The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1892-07-30

"coAL OH Johnny
Host Eccentric OF All Men Who Got Rich
Z Quickly in the OIL REGIONS

XuASAAy OAA ASekIDu@r
The wealth Of Mr.. Steele, better
known as Goal Oil Johnny, has un-
doubtedly been overrated-that Is to
say, his wealth in cash. At the time
the Pittsburg sanitary commission
made an offer to donate soldiers
monument to the county making the
largest contribution, the producers
of this section agreed to set aside for
that purpose the proceeds from their
Sw.ls for one day. Mr.. Steele s con-
tribution for that day was $500,
which was fair gauge of what his
wells were doing.
The farm and the conjunctive inter
ests bequeathed to him by his grand
mother he probably could Lave dis
posed of for $500, 900 or more when
the same came into his possession,
but it is doubtful if at any time he
possessed more than $100, 900 in cash.
His expensive eccentricities were
many, but did not include, as often
reported, the purchasing and giving
away of hotel in Philadelphia. The
story probably grew out Of the fact
that while in Philadelphia at one
time he experienced some difficulty
m securing hack and finally bought
one outright; that when he got
through with the rig the driver
asked him what to do with it and he
told him to keep it. 1t was on that
trip to. Philadelphia that he, while
with Slocum, the fellow who was
showing him the world" attracted
so much attention by going about
with bills of various denominations
tied in the buttonholes of his cloth
ing-by making small purchases
with good sized bills, taking no
change back, and even lighting cigars
with his money.
Another of his eccentricities on
that trip was the forming of negro
minstrel troop at rar9e- i, for each
of the members of which he bought
suit of, clothes when he engaged
him. He brought his troop here,
and that was about all he did with it.
The details of his doings in Phila-
delphia, New York, Saratoga and
elsewhere, including his experiences
with sharTers, notably his $4,000 ac-
quaintance with John Morrissey,
have been written threadbare.
Summed up briefly the main points
in his life are these: When quito
young he became an orphan and was
adopted by his grandparents, Mr..
and Mrs. William McClintock. He
was married two or three years be-
fore he became of age and worked at
farm work until the oil excitement
began. He then engaged in hauling
oil down Oil creek and hauling coal
back with pair of old plugs. The
result was the possession of a good
team of his own. The McClntock
farm became one of the most valu-
able along Oil creek. Mrs. McClin-
took survived her husband severn
years, and when she died, in 1861
the adopted son, Steele, becams tHs'
sole heir to her property
He soon concluded tosseassQme of
the world with his weaRh, and he
saw it. He sought notpuety and he
got it. He spent his money like
man with Monte Cristo backing
was bled by leeches, feeced by sharp
ers and in few years, his oil inter-
ests in the meantime rapidly depre-
ciating in value, he found himself
again poor man. But no one ever
heard him express particular regret
over the return he received for his
money.
At one time when he was highest
in his eccentric extravagances Cap
tain j. J. Vandergrift, T. Fl. Will
liams and others sent for him and
kindly expostulated with him on the
point that he ought to save some of
his money. He thanked them for
their friendly advice, but said that he
had made a living by hauling oil ind
could do it again if necessary. He
couldn't rest until he had spent that
fortune. Ultimately he got the re-
quired rest.
A cousin Of Mr.. Steele maintains
that the estimates which have been
put upon Steele's wealth have not, as
a general thing, been exaggerated
He says that he personally knows
that when Mrs. McClintock died
Steele inherited $125, 900 in gold and
about 100000 in other money. The
income from his wells then was from
s., 900 to $4,000 a day. The cousin
says that from his knowledge. of
Steele's affairs he should say that at
one time "Coal Oil Johnny" could
have produced 10000 900 in cash.
Oil City Cor. Pittsburg Dispatch.