The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-12-08
ANTICS OF A BIG OIL
WELL ARE CONSTANT
SURPRISES.
IT GUsHEs AND THEN GOES DRY.
TIE WONDERFUL STORY OF
ILL SMELLING TREASURE
Ready to Enrich its Disceverer- Con-
deMNed Tract or OH Land Brings
Enormeus Retnrns--A Lucky
Twenty Fourth.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
TOLEDO, o., December 7th.-The
monster Kirkbridge we'll has added
another surprise to this field by |
suddenly ceasing to flow. The we'll
became roily on Thursday, Nov. 20,
and after being shut in, in the hope |
that IL would settle somewhat, It
ceased to flow altogether. OF course
the we'll may begin to flow again or
It is possible that shot may start
itonce more, but II is likely that It
will never he anything but a pump
ing we'll. The we'll, which is locat-
ed few mile southeast of Brad
ner, was the greatest we'll that the
United States has ever seen. 1t
was drilled In condemned country,
and when It came In with Its won
derful flow Of 10000 barrels q day,
It was generally supposed that the
story was merely fake. The great
est we'll prior to this one was the
Matthews we'll in the Mcdonald
field In Pennsylvania. That did
500 per hour for the hrst few days,
but soon dropped down to half that
amount. However the Matthews
well is still producing $50 barrels
a day, at an age Of three years, and
has aggregated more than 1000, 900
barrels.
The country road about the big
Kirkbridge we'll was considered
hopelessIy bad and the leases were
going for mere song. The own
ers Of the tract were forced to do q
little drilling, purely to protect
their lines, and offered q third in
terest in the entire lease to the
Kirkbride Bros, If they would drill
a we'll. This was done &nd the we'll
showed a little OIL. Soon afterward
better we'll was struck, and the
Kirkbrides decided to risk q little
more money. Thinking that II the
speculation was worth anything at
all, they might just as we'll 60 the
whole hog, they purchased the 9th
er shares for less than S400 alto
gether. One small share escaped
them, however, which grew out of
subdivision of the original roy
atty paid to the land owner. This
was only one twenty-fourth and it
was thought to be to small too pay
any attention to. Subsequent
events made them think differently
and the owner of the despised
twenty-fourth has drawn 1926 per
day from the time the we'll was
drilled In, in the middle of Novem-
ber, until the 1st of December.
One week before the big well was
struck Kirkbride Bros. finished a
well within 400 feet of the big we'll,
which started of at 1000 barrels
per day and is still producing very
near that figure. Nevertheless
they were vastly astonished when
the monster came In. When the
jugular was tapped the heavy tools,
which weighed more than a ton and
q half, were lifted bodily from the
bottom Of the we'll and remained
supported by the rushing fiuid. The
tools were Withdrawn and the
stream continued the full size Of
the casing, 55-s inches, until It
broke against the crown block 80
feet above the mouth Of the we'll.
From that point the broken stream
continued In the air, until II was
blown away by the heavy gale that
was blowing. It IL to the strong
wind that the safety OF the we'll
may be attributed. The boiler
was at the south side and not q
drop fell In that direction. Had
the we'll ignlted no human power
could have extingpished It. Some
idea Of the force Of the flow can be
imagined from the fact that q house
standing one mile to the north was
so disfigured by the fluid that It
must be repainted, and on house
about half q mile from the well the
oil fell In torrents until the we'll
was shut In. -
The capturing Of the we'll was &C.
complished by means OF heavy
gate valve, which wss screwed to
the mouth Of the casing. II was
seven hours before this was accom-.
plished. The valve was opened TO
Its full extent, 90 that the low
might be impeded and many succss-
i've gangs OF men .endesvored 70
pass It lnto the stream. AZ fast o.
this was done the valve was
wrenched from them and TOSSED
high In the air. Two men were
overcome by the gas and we're car.
Sled away. Each gang conId work