Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-16


yet anything near what il has been re-
ported. At the present time the pro-
ductiOn Of the entire field will not ag-
gregate more than 900 barrels, according
to the reports sent out by the pipe line
companies, and f those reports are true,
the field IS falling eff in production.
There IS considerable work going on
in other counties Of the State, but the
ones mentioned are the principal ones,
and the only ones that have defined
fields Of any dimensions.
The past week in oil circles has been
very quiet, as far as anything of i'm
portance having taken place IS concern
ed, and yet it was a week when the op-
orators in the different fields were on
the alert. as there were a number Of
important wells due IN the sand Some
Of them were due the early part of the
week, and did not get in until the last
of the week It is the suspense Of watt
ing that knocks the starch out of an
operator, no matter whether it is his
first or twenty-ffth well. They know
tina, the we'll is due at any minute, and
they also know that any time the tools
are liable to be lost and they will have a
fishing job on hands that may only last
a couple Of hours, and yet on the other
hand. may last for anywhere from one
to SIX months
1t is awful the suspense a man passes
through when a well in which he is
interested is about due. All his friends
are on to the fact thst he has we'll
about due, and every few hours they
are around asking about it, always ready
to console You If the well is a failure,
or rejoice with you if 4, is a paying
venture. When a friend comes around
TO see you and ask about the condition
the well you are about to drln in, it
matters not whether he be an exper-
fenced oil man OF only a novice, he will
want to give You some advice about
what you should have done while drill
ing the well and what you ought to do
after it is in the sand.
1t is pretty much in the oil business
as it is in any other business. 1t is
impossible for you to do a thing where
anyone can see you, but they must
needs give you advice on some point of
the work. For instance, say you are
going to lay a water line. You viii fig
ure out just exactly what line pipe It
VIII take what size pump you will need
TO force the water to your lease. and all
the thousand and one minor details
from the time the first pick is struck in
/ the ground until the last joint Of pipe
is laid When you have completed all
! these calculations, some friend will
come along who. perhaps, has had a
little more experience in the business,
in years Il not in actual work, and he
viii tell you that is not right and that
your calculations are wrong, or some
thing OF the kind, and the first thing
you are aware of, you commence to
think that maybe he was right, and in
nine cases out Of ten the plans you orig
inally had made are changed, and then
when your pipe line has been completed
you find that the hest thing for you
would have been to have followed your
own .ncllnaUons.
When the old and eXperienced(0 OPP
orator (some fellow that doesn't know a
casing head from a stop-cocO has his
inning, IS when some tender-foOt ar
rives on the scene Of action, with a
lease in his pocket for a certain piece
Of territory that the man who sold it
to him and everybody else knows is no
good. and wants to make arrangements
to put a well down on his lease. Then
Z. is that the man who has had years(9
Of experience in the field get MS knock
in. and he generally does it right He
tells the poor, deluded, inexperienced
owner Of a bad lease that he has piece
Of the best stuff in the field, and adj
vises him 70 drill it at once, and Incl
de1tally suggests that he would make
a good lease boss CT was qualified for
some other such position.
The tenderfoot N many cases will
give ear to the meaningless talk Of this
sort Of fool and home he goes to organ
lie a company TO drill on his lease.
He tells the people he tries to inveigle
into the scheme that So and SO said
you can't help getting a b.gwell." After
the company is formed, work Is finally
commenced, and from the day the first
timber for the rig is placed in position
until the well is in each member OF
the company is telling every friend he
meets Of the "sure thing" he has and
wha, dividends the company viii pay,
when, in nine cases out Of ten, he will
have to pay assessments every few days
to keep the well drilling. In most
cases Of this kind shark contractors,
who are looking for some one 10 fleece
VIII be putting the we'll down, and it is
| positively wonderful how much money
he will call for 10 buy things "absO-
lutely" necessary to complete the we'll.
HAMILTON.