Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-07

sake, Mr.. Peterson, come up here. There's
oceans OF OIL"
advised, would have been better Off to-day.
Smith also wrote advising other Tarentum
people to come up and lease land near
Brakes well. Some took his advice. James
Kier and William Donnell were the first to
go, and Samuel M. Kier himself followed. l
believe they all made more or less money.
Dr. F. r. Brewer, of Pittsburg, owned
property near Titusville, on which he knew
springs of ''rock oil'' existed. In 1858 he
received letter from George 81. Bissel in
quiring about it. DR.. Brewer assisted him
with valuable information. As the result
OF this correspondence Bissel & Eveleth
formed q partnership to collect this oil from
water in trenches which they dug on land
that they leased near Titusville. In 1855,
Bissel & Eveleth sold third interest in
this lease to some New Haven capitalists.
! and the "Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company"
was formed. 1t was this company that in
1858 employed Colonel Drake, of New
Haven, to try to sink an artesian well.
Digging for Petroleum.
These early oil developments at Tarentum
terminated in perhaps the most daring ven
ture ever undertaken in any oil region. 1t
is described by ex-Mayor Peterson as follows:
While managing my fathers salt works at
Tarentum, became impressed with the
GROWING Valuo OF THIS petroleum. OF rOck OIL
as we called it. Through Mr. Kier's ventures
the oil had become worth anywhere from 30
cents to 81 per gallon. l concluded would
improve any opportunity thereafter Of get
ting oil myself At this time Thomas DON
nelly was operating the salt we'll on the
Humes farm, not far from our own property.
Peterson & Irwin, of which firm was q
member, determined to buy the well. 1t
was only producing salt water, but I rea-
soned that if it was enlarged to the size Of
the other wells there it too would pump up
petroleum: , But as IS we re- proposed improving 1'r
arose, viz: whether in letting the salt water
run to waste, as We proposed to do. we would
not violate the terms Of the Humes lease
which We were buying from Thomas DON
nelly, and lay ourselves liable to forfeiture
by reason Of Humes receiving no royalty.
his sole royalty being every twentieth barrel
Humes claim to any royalty we purchased
his whole farm. We paid him $40 600 and
Mr.. Donnelly $40 600 additional for his lease.
Then we reamed out the well, enlarginR the
hole. This was in 1856.
"A Demand for OIL at Baltimore.
Sure enough. oil came, and very valuable
grade OF it, too. It produced from two and q
half to i've barrels per day. We found th at
a specimen of the oil that had been sent on
to Baltimore was very successfully used in
oiling the wool made at carding mills there.
A demand for 1t was created in Baltimore.
To this sScity our entire product went. There
was tmiddle man" however, McKeown,
Nevin 8 Co., OF Pittsburg. They handled
all our oil This continued until 1854 when
we sold the well and property to Eastern
people for about i$l60, 900. The "Tarentum
Salt s.nd Oil Company was organized. the
principal stock being held in Philadelphia,
New York and Brooklyn.
Iibts company conceived the idea of
digging q shaft into the ground in search Of
oil and salt water. The Tarentum wells
were only from 400 to 500 feet Deep and they
I'D 4 hQ 1 NJ "a
deep down with pick ard shovel, and pos.
sibly discover q monstrous cave Of the
fluids They selected h"aed,, spot, probably 100 100
Europe and brought across the ocean a lot
of Cornish miners These men were taken
to Tarentum and set to work. The hole
they dug into the ground was about 6xs
feet, and in many places larger.
Cornish Miners Seeking the Grease.
Two and half years were consumed in
digging this shaft and 600 was spent in
the work. Tfmbers 16 or Is inches square
were walled into the we'll in the upper part,
but when the rock was struck below no
wall was needed. Cast iron pipes sinches in
diameter were inserted to pump out the
water. SO that the men might work uninter-
| ruptedly.
The Cornish miners at length got dissatis-
fed and quit work, going off to the copper
mines of Lake Superior. An agent was sent
TO New forE Tnere n ne gathered inst up anUshsr
worked in the shaft for awhile, but they too
gave the employers trouble and had to be
let CO. Then an effort was made to get deep
1 mine diggers from Scotland, and two of the
/, men who were In party, James and George
| Jenkins, are still living up the MonongaheIa
| river believe. 1t was huge engineering
| scheme. Nine mon worked in gang in the
| shaft.
verify believe some great result would
| have been the outcome of this experiments
| had IL been finished. It had reached o
| deuth of 400 feet and We all noticed that ft
| had marked effect upon the Donnelly well.
| The salt water In the Donnelly we'll was