Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-03-11

thompson Esq AISAahuei AO"A
, Lewis 2. Mitchell Esq, II. j. Klinglel
, VIM. Campbell, John Berg and Others
all of Butler Borough, organized tn
Butler Oil Company, and leased
large body of land extending from th
vicinity of Martinsburg On Bear creek
nearly as far south as Millerstown
The leases of the company covere'
what in after years proved to be tn
very best oil territory in the who'll
lower region.
The company owned the privilege
of the Gibson and Fletcher farms, tn
Campbell, Sheak,ey, McClymonds
Wilson & Mcdonald farms, in fact
almost all of the best territory il
what came to be known as the grea
Butler Belt On the basis of thest
leases $4,000 was secured through
Mr.. Hughes of Pott5ville, which witt
considerable more was disbursed by
the company. Unfortunately it wa
expended under an executive commit
tee, which knew practically nothing
about the business in which they were
engaged and the result was what might
have been expected. Locations were
made for five wells, and drilling
commenced. They were all "wilo
CATS" of most pronounced type, sunk
with hope of finding something, some
where inButler county, the extension o.
the Clarion Belt. Martinsburg, Buffalo
creek, Bulls Mills, and Butler were
the locations chosen. Not one of these
wells were drilled to the second sand,
the dip of the strata, towards the south
west which made it necessary to drill
deeper in Butler than in the upper
region.
The money of the Butler Company
was exhausted without obtaining
demonstration of the pressure of oil
in the county, and the organization
practically disbanded. A new com
pany was organized in 1863 by Jacob
Ziegler and named after him the
Jacobs Oil Company. They took up a
portion of the leases held by the old
company, and began to drill the Mar
tinsburg well in the autumn of 1865,
and in February 1859, had signs
of oil. The well was then sunk one
hundred feet deeper and pumping
commenced, but the production was
small. Mr. ]. @. A. Kennedy then
examined the we'll and found it toe
deep. The pump was readjusted and
after being shot with torpedo. pro-
duced so barrels day.
This was the first successful well in
Butler county and was pumped for II
years, but was never large producer,
The well and the leases of the farm
were sold for $4,000 in 1872. The
striking ofthe Jacobs well brought
larger spectators to Parker township,
and all the available territory was
leased. In the fall of 1870, Is barrel
well was struck on the stonehouse
farm, northeast of Martinsburg, by
E. Bennett. This stimulated operations
in all directions. The "Pine tree' well
struck in the spring of 1870, produced
so barrels day which gave fresh
impetus to the business. Among the
first to take practical action in accor-
dance with the theory of southerly
extension of the oil sand rock, was A.
L. Campbell. He leased 80 acres, May
1871, of the Robert Campbell farm, a
wild cat well was sunk, ! he rig caught
fire, burned to the ground, but was re-
built in twenty-four hours, and the
well produced eighty barrels per day.
This caused great rush to the front.
A large amount of territory was leased
south of the new well, including the
site of Petrolia and several farms sur
rounding it. The "Fanny Jane'' well
was struck about April 1st 1872, and
started off with flow of 200 barrels
per day, causing great excitement
among oil men and farmers in the re.
gion who began to see visions o.
wealth accruing from the hitherto
poor lands.
The Hatch, Dresser, ''Lightfoot," !"
'sIvanhoe," and other wells were soon
producing, the latter flowing about
300 barrels day. The village o.
Argyle was laid out which became
quite a fourishing town and the
Campbell farm increased from $50 to
81, 900 per acre in value. The striking
of the Karns we'll in December, 1871
proved that the line extended half {
mile farther west than had beer
generally supposed. Petrolia, destin
ed to be the most notable oil center o
the lower regions now sprung into
existence. The astonished farmer saw
village grow up around him, witt
mushroom like growth. Like all OF
towns springing quickly into exist
ence through the pressure of suddenl.
developed need, Petrolia consisted
entirely of light and flimzily con
structed wooden buildings. The.
were put up hastily to meet the de
, mands of the strange heterogeneou
: population which poured into tn
county. Hotel followed hotel, anC
all were crowded to their utmos
, capacity as soon as completed. TIL
population quickly increased to 800
| and ultimately to 5000. The luck
, strikes of the % degree belt, and th
, rapid developement of the territory
) brought all classes of people. Th
D heavy capitalist, tho experience
, operator, the shrewd speculator, tn
: penniless adventurer, the ''man wh
I had seen better days." the green nj
vice, the curious tourist, the homes
l citizen, the common laborer, th
I tramp, beggar, gambler, sharper, THE
the courtezan, all were there, an
{ jostled each other on the narro,
crowded sidewalks. The sodden ain
a less broken down wretches who forr
l the .fotsdn and jetsdm of the ocean {
J, life, depraved characters, of ever
: degree of degradation, came upon th
a heels of the pushing men or business
as horde of camp followers stragglin
a on after an army. Petrolia afforded
4 marked illustration of condensed an
t intense life.
t Business, pleasure and dissipatio
# were carried on during the height