in tribunals however as |
to the powers of fdefinition assumed. If this |
decision be final it will stand as precedent |
that natural gas is not mineral.
The decision shows 4 desire on the part of /
the authorities to levy an import duty on |
everything brought into the country unless |
especially exempted by law, instead of |
merely levying the duty on such articles as |
are proper to protect the actual industries of |
the United States from foreign competition. |
That natural gas is promoter of industry /
wherever used as a fuel will scarcely need /
argument in a country like this which has 1
been SO prosperous under the advantages |
thus afforded.
1.-The contention was presented by the |
natural gas company that this importation |
of fuel gas does not affect American indus |
tries or interests, but the board holds that it I
comes into competition with American |
gas and coal' This admission that it comes
INTO competition with coal is important, in |
asmuch as if natural gas comes into compe- |
tition with coal, coal must necessarily be in 4
competition with natural gas" |
Yesterdays Local Features. |
There was no business. Scarcely any at |
tention was given to the market. The nomi- |
nal price was 671s. At Oil City 67A was bid, |
and at New York 675s The was some trad