The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-02-19
They Struck OH

Iliaii:covar7 os nstrh!eHnl i: .,iabaina
is o,e 1f tic aos5 Important e:e!:a Of IN
important decade.
The brief announcement IN telegram
unaccompanied by any of the particulars
attracted public attention, but the news
mas so important that people hardly
knew whether to believe it or not.
Further information leaves but little
room to doubt the genuineness OF the dis.
coYery. The owners of the well are
prominent citizens of Memphis, and they
have already acquired the ownership OF
the oil and mineral interests of 2S,O00
acres of land, with options on great
deal more, 80 that they control altogether
about fifty square miles in the Northern
psrs of Alabama.
The story Of the discovery is sn inter.
esting one. The firm of Goyer & Gordon,
omposed of F. H. Gordon and r. l..
Goyer, owns great deal of real estate,
including 10000 acres of rich cotton
land in the Yazo Valley of Mississippi.
They become convinced that oil could be
found in Alabama and organized COM
pany to bore for it. This company inclu-
ded in all six men, all prominent in
Memphis business circles. Six months
ago Mr. Goyer went to the place where it
was believed oil would be found and be-
gan operations. He built cabin there
and determined to remain until the work
was done.
Not far from the surface they encoun.
tered the odor of petroleum, and it con.
tinued all the way down, but the boring
reached the depth of l,500 feet without
striking oil. That was the depth to which
the parties had contracted to 90, but MIR.
Goyer said he would go fifty feet more
and risk the expense himself. They went
thirteen feet and farther and struck oil,
and collecting several bottles of it, MIR.
Goyer plugged up the hole and went to
Memphis. The oil Was submitted to the
best chemist in Memphis, and after an.
alyziDg it he said it WAS 33 per cent.
richer than any in the United States.
Not satisfied with this, the company
sent to New York and brought out the
finest petroleum expert they could find,
paying him very high salary for the
work. After examination this expert
gave the opinion that tho petroleum is
found In ine4hauatible quantities.
Accompanying the discovery of petro.
leum is the finding of natural gas.
The importance of the discovery may
be understood when the magnitude of the
business in oil is known. The refined
oil produces in the United States amolnt
to $4,000, 900 barrels year, and will av-
erage 81 barrel.
The total production of crude petroleum
in 1888 was $4,000 barrels, aud all its
products, including illuminating oil, ben
zine, naphtha and tar, must have been
worth not leas than sG0,000,000.
For many years Pennsylvania and New
York produced 92 per cent of the whole
output, but of late years production else
where has increased, and has decreased
in Pennsylvania and New York. In 1888
they produced 16,4S4,000 barrels, Ohio,
10,010,O00, Colorado, 297 900, California
$780, 900, West Virginia, 10000, and the
States of Kentucky aud Tennessee to.
gether $4,000, making for the country a
total of 27,615,0O0 barrels Of crude petro.
leum.
With the discovery Of petroleum in
| Alabama comes the news of the discoye.