Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-25
THE BIG PRODUCER.
That Well at Mcdonald Doing Over
Twenty-Five Hundred Barrels.
WELLS WHICH ARE AROUND IT.
The Adams Well at McCurdy Doing One
Thousand Barrels.
NO BREAKDOWN YET AT NOBLESTOWN

There is no place in the United States
that is attracting the attention of oil men SO
strongly as the little strip of land running
from McCurdy, ten miles west of Pittsburg,
and south of the Ohio river, to Mcdonald,
| on the line between Allegheny and Wash
ington counties, and 1917 miles
southwest of Pittsburg If this terri
tory, which is about eight miles long,
does not turn out to be bigger oil field
than any so far struck in the Southwest
district it will be bigger surprise to the
reader in general than the striking of the
wells which have placed the territory on
what is presumably firm oil basis
Nothing Like 1t Used to Be.
1t is a revelation for one who visited the
little quiet mining town of Mcdonald a
| year ago to go to it now. There are almost
twice the number of people there and in
| almost every backyard are rigs building or
wells being drilled The hollow back and
northwest of the place is simply mass of
| derricks built closely and compactly to-
gether, while the rig timbers lying about
| lead to the belief that they intend to build
other rigs on top of those which are
already up. Nearly every house is
| now a boarding house, where only
a short time ago the owners would have
scorned to take in dodgers. When the re-
port of the big well of the Royal Gas Com
pany, on the Sauters farm No 3, was read
in THE DISPATCH yesterday morning, hum
dreds of operators focked to Mcdonald, and
when the train pulled away from the little
station at that place it carried only
half dozen of the 300 people who
had been ON it but moment before. Most
of do oh
is not more than half mile from the sta
tion, to the northwest, and located on a
steep hillside.
Watching the Well Flow.
The curious spectators crawled over the
tanks and slipped across the greasy floor of
the derrick while making cursory examina-
tions of the locality. AT noon the well was
putting about 65 barrels an hour into the tank,
but later it was reported to have been
drilled deeper, and the production increased
to nearly 110 barrels an hour. The shell
had only been cracked in the first place,
and when the bit entered the sand it was
only natural that the output should be
largely increased. This well is almost on
an east and west line between the Royal
Gas Company's Sauters No. l and No. 8,
both of which are small, and which proves
conclusively that the rich streak is at best
an exceedingly narrow one.
Operations at Mcdonald.
The we'll of Jennings, Ferguson & Bee
son, on the Boisson and Henri lease, 400
feet west of south from the Sauters No. 8
in the valley, was shot yesterday morning,
and yesterday afternoon was making 12%
barrels an hour, or at the rate of about 300
barrels day. Clark & Bannister's
well, on the Butler lot, 800 feet
south of Sauters No 8, was shot
and its production increased from 90 to So
barrels an hour. The CHARTERS Oil Com
pany also shot its well on the Jules Charter
and increased its production, but to what
extent could not be learned. Hartman &
Co. have just finished spudding in their we'll
on the Sauters three acres, 125 feet east of
the Royal Gas Company's Sauters No. 8.
Garland & Hayes on the Miller farm,
1,5O0 northeast of the big well,
expect to get the Gordon sand
about Monday. La Count & Valalee
will probably get the Gordon sand
to-day on the short lot, 200 feet southwest
of the gusher. Finnegan, Downing g. Co. s
No. on the Mongot is $50 feet deep.
Ackerle & Sammels have finished spudding
on the lease just west of Jennings, Fergu-
son & Beeson on the Boisson and Henri
lots. ireland, Hughes Il Rodgers on the
Harris lot next to the Butler well are fish
ing at 800 feet for a bailer. Vankirk & Co.
are down 800 feet on the hotel lot.
Shaffer & Co. on the Fanny Johnston
are drilling in the salt sand. The Venture
Oil Company on the Sam Cook lot are down
about 1,750 feet. Guckert & Steele are drill
ing at 1000 feet on the Mevey farm. Van
kirk & Co. are in the salt sand on the
Richard GLADDEN. lease. MCGEE Brothers
built on the August Fingers lot as in the
light of recent developments they believe
it is in poor location. Stager & Co. are
fishing at 400 feet on the Victor DelOis
property. Shafer & Co. have reached
depth of 800 feet on the Smith lot. Pew
& Emerson are down about 800 feet on the
S. S. Johns property. Smith & Campbell
are through the Big Injun sand on the
Moorhead property Unknown parties are
building rig on the Hoffman lot. Patter-
son s. Sauters are down ZOO feet in their
No. 4, on the south side of the railroad. 1t
was reported yesterday that Pew & Emer-
son were drilling in the Gordon sand at
their well on the turntable lot, near the
slaughter house, but that so far they had
struck neither oil nor gas.
Forty Barrels an Hour.
NoBLEsTowN-One of the wonders of the
oil business is the big well of Gutfey, Jen-
nings & Co. on the Mathews farm, a mile
northwest of Noblestown. Since a week
ago yesterday it has not been agitated, but
all that time it has been producing
petroleum at the rate of 40 barrels
an hour, or nearly 1000 barrels in that
time. The owners believe they could easily
increase the output to so or 100 barrels an
hour by drilling it little deeper, but as
they are well protected on every side they
are resting on their oars and taking things
easy. The Forest Oil Company's we'll on
the w Heron farm | 600 feet southeast of
the Mathews well was drilled deeper yester-
day, but did not improve 1t will not be
better than 30-barrel well
An Idea of These Fields.
In the Mcdonald and Noblestown fields
however, are around Noblestown. There
are IA wells which have been drilled
through to the fifth sand in the two places
and these have an average daily production
of a little more than 5000 barrels day.
The Big Hilltop Well.
MCCURDY-An official judge of j. M.
Guffey and.J. H. Gailey's well on the Annie
Adams farm in the northwest part of the Nc
Curdy field showed that it put out about
], ,O25 barrels in the first "a hours. Yester-
day it was drilled deeper and last evening
was flowing at the rate of 1,2O0 |
barrels q day and they have made a
location for No. 2 on this farm 300 feet
due east of No. 1. Fitzgibbons & Co. have |
commenced spudding at their well on the |
Mertz farm, a mile southwest of the. well of |
Hussler, Davis & Waterhouse on the
Cowan farm in the extreme southwestern
part of the field. Patterson & Jones
are down about 1000 feet in their
their drilling well on the Adams farm is
nuf II Nj Dot J..