Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-10-20
Oil Notes.

The oil fields are being very closely
watched at present. The rise in the mar
, ket aud its continued frmness for th,
greater part of last week has caused
good many operators to begin to cas-
around for new fields to conquer. Their,
are not few who stand ready to inYest il
new diggiugs that will hold out any en-
couragement for producing wells, nc mat
ter il very small affairs.
The average oil operator is as restless a;
a hen with large brood OF little chicks
when the market begins to move up. He
is going to drill if he can find a place to
| sink hole, and just now hes conducting
a sort Of still hunt, but it is a very earnest
oIe, and it would not be surprising if he
should be successful. Ordinarily, the
wildcatter who discovers the new pools is
the one who secures a lease and peddles
it out and wirds up by retaining an eighth
and more frequently sixteenth. At pres
ent, however, many of the larger compa-
nies are taking hand at drilling test wells
IN the hope of finding some new territory
them have been holding leases and paying
rental on large blocks of territory for sew
eral years, or since the de preston of the
market. The old fields having been drill
ed over and having an accumulation ofjunk
that can be used, they will test the terri
tory they have been holding and if found
worthless stop the outlay of rental.
The new fourth sand discovery near
Bridgeyille is the leading attraction in the
southwest, and has been to the exclu-
sion of all others for the past two weeks.
The well when drilled in two weeks ago
started at 500 barrels day or better The
latest gauges place its daily production at
little more than 200 barrels. Standing
alone as it does, it would naturally have
been expected to hold up much better than
1t Is showing. Past experience has made
good many operators very skeptical of
fourth sand territory, bnt as one expires sed
it, the other day: "It doe.n I matter much
what sand we find it in, so We get the oil. "
The Butler county operator has been
quite active all through the long depres-
sion, but just n0g be does not show his
accustomed energy. That old reliable
county is about due with new third sand
or hundred-foot pool, if it expects to keep
up with the procession.
Howard Thompson, Patterson & TAFT |
Pat Golden, c. d. Greenlee and number |
of Others, are trying their luck in the Hos
ier fields. There is quite diversity of
opinion as to the inducements held out |
by the western fields to the eastern opera |
tor, but the one most frequently presented |
is that it don't cost much to drill dry |
hole. To use the strictly orthodox ex-
preston, at don't cost much TO play, and |
the limit is low"-Derrick.
Phillips completed well on the Camp
bell heirs in Penn twp, last Saturday, |
which started off at so bbls. from eight |
feet of sand and is expected to do better
when drilled deeper. He is drilling on the |
Martin and other farms in that vacinity,
and the Campbell heirs are drilling on a
piece Of their farm that they reserved.
Charley johnson completed his well on
the widow Byerly farm. east of Millerstown
last week, and has rank duster.
Perrine & Co. got another good we'll on
the Samuel Shira farm in Washington twp.
last Monday