Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-02-22
A BOOMING TOWN.
SISTERSVILLE, TEE CENTER OF TIE
GREAT OIL FIELD,
On the Eve of a Great Business Revival.
Prospects for the Coming Spring and
Summer Very Brigd..

There has been considerable talk
during the past year and considerable
conjecturing done about the probable
life of the great Sistersville oil field
Some people and newspapers have
prOphesied that it would not last, at the
best, more than two years yet, and
some OF the Pittsburg papers predicted
that the place would be dead before an
other year. Such has not been the
case, however, and to-day, West Vir-
ginia's oil metropolis is as busy and
hustling as it ever was, if not more so.
A representative of the Register visited
that town yesterday, and found all
kinds of business booming.
During the early part Of the winter
and I'd until the last severe cold snap
very little work was going or in that
part of the United States situated on
the Ohio side of the river for the rea-
son that It was almost impossible t.
get material and supplies rom the
West Virginia side The severe
cold weather of several weeks ago and
the consequent closing of the river, has
started things TO moving again. All
the available teams in the country
have been in constant use the past two
weeks carrying oil well supplies of
all kinds across the river on the ice I'M
Ill now the bank on the Ohio side for
quite a distance up and down the river
is literally covered with boilers, en-
gines. rig iron, etc.
As an evidence that some Of the oil
companies expect to do considerable
work the coming spring and summer,
it may be noted that the Kanawha
Oil Company alone received dur
ing the last week thirty-two carloads Of
pipe for use in their operations. The
Jancki Manufacturing Company. one of
the principal oil we'll supply houses Of
the city, on Sunday last received six
teen carloads of boilers and engines, 1t
being necessary to run an extra train
out of this city over the Ohio River
railroad in order to deliver them. Be
sides the firms mentioned above, the
Oil Well Supply Company and the Ma
tional Supply Company have both re-
ceived large consignments of oil well
supplies within the past two weeks,
and everything at present indicates
that Sistersville is on the eve of great
business revival.
In conversation with a number Of the
prominent business men yesterday, the
reporter was told that trade in the mer-
camille line was very good and showing
for a big boom within a month. The
merchants all seem to be perfectly sat
isfied with the volume of trade being
transacted. about the only complaint
made being that money is a little tight.
1t is not because there is not plenty Of
money in the town, but because every
body who has any just at present is
holding onto it.
Ever since the advent of the oil
business in that section of the State
Sistersville has been hustling, busy
town. and a future is predicted for
West Virginia's oil metropolis that
will far surpass the past in brilliancy.
There is no doubt but that the field is
good for some time yet, probably from
four to six years, and even then
should the production fall off to any
great extent. il will still be a good
eOwn
There is at the present time consid-
cradle work going on in the field and
as soon as the weather and roads will
permit of the necessary material being
nut on the leases there will be large
number of new wells started, as many
locations have already been made.