The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-24
Sptcia! from a SAT- correspondeni.

|
trolcum than any OF tho huudrcd and
one others in tho country; wha. is more
10 tho point. this has beeu doue for a
year past. with tho exception OF one
month, when the striking OF several
"gushera" out in the Mannington dis.
trict, sent the production figures UP far
enough to eclipse this fields for tho
period mentioned. Tho average produc.
tion here for the year past has been l5,-
00o to 10000 barrels daily, representing
the product OF from 700 to LOO wells;
this doesn't mean that all tho wells are
producing at one and the Same time;
far from it, probably no. one-.hitd arc
producing simultaneously.
THE BANNER MONTH.
Tho banner month in the short but
brilliant history Of the field was Febru.
ary, 1893. when 5000 barrels daily we're
pumped through the extensive Eureka
| (Standard) pipe line to the seaboari at
Point Breeze, below Philadelphia,
whore part OF the Sistersvillo product
is refined and part, in the crude state,
sent abroad in tank steamers. However,
the Immense output in February, '93,
didn't bring so much money to Sisters.
VILE as Is brought now oua IL, 900 barrel
daily average. Then oil was bringing
tho producer tifty.tive cents per barrel;
now the Standard is paying s. 10 for
every barrel it can secure. Thus it is
seen that the %, 900 barrels were equiv
alent to Sl2,6j0, while to-day 1900 bar
rels represen. SSl, 800 in the coin OF the
realm.
A year ago there were 500 producing
wells in the field; now LOO is an ap-
| proximate estimate. and there's more
coming. As told in these dispatches
yesterday, the recent pyrotechnic ad-
vance in petroleum has induced almost
unprecedented activity in the oil folds,
and right here in Sistersyiile and sur
rounding territory this activity is most
pronounced. The "wild.cat,er," as the
oil vocabulary has it, is in his element,
and lie 10 as numerous as Jersey
"skeeters" on IN Atlantic City hotel ve-
randa in July. Previous to the ato
| boom, in which the legitimate, straight.
out, honest oil producer laid out Mr..
Speculator in short round or two,
there was some unleascd territory in
the Sistersville field.
VAST CHANGE.
Within tho past two weeks there has
been vast change. Every acre, almost,
that could be obtained by the "scalper"
has been leased. In many cases the
| rptn ~, T,,ta
are not tho gullable type they are some
times made out, have demanded and re-.
celved heavy cash bonuses and 4
straight-out renta! starting from the be-
ginning OF the lease. in addition to
royalties in case oil is struck and pro-
duced.
These leasing operations, too. have
not been confined to the known limits
OF the field, but extend above end below
on and back OF tho river and cas-. into
Ohio. and back in Tyler county. The
SIstersvlle fold, proper, contains IN
area of about 50 square miles. and is
described about as follows: The north
ern limit is about five miles above and
the southern end about the samo dis.
tauce below Sistersville; back into Ohio
lin Monroe county,; the edge OF the
| fold is about three miles from the
| river, while on this side the field runs
back about 1--WE miles.
WILD CATERS.
Comparatively few OF tho new leases,
induced by the boom in oil, have been
made in tho limited territory described.
Over in OHIO the wild CATERS" oper-
| 4 Il, Il
side OF the Sistersville field clear across
the country to the New Castle field, fif-
teen miles away, where there is lust as
much activity in the way OF develop
ment as elsewhere in the oil regions. In
this field fully fifty new wells have boon
started and in the course OF the next
ten days fully that many more will be
begun. The most promising territory
that rs yet is not producing oil Is
thought to be that on the Ohio side OF
the rivor northwest of Sistersvilc On
Middle Island creek, in Tyler county,
southwest OF the town. too, GONE good
Territory is being opened up, the most
noteworthy strike, thcre being tho well
on the Mckay farm. which camo in as
gusher last Friday. and has boon doing
500 barrels per day ever since. In fact
that strike has drawn moro attention to
that part OF tho field than to any other
new wells being bored in that vicinity.
MAKING HAY WHILE sun SHINES
In tho field proper, where 10 further
development is now possible, the oil
magnatos arc doing everything possible
to increase production while tho two.
dollar oil lasts. Old wells are being
"sho" daily. sometimes as high MS
thirty wells undergoing that operation
in single day, and in this way much
more oil is being produced than with
out tho Shooting"
Tho advance in oil has more than
doubled tho amount OF money TINT
comes to Sistorsvlle monthly. Last
months production amounted in round
numbnra to $50, 900 barrcls, for which
tho producers received sum aggrcsat.
ing about S230000 Ii tho rate OF pro.
duction for the entire month OF April
equals that up TO date the production
will bo nt least 100000 barrels, for
which somewhere in tho neighborhood
Of S75D.000 will DO received. Such
condition OF affairs caunot but be cml-
nontly satisfactory to tho community,
aud NJ, incentive to moro and more
activity hcrcabouts IN tho development
ot territory.
no EFFECT on WAGES.
Up to date tho advance in petroleum
has had no effect on tho wages Of tho
1000 mon in this fold who bore, pump