Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-02-19

shIle from the other Kanawha. a


first we'll was drilled. In fact. it was
here in the county of Kanawha, (Which
generally leads the procession in BUSH
uess as well as politics., drilling tools
and the method of casing wells were
both invented. without which the oil
and gas industry would have been I'm
possible. All honor TO the memory Of
Col. Drake for first conceiving aud exc
cutting the plan Of dri"i : into the
earth To obtain oil, LuJ ia this connec-
ton let us not forget the names of
the Ruffner brothers, whose busy brains
invented casing; nor "Billy" Morris,
who constructed the first pair OF Jars;
for without both Of these discoveries
deep drilling would have been impossi-
BILE.
The question is frequently asked why
il is that il West Virginia really contains
so much oil it was not discovered and
developed along with that OF her sister
State. The answer Is at hand. The
first wells to find oil in our State were
ON the Little Kanawha, where great
arch In the rocks throws the oil sands
mnch nearer the surface than elsewhere
in the State, and hence it happened that
although wells were drilled in nearly
every county west from the Alleghenies,
none of them until recent years pene-
trated the earth far enough to reach
the oil-bearing rock.
About eight years ago your speaker
took up the serious study OF oil and gas
problems in Pennsylvania. The ioi-
lowing year / became convinced that
the great oil belt OF that State would
extend into and across our own. Acting
ON this conviction, | had map pre-
pared almost exactly like the one you
see here now. This submitted TO a
Pittsburgh firm, and the theory
of southern extension OF the Penn-
svlyania field appeared so plausible 10
them that they were induced TO under
take the oil development 0f west VIZ
pinia on Il large scale. Under my di-
rections over 400, 900 acres OF West Nlr-
oinIa lands were leased by my little
! brother, who now does Dusi-
ness for the United states The
Pittsburgh syndicate drilled TWO
wells on this immense area ana erected
about eight derricks. The first was
drilled for gas, with which TO supply
Wheeling. Some gas was louhu' ont
not as much as the company expected;
The second well was for oil, and located
near Board Tree tunnel. at the south
west corner OF Pennsylvania. This
found only small quantity OF the gol-
den fluid. The syndicate was discour-
yed, its president declared there was
neither oil nor gas in West Virginia,
and bankruptcy would be the result OF
further efforts TO find them. The shut
down" movement came on, and a prop
erty which would have made Rocka-
fellars of its owners was permitted 10
lapse and the leases TO become void.
Within sight o! the Board free venture
valuable oil well was completed oy the
Standard Oil company during the past
wear. One of my locations made In 1888
before Mr.. Hukill had drilled his hrst
well at Mt. Morris was one on the foust
farm. near Fairview. in Marion county.
Here A derrick had been erected, and
plead with the Pittsburg men to make
this test before finally abandoning West
Virginia. They were deaf TO my appeal
and today this old derrick stands In the
midst of dozen oil wells gushing from
one TO five hundred barrels each and
sending two thousand barrels OF the
finest oil in the world thro6blng
through the pipe line on its way to the
sea The MI. Morris, Dolls Run, Fair
view, Warrington oil and gas held,
whose southern end no one mas YET
found, and which, in my opinion, VIII
prove the largest, longest and rlcheSt
oil and gas belt the world mas ever
known, was largely covered by the
leases which the Pittsburg syndicate
held until the year 1889. The oil mag |
mates of the country paid no serious at
tention to West Virginia. This date,
however, IS red letter one in our oil
history, for it marks the opening oil
Dolls Run, Warrington, and the rise oil
Eureka to prominence. These three
deyelopments brought the Standard Oll
Company to realize that here In
West Virginia was TO be the great OIL
field OF the future, and that much De-
rated monopoly has come into our State
TO take possession of its oil business.
How many hundred thousand acres II
has leased or purchased do not know,
but the territory it controls is vast
one and the million and half dollars |
IL has expended in building pipe line
from Morgantown to the sea attest that
il Is with us TO stay. Just what its IN !
Auence will be upon our young Com
monwealth remains TO be asccrtained
II il here at the capital asking for legls- |
lation necessary for carrying on this
vast business enterprise OF producing |
and marketing the millions OF barrels oil
oil which lie hidden In the rocky strata |
II what it asks be fair IL Is only right
that IL should be given. Most OF us
have only seen the dark side OF this
monster corporation. It's too true that
its immense resources have been used In
this country to crush out rivals whom 1t
could not purchase, but at the same
time only the power OF such aggregated
wealth could meet and vanqnlsh the
Rothschids of Europe In the contest
with the cheap oils OF Russia, to meet
this competition, and hold as well asex-
tend the foreign markets for American
oils. This much abused corpora
tion has often sold oil for
months far below its cost, and had
this not been done, the price of our oil
would not be more than 80 cents bar
rel to-day. This Is one OF the benefits
that aggregated wealth confers, OF
which we hear very little.
II Is nv firm belief that this great oil
belt. which has come down to our State
through a distance of 200 miles, will ex-
tend clear across the same from Han
rock to Logan county. Only to-day !
received telegram that large flow of
gas had stopped the drill at well In
C;ilmer. while Major Hotcbkss tells me
that well being drilled by his
company in Lincoln has had to
Sbnt down for the same
cause. The gas wells at Winfield on
the Big Sandy, and those at Burning
SPRINGS above this city complete the
chain OF evidence that the oil belt viii
extend entirely across our area from
the Panhandle TO Kentucky, Tor
wherever the gas occurs. the heavier
fluid is not far away. How much luxury
and comfort this underground wealth
will bring TO the homes of our State no
man can estimate. But our future in
this respect could not be brighter, with
the greatest coal field In the world, Civ
ing us an ample supply OF solid fuel for
ali time TO come. With this great
stream OF liquid gold coursing
through our rocks, only waiting
to be tapped. with the largest
fields of natural gas the world has ever
seen to bring comfort and ease to our
homes. where is the commonwealth |
wbose futllre is brighter than ours? All
thai we need to do is TO let the world |
know what we have. This we must de-