Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-08-06

Ohio has the biggest oil we'll in the United
States, if not in the world, and if permitted
to flow its full capacity it would more than
fill one of the monster $1,000 barrel tanks
every "a hours. This great oil geyser is To-
Gated in Hancock county, just four miles
south of the town Of North Baltimore. To
be more explicit, it is located on the south
east corner of the Hugh McMurray farm,
situated on the southeast quarter of the
southwest quarter of section II, Allen town
ship, and is the property of the Ohio Oil Co.
The we'll was drilled in on the afternoon of
June Both. During the morning of that day
the drill developed gas pocket at 81 feet in
the sand, and the we'll showed for gas pro-
ducer of about 1880 cubic feet capacity.
Gas was not what they were after, however,
and the drill was sent eight feet deeper,
which made the total depth in the sand 43
feet, where oil was found. The total depth
of the we'll is 1908 feet. When the pay
streak was struck the oil started flowing, and
a connection was made through a two-inch
line from the casing head to a 800 hundred
barrel tank, which was filled with good clean
oil in precisely 80 minutes.
The company then learned THAT they had
drilled into wonderful lake of oil, and it
was also discovered that ordinary tankage
facilities we're far from sufficient. Work was
at once started on another 900 barrel tank.
At the same time several dinkey pumps and
pipe lines were laid and communications
were made to the main line.
On the following day, Wednesday, the
Commercial's g scout was again at the scene of
the well. The dinkey pumps were kept busy
running oil from the tanks into the main
line, the tools were still in the bottom of the
hole, and it was learned that several bbls of
oil had been taken from the we'll that day,
it being all that the line could take away.
The next day was the one announced for
the taking out of the tools from the hole. As
early as o'clock the woods were lined with
people from all sections of the surrounding
country to see the famous geyser opened up.
At about IL o'clock a. m. the engine was
started and the tools were gradually being
brought towards the surface. The drillers
were being drenched with oil which flowed all
over the derrick. When the tools were with
in few hundred feet of the surface the rope
commenced to slack. The drillers reversed
the engine and made for place of safety as
the tools were being lifted from the well by
the heavy pressure of the oil. Itwas thought
at the time that the rope had broken and the
tools left in the hole; but th- drill was found
setting beside the casing i'll i,e rig.
As soon as the tools were out solid COL
umn of oil belched forth from the casing
head, rising far above the dArrick, where it
spread in all directions. lnere were two
2-inch lines connected on the casing. It made
as pretty sight as any one would wish to
see, and it gladdened many heart among
the oil men who witnessed the sight to know
that they had looked upon what was probably
the largest oil we'll ever completed OH the
globe.
An effort was made to shut the we'll in, and
eight men worked for nearly two hours until
they succeeded in getting the well under con-
troll. Afterwards it was turned into 600
Dbl tank through Pinch line running the
tank over with rolly oil in one hour and three
minutes. The we'll at the rate it flowed
was opened, would in "a hours produce good
10000 bbls. of rolly oil, making nearly double
the size of any well ever completed, not bar
ring the wonderful Russian wells.
The Ohio oil field now leads all in the shape
of phenomenal geyser of oil equal to vol
cano. Some several months ago cable was
sent out from Russia stating that we'll with
capacity of 100000 barrels a day had been
opened up in the Baku field of Russia. There
was mistake in the report, as it was claimed
by eye witnesses to be good for 10000 barrels.
This same Baku we'll has blown itself out,
and is now lying dormant. Whether it will
be revived remains to be determined, but it is
quite likely that the we'll has run its race,
while the famous McMurray gusher of the
Ohio field still lives, and can produce oil at a
rate that deties storage facilities if it were
euChCO iOOoOs ~ 40 odlu w pEOmAnonb OpoEd-
tors that if the McMurray we'll o.day we're
allowed to produce its full capacity that in "a
hours it would show an output of over 10000
barrels of oil. Had the McMurray well been the
same size as the Baku well it would have
shown twice as much as it did. Those ia
milar with the Russian field know that the
wells are much larger in circumference than
our American wells. In Russia the top of the
hole when started measures "a inches in
diameter, and is graduated down, though
when finished it is larger at the bottom than
the American well is at the surface, being
nearly IL inches in diameter. The McMurray
we'll only had 5-S in. casing to flow from.
As it is it flowed nearly double what the Rus
sian well did, and Ohio can boast of the
largest oil well ever yet developed in the
world without doubt. A large number Of
oil men who have had years of experience in
the fields of Pennsylvania were present In the
opening up of the McMurray glsher, and all
pronounced it wonder. Lou ID. Langmade
Of North Baltimore, the largest individual