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

CharievO1x, WrOte III Ills JOURNAL
i May, 1921, that "a fountain at tn
head of the Ohio, NOW Alleghen.
river), the water of which is like oil
has taste of iron and seems to ap
pease all manner of pain"
Along Oil creek, particularly be
tween Titusville and Oil City and IL
other localities in Western Pennsyl
vania, circular and square walled pits
cribbed with timber have been found
which are supposed to have been th'
work of Indians and excavated for ths
purpose of obtaining oil.
The early white settlers gathered
oil from the surface of streams BY
spreading blankets so as to absorb it
then wringing them over a kettle, tut
or receptical. Occasionally it was
found In salt wells. In one of these
sunk in 1911, near the present house
of James Kearns, a mile northeast Of
Butler, was discovered the first petro'
leum in Butler county, of which we
have any record. The oil was present
In sufficient quantities to render the
salt made from the brine unfit to pre-
serve meat in. 1t was gathered by
Mrs. Kearns, the wife Of one of the
pioneers, and people came long dis
tances to procure small vials of the
liquid for medicinal purposes. 1t was
considered valuable in cases Of rheu-
matism, bruises, fleshwounds and
similar ailments, and was kept in store
by druggists throughout the country,
bringing a high price under the name
Of Seneca, rock or British oil, or naph-
ta.
As the most prolific and most widely
known Of the natural oil springs were
on Oil creek, Venango county, Pa, 1t
was natural that the first step toward
systematic and extensive production
should be first taken there. In 1858.
Messrs. J. E. Eveleth and Geo. Fl. Bis
sell, of New York City, having leased
from Messrs. Brewer, Watson & Co.
Of Titusville, 100 acres of land in
Venango county, just south Of the Will
age on which was an oil spring. which
had been a source of considerable pro-
fit for years. 1t was concluded to sink
q well for the purpose Of tapping the
stream or reservoir which they con-
jectured flowed beneath the surface.
They engaged for this undertaking,
Mr.. E. L. Drake, of New Haven,
Conn. who began with set Of tools
which he could almost carry on his
shoulder, to sink the first oil well in
the world.
On the afternoon of Saturday, Aug
ust %, 1859, the drill of the well drop
ped into the first crevice, at a depth
Of only seventy-one feet. Thus was
born a new industry, and one of the
greatest Of the world. 1t was stated
that the petroleum production of 1859,
the first year, was 1000 barrels.
When the pump was adjusted to the
Drake well it produced about % bar
rels day. A second sand rock was
found at a depth of 200 feet which
gave greater yield. A man named
Evans, sunk another well within the
limits of Franklin Borough, which
was noteworthy affair, as he had
sunk well seventeen feet to obtain
fresh water. A thick scum Of oil
covered the water, making it unfit to
drink. When he heard Of the Drake
well, he got iron on credit and con-
structed tools.
He erected a derrick and by means
Of q spring pole, with the assistance
Of his two sons, bored the well to the
depth Of seventy-two feet when he
struck q heavy vein of oil which flow
ed over the top Of the conductor.
The tubing was put down and the
well pumped by hand with common
pump, producing about 20 barrels a
day, which sold at an average of $50
q barrel. At the close of the year
1850, over two hundred wells were in
successful operation and the produc-
tion that year reached 100000 barrels
The first flowing well was struck by
Mr.. Funk, in February 1851, upoY the
McElhany farm on oil creek in the
third sand rock at a depth of 400 feet
and the well began flowing 400 barrels
day. 1t would be impossible to de-
scribe the excitement at this period,
and wells were drilled as hasty as Gag.
or speculator's could put them down
The Phillips we'll on the Tar1
farm, OIL creek flowed 5000 barrels pei
day and the Empire, near Mr.. Funk'i
first well, about the same. The con
sumption of oil as an illuminator was
not equal to the enormous production
which was by this time obtained, ant
consequently the oil was selling at ter
cents barrel, and often allowed tt
run upon the ground.
Production was paralyzed and small
wells abandoned In 1854, a vigorous
recuperation occurred, consumption
steadily increased while the produc
ton had decliped to less than 1000 bar
rels day and the price rose to thu
highest figure ever known $14. pc
barrel; the average price being 5000
Under the stimulus Of high prices
the Pit Hole and new territories wer
developed, search was made with un
firing diligence for new oil fields, an,
the energy and capital Of thousand
Of men were brought to bear on tn
great industry, which was still in it
infancy. 1t was discovered that tn
oil sand rock, was not confined t,
courses Of the streams alone, but ez
tended horizontally under hills an
could be reached by deeper drilling
Various theories were promulgate
respecting the nature of the oil san
deposit, It's extent and direction
among them was that of the oil bel
deduced from the observations of
d. AngeIl of Franklin, Pa. that
number Of oil producing spots woul,
be intersected by a straight line
whose bearing was north, about 16 d.
grees east. The first paying well i
the Butler-C Clarion belt was obtaine
on the Allegheny river, at Parker
Landing, in the fall Of 1858, an
operations spread out from that poir
slowly, during the remainder of ths
and the next year. In the Autumn {