Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-31

Iers by the name OF Wells.
1t is more than year ago since some ven-
turesome wildcatters got showing of oil II
what is the present Sstersville field. Lud-
wg& Mooney struck the Old folecaJ well
which was probably the first in the region
TO show any encouraging amount of oil.
Then William johnson, and Charles Duel
and ]. G. Tenant went to work and after
great deal OF labor demonstrated to the OIL
producing public that the field was worth
something. This was all that was needed,
and lNte last spring a rush was made Tor the
new EldOadu. The natives OF the slumoer-
ing old village were amazed when
morning they awoke to see der
licEs and tanks being built on
every lot and farm: and pipe lines being laid
across their fertile meadows. From popu-
lation 800 or 400 il jumped to over J, 500 in
Il cour : OF weeks: and from a production of
500 or 4oV barrels day it went to over 1900
barrels a day.
Nearly 200 wells have been drilled in the
field, but at the present time it is generally
believed that the producing sand has been
pretty well defined, with the exception OF
narrow streak toward the southwest on
the West Virginia SIDE of the river. Some
good wells were recently brought in in that
direction, especially on the keener prop
erty. They showed little or no salt WATER
and flowed naturally. The oil found at
Sistersvtlle, 10y the way. is struck in the Big
1niun SAND, at depth OF from !, 400 to 16OO
Jest.
Always Plenty of Salt Water.
With the exceptions just noted, every we'll
in the field produces from to 20 times as
much salt wa ter as it does oil. frequently.
a ter we'll has been pumping salt water
for weeks, it will commence to show con-
siderable oil and eventually turn into fair
pumper.
The present field is about four miles wide
from east to west, and five miles from north
east to southwest on a p degree line. The
capacity of the wells ranges from 30 to 400
barrels a day, and in the last eight onths
the field has produced almost ,, COO 900 barrels
anf fDFaFT Nfar1F io wi ia
limits OF the defined territory plenty of
stuff which has not been drilled, and with
better price for oil the production would
prOORbly be increased quickly by the drill
ing OF new wells.
There Is still more being done around
Sisterville than in any other part of the
Pennsylvania, New York or West Virginia
fields. but it is very probable that as soon as
SistGrsville goes down another field will be
speedily brought to the notice OF the oper-
apOrs.
THIS at least has been the history of the
oil country, and it is not improbable that
The next field will be in Doddridge county,
W. Va, almost due east OF Sistersville. There
lave been several good wells drilled III that
locality already and others are now going
down. They are. however, from 10 TO Is
mics from the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road, and little definite Information has been
heard from them, except that they were pro-
dGccrs
It is claimed that there are a couple of
wells some eight miles apart on a northeast
and southwest line which are showing oil,
and II this Is the case it promises to be q
field Of the first magnitude when fully de-
velopeG.
.. Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
The Ohio and Indiana fields, particularly
the latter. have at various times during the
year been doomed energeticslly, but the re-
suits do not show that they have come up to
the expectations of the boomers.
No new pools OF any importance have
been developed in the Ohio fields. Spurs
and extensions OF the old pools have been
followed up and occasionally a well was
found which spurted oil, water and mud for
q few hours at an enormous rate, but none of
them hold out.
The Indiana field seems to have been
greatly Overestimated according to the re-
ports which are brought back by Pennsyl-
Vania operators who have visited it. The
sand, tney claim, is extremely spotted and
Ureacher, us and the size OF the wells de-
vrlOped does not pay in the long run. Most
o, the operating has been done around
Portland, the county seat of Jay county, In
the northeastern part OF the State. Outside
OF Jay county very little is being done.
Kentucky has once every few months
made q claim Tor recognition from her oil
trade but as yetnothing has been developed
wHlch warrants the placing of any reliance
Un the State as a great producing region.
sud numerous efforts made to omen the terri
tory. but without results.
The oil is found in the Trenton limestone
and Is OF about the same quality as the Ohio
oil The regions in which it has been found
are remote from the railroads or rivers, and
as there are yet no pipe lines through the
unity there is no market for the product.
Il may in time become a factor in the oil
business. Dut At presentiC is too far removed
and too difficult to reach while better fields
are nearer.
Average Price for 1892.
The average market price Tor crude oil
for the year 1892 has been more than 10 cents
a barrel below that of any previous year. 1t
" ii average about 56 cents. The following
are the averages for the months of the wear:
january, G23s: February, COZ; March, 57Ls;
April, 575s; May, 655s; June, 541S; July, 52L:
ADJUST, 90; september, 545s; October 5IsI;
N,yeInbeT 81, and December about 81 cents
il IsSi he average pIice was ~, in 1857 it
:. as G65I in 1873 it went up to S75S in 1899
L ere Was another jump to 9416, IN 1890 it |
dropped to s534 and IN 1891 it WAS down to 81
CeHG~.
The reduction of the PENNSYLVANIA, New
York and West Eir sinia fields during the |
year has averaged s., ,s45 barrels day. This |
average Is greater than any other year in |
the oil business, with the exception of 1891 |
when the daily average output was 81 $50 |
barrels. In 1850, when Bradford was near |
ing the zenith of its glory, the production |
WAS only IL l07: in 1881 it was 74,954, and in |
1SS2, when the Cherry Grove gushers were |
developed, the average went to 81 303 barrels |
The next year IL declined to 1856. In 1855 /
following the shutdown movement it was |
only 46, 30 and IN 1899, when wildwood was |
a. its best, the average was up to 7s.5Ss
barrels. In Jsnu lry, 1891, the daily average |
production was "a 4l9, and for the month or |
December IL was 7S,OOO decline of over |
J.. COP barrels a day.
Decline in Completed Wells.
There has been a remarkable falling off in
the number of wells completed during the /
year. The number is less than It has ever
been. with the exceptions of the years 1857
ana lSSS The total for the year is L S99. only
about one-halt the number finished in 1891.
and only one-third of the number completed
in 1880 The only reason that can be given
fpr this cessation OF work is the extremely
low price OF crude.
There are now 200 wells drilling in the |
various fields, and the average at the close
Of each month during the year just closed |
was 2lS This is only one-half the number
verage1 in 1891.
There was an increase in stocks during
,He past year from l6, 500 900 barrels in Janu-
ivy TO 49, 100000 barrels in August, when
{ 900 OOJ barrels.
Several New Pipe Lines.
The year 1892 will be remembered as the
rear in which several new and Independents
pipe lines were completed. 1t will also be
as the year in which the first
Individual line was completed to the sea-
BOARD.
First the W. L. Mellon line was laid from
he Mcdonald field to Coraopolis, where
ank caIs were loaded with oil and shipped
% the independent refineries. Then the
'ruducers Oil Company vent into the busi-
less and put down line to Coraopolis, and
.u.ntn..nced feeding the tank cars
80 N afterward W. l. Mellon organized the
-.,S scent Pipe Line Company and con-
. I-c Cd a pipe line from the Mcdonald field
0 Marcus Hook, shipping point on the