Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1892-01-14
BELL UNION WELLS.
MANIFESTATIONS in
PENNSYLVANIA OIL FIELDS.
An Engine Being Operated by Hands
That Arc Invisible---One OF the Queer
est Happenings In the Oil Regions
Reported by nm Ego Witness.

y
| ghosts" said the man behind the stove,
but very few Of you have seen them.
Now, I'll tell you story of a ghost, an
Industrious ghost. amt the man that
seen the man that saw the ghost, mind
you. I saw it myself. The story amt
very romantic, but it's queer, an I'll
tell it to YOU" And the man behind
the stove rclit his pipe and started off.
SIN 1878 was in the oil regions of
Pennsylvania. was specializing lit
tie and had done we'll, and know the
country pretty well. was on my way
! from Petrolia, in Butler county. to
Fairview. In the party was Sam
Shryock, two other experts and my
self. We were going to see q new 300
barrel well near Fairview that had just
been struck by Green, the Oil King.
"'What wells is them" asked as
the road took short cut through way
had not been before, and l pointed
my hand to three tall derricks of
weather-worn pine, with an engine
putting steadily away beside each one
of them.
"These are the Bell Union, or Ghost
we,' said Sam.
'"And why the Ghost wells?'
'"Because ghost runs them
doubted Sans statement at first,
but the other two experts nodded their
heads affirmatively, and then Sam told
the story.
''The Bell Union wells were among
the first struck on the belt in the third
sand.
''This place then was whooping
wilderness. There was no communica-
ton with the outside world save by
pony express, and although the Allie
gheny Valley railroad ran but six miles
away, the condition of the country and
the thickness of the forest made these
wells almost inaccessible.
''No woman lived nearer than ParlSers
several miles off, and the two young
men from Erie who pumped the wells
Charlie Kaylor and Fred Hastings-had
hard and lone lot of it. OF these two,
Kaylor was bright, intelligent boy of
selfish disposition, just Fl. Hastings,
on the contrary, was of a morose and
friendly disposition, and, although these
two men worked here by turns night
and day for two months without seeing
human face other than their own,
there was anything but friendship be-
tween the two. Kaylor had tried to
make friends with Hastings time and
again, only to be repulsed. So now the
two men relieved each other, each did
his share of the work and no more,
and they never spoke except
Hastings worked the morning trick and
Kaylor came on at night.
''Things went on like this for some
time, until one day Kaylor was seized
with terrific attack of toothache.
There was no dentist nearer than Par
ker, and he suffered four sleepless
nights and days in agony. At last, on
the fifth day, he started to walk to the
the dentist at Parker. six rough noun
tain miles, as soon as his trick or work
turn was finished. He was back at 10
that night, free from pain, for the cause
was gone, but weary, worn out and foot
sore, and nearly dead, besides, for want
of sleep.
"'Work for me tonight, Fred,' he
asked Hastings. You know what I've
been through and how dead tired am
but Hastings refused.
"'Only work for me four hours, then,
for the love of God.' e
Every man works his own trick on
these wells, replied Hastings.
'sAll right, then; will run mine,
living or dead and he lay down on a
board, while Hastings took his coat and
bucket and walked out of the engine
house.
SAT 2:3O the next morning the boiler
went up, taking Kaylor's mangled body
and most of the boiler room with it.
The owners of the well, Satterfield &
Taylor, of Titusville, replaced the boiler
and made the necessary repairs, and in
two weeks the wells started up again,
with Hastings running Kaylor's trick
from q. m. until p. m.
HE ran the trick one turn and then
refused to work it longer. He gave no
explanation, but took back his own
turn. The new man in Kaylor's place
ran one trick, too, and then refused to
work it again. Upon investigation the
foreman learned that strange things
happened on the morning tricks.
Water gauges were raised, pumps were
turned off and on, the engines stopped
and started, and the oil cans were taken
up by invisible hands and the engines
oiled-not only the one in the boiler
house, but the other two, $50 yards
away, as we'll.
Charlie Kaylor, dead, was working
his trick? They sent to Erie for Kay
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