Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-24
DERRICKS GO DOWN.
The Wind Storm Paralyzed Work in
the Oil Fields Yesterday.
ONE BIG FIFTH SANDER REPORTED.
hore Big Gordon Sand Producers Com
pleted Fast of Mcdonald.
THAT M00RHEAD WELL is PRODUCING

Old Boreas got his work in yesterday il
great shape in the oil fields. Not satisfied
with whistling through the derricks and tn,
whiskers Of the unshorn and unkemp
drillers, he threw himself into the worl
like campaign orator and smashed rigs
gas stacks and belt houses in everv direc
tion.
He pulled the throttle wide open and lei
everything go. There were no terrors fol
him. He bumped up against any object
that happened to be in his path, and the
chances are that football eleven would
have been wiped out of existence should il
out the whole Med McCurdy field peo-
pie literally suspended operations for few
hours yesterday morning while the old man
monopolized the wind business Drillers
hurriedly left the derricks where they were
working to avoid being crushed in case the
rig should go down. Loose boards went
sailing through the air like snow fakes, ac-
cording to one spectator. Every object not
nailed or chained down took brief
vacation and sought other locations
One monumental prevaricator claimed he
saw BLACK cloud composed of fence rails,
water buckets, old churns, and bric-a-brac of
various kinds, sail over Oakdale slowly
after the storm commenced.
Mcdonald Residents Terrified.
In the town of Mcdonald the residents
were terrified. There is scarcely house
in the borough that has not a derrick
within 40 feet of it. These derricks are
~ feet high and consequently people
crouched in their cellars. and listened in
breathless expectation to hear the roof come
crashing down upon them. No one had
the temerity to venture into the streets.
To have done so would have meant coffin
or broken limbs Luckily, however, the
town is surrounded by high hills, and it did
not receive the brunt of the storm. There
were two derricks blown down, but FORUM
ately they were outside the borough limits
and removed from any houses. The tall
gas stacks. which were put up at the wells
completed near the railroad to prevent the
igniting of the gas by passing locomotives,
were all blown down, as were many of the
tall boiler smoke stacks which were not
strongly guved. The roof was lifted off a
house belonging to a Belgian miner, carried
200 feet and deposited on top of an uncov-
cred boiler. The derrick of the "hiIltop"
well, belonging to George S. Martin & Co.
and located on the Druart property, north
of Mcdonald, was blown down. The rigs
of Hays & Gartland's Nos. / and 4
on the Miller farm were also
reported to have dropped before the gale,
and bel. house was twisted around to the
opposite side of the derrick from where it
was originally located. Two derricks in
the vicinity of Willow Grove were also
blown down, but the names of their
owners could not be ascertained. McGinnis
& Company's derrick on the Whitney lot
back of Noblestown also succumbed to the
ferocity of the demons of the wind.
The Wind at oakda1e.
Back of Oakdale couple of derricks we're
also reported down, but their owners could
not be found. Mr.. Jones, of Patterson &
Jones, the McCurdy producers, stated yes
terday afternoon that they had lost
Number of rigs which were located
On the high hill tops in the McCurdy field
The Woodland Oil Company also lost rig
on the Gamble farm. The Orion Oil Com.
pany was reported to have lost several rigs
1t McCurdy, also R. G. Gillespie & Co., and
5he Forest OilCompany. A member of the
Fisher Oil Company stated last evening that
MS firm had five rigs down in the CHARTERS
district. There were many derricks re-
ported down throughout the two fields,
whose owners were not known, and
t will probably be several days before
he actual loss and the number of rigs
blown down can be definitely ascer-
aimed. Owing to the extremely bad
Weather prevailing all day yesterday few
operators visited the field, and those who
lid go out Kept close to the railroad sta
ions Consequently the reports brought in
asst night are vague and unsatisfactory so
ar as the owners of the demolished rigs
we're concerned. 1t was estimated
- s~LA I~1l
east 80 derricks down in the
and the Moon and Coraopolis
districts, which also suffered heavily.
North of the OHIO River.
The damage was not confined to the south
ide of the Ohio by any means. Along the
forth bank of the river at Hays
lille and Jacks Run the storm
,ing swept clear path through
he forest of derricks. All work there
IS we'll as on the lower side of the river had
o be suspended. The few people who still |
20 to that now almost forgotten place,
Wildwood, came into Pittsburg last night
md reported large number Of rigs down,
specially in the northeastern part of that |
erritory. Among the unfortunates were |
iuffey s. Queen, who lost one, Barnsdall |
Z Gillespie lost two; Griffith & Co. were |
eported to have lost one or two, and there |
we're several reported down on the Kress |
arm.
Reports from Butler county were to the
fleet that the storm had been yery dis
strous TO operators in many sections, Moth
ng could be learned of the effect of the storm
n the upper fields, but it was generally be-
ieved that if the wind was half as strong
here as it was in Allegheny county, der
icks would go down by the score, as they
re all old and unstable.
Mathews Heirs Well Big.
The only big fifth sand well reported
q the southwest field yesterday was that of
iuffey, Jennings & Co. on the Mathews
eirs farm. 1t is located about a mile and
quarter back of Noblestown and zoo feet
orth of west from the original j. J. Math-
VS. we'll of the same firm which has
since July 16 over 450 900 barrels
f OIL The Mathews heirs well reached
he sand Sunday afternoon, and started off
so barrels an hour, and yesterday 1t was
eported to be mabing IS barrels every 60
,inutes. Two more big Gordon sand
-ells have been reported lust east
f the limits of the Mcdonald borough.
ONE time ago The DISPATCH ventured to
redicr Gordon sand pool in that locality,
ldging from the showing the Gordon was
laking in the northeast and at the Rend
ell, and the developments of the past week
ave fully confirmed those predictions
me of these new wells is by long odds the
iggest Gordon sand yet struck in the field.
t belongs to Brown & Co., OF the Left
landed Big Oil Company, and is located
n the Montgomery just southwest of the
[iller farm. 1t started off at 46 bar
lis an hour, and yesterday was
ping at least 35 barrels an hour when it
titles down it will make a strong 30 barrels
hour well.
The Other Gordon Sander.
Shay, Welsh & Co. s we'll, on the Versch.