The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-18
A PETROLEUM FIND.
Important Discovery by a Kit
sap County Rancher.
IT PERFUMES THE BREEZEs.
Bottle Of the Fluid Gathered on . swals
1t Seeps Through the Ground
and FIayors Water.

That petroleum may henceforth be included
among the mineral resources Of the Puget
Sound country has been made quite clear by
objective evidence of the fact furnished by
Irving John, rancher living six miles south OF
sidney, in Kitsap county. He came TO town
yesterday with a half-pins bottle Of dirty water,
or the top OF which foated a layer OF crude
petroleum an inch thick, which he had scooped
up from pond on his ranch. The oil is dark
brown in color. very fluid, and has the strong
odor peculiar 10 petroleum Mr.. John took the
sample to 8 chemist, who pronounced it 10 be
petroleum without an examination. Mr.. John
described his finding OF the oil as follows:
/ live six miles south of sidney. short dis
tance from the west shore of Long lake in sec
ton 10 About mile west OF Long lake is what
Is called the big bottom through which CurIey
creek flows. having its origin at the head OF the
bottom N large spring about six inches in d.
ameter. which Continually bulls up from below.
Between the lake anu the bottom the land rises
TO ridge l75 feet high, the summit OF which IS
rather nearer the lake than the bottom. Ny
ranch 10 on the eastern side OF this ridge, and
there IS q swsle il the land of about twenty
acres IN extent from rim to, rim Last year
after the big rains the water collected at
tie bottom OF the swale and covered an area OF
about two acres. i noticed an inky.iooking
stud on the surface. which. when disturbed, re-
dected ali the co.ors of the sun aud when the
wind blew over the pond the oil became thicker
On the further shore, and here scooped up
some OF il last year and kept II as curiosity.
year. After the big rains the oil again collected
upon the water at the bottom of the swale and
g1tnere up some more. inis time thought
wpu!n see II IL Was petroleum TOT sure, and
that IS what have come OYER here to nni out
from Peep who are better posted on such mat
tiers than am.
dries up or seeps away and the oil goes into the
soil again. l, seems 10 me that the oil comes To
the surface high up in the swae somewhere
and Is washed down by the rains altnoueh
4 M well n ne
Two ana oue-ha.f years ago one man. who WAS
help!Hg me aud dong my DIGGING. tod me that
there was oil Oh tbs water down below. when
the well was about twelve feet deep, but | did
noi pay any attention TO it at the me. AT
uHle however, the water in the w II becomes
go impr gnated with petroleum flavor that we
nave 20 QUIT Using the water, a We use
ram atsr Instead. a terwaris the OIL seems
10 De taken up again by the earth wal of the
wei anu The water becomes good ain. During
tHe summer time great many people have no.
tcei the smell OF petroleum in the air. and it
seemed 10 be waited to them from distance by
the breezes. None of US paid much attention TO
Tue matttr AZ the ume aud / don't recollect
now III what direction The breeze was blowing
when the oior wa noticeable, but ! rather
tAink 1t came from the west. The people living
over IN the big bottom say that they can smell
OH In the air very often, but none OF them have
ever found any oil But the bottom is heavily
umDered i'll the center, and very few people
ever go INTO the woods there except q bear
chase or something o. that sort, so there might
be OIL there and they not have noticed il.
ne OIL on my ranch, however, does not come
IRON the BIZ bottom. because my land il higher
titan any part of the bottom. and higher even
than the big spring at the head OF Curley creek,
ana also On the other side OF the ridge. l have
looked everywhere over my land for any sur
lace indications of oil coming TO the surface but
cannot find any. On the land adjoining mine
on the north there is a spring and little creek
moving into the lake 10 the east. / have no.iced
Oil on the water OF this creek, but could nd no
trace OF its origin But that there is oil there Is
beyond question. presume there gallon
or two OF this crude petroleum scattered in
tain MIN over the two acres of water in the
swale on my land. Ii l had the money should
bore Tor the stuff, but OF course tina, is too ex-
peasive for me.