Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-01-09
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Great Oil Boom at Sisters
Vile, w. Va.
FORTUNES MADE IN A DAY-SCENES
AND INCIDENTS-GRAPH
DESCRIPTIONS BY AN
EYEWITNESS.

from recent number OF the
Staunton Vindicator we clip the fol
lowing interesting and instructive
letter written by Captain T. G. Nor,
ton from Sistersville, the scene OF
the oil boom, under date of Decem
her 18th, 1s95.-EDIToR.l
How true it is that one half of the
world does not know how the other
half lives. Since / have been in the
oil field, of which this place is said
to be the center of the richest in the
world, have seen so much that is
novel and interesting that if your
readers know no more about it than !
did week ago, / know they will
like to hear about it.
Everybody knows that the man
who "strikes oil" and strikes it
big" gets rich faster than in any
other known way and here they
struck it big about four years ago
and they have been striking it ever
since and now there is not an acre
of land within ten miles of this
place which has not been taken up
and leased by spectators and adven-
turers, and drilling, pumping and
piping is going on day and night,
work days and Sundays every where,
while the tall derricks rise like pyra-
mids 80 feet high from every con-
ceivable point, the river bank, the
river bottom, the mountain tops, the
hill sides, the valleys, the front
yordo tho hooly uordo opI ouan Tho
city lot-there are not less than
thirty scattered through this city
and compete with the residences and
business houses for location. Stand.
ing on the railroad track near the
station counted SO in sight from
that point. You can understand
then how it is that $4,000 barrels
Of oil are pumped away from here
in a day.
When you know that the oil here
is worth $3.50 per barrel and last
year was $3.50, that some wells run
1000 barrels a day and that occa-
sionally they strike 1900 or 1000
barrel one and that one started with
2,640 and ran at that for six or
seven days before tapering down to
900, you can calculate for yourself
where the money is. A young man
working in shop here at $75 a
month, "struck it rich" and in six
weeks he was worth $4,000. He
doesn't work any more, is a promi-
nent citizen and capitalist, wears big
diamonds, 81 900 ones, bank direc-
tor and 40 forth. An old fellow
living In mountain hollow so deep
that a neighbor told me the sun did
not rise there till 10 O'Clock and went
down at 3, whe scratched the noun.
tain and hillsides and called 1t farm
ing, leased his land to a speculator
for so much an acre and one-eigth of
the oil. The Lessee struck a "good
producer" and the old gentleman"
as they speak of him now, has
bought and paid for nice farm,
moved to town and gets 81 900 a
month royalty on his oil.
Another young fellow who worked
as hand at drilling, saved up some
money and went in "partners''
with some men who had money
They made hit" and now, in
about years time, his share has
made him $4,000. He has quit
drilling and walks around with his
thumbs In the arm holes of his vest
Everybody who had land has made
some money, a few Of them large
fortunes, many a competency and
the others, whose land did not yield
we'll, only few thousands or hun.
dreds, for they got the rental any
how. AS result the poor farmer is
on top In this section. He has paid
off his mortgage, is out of debt, has
some money ahead, holding on to II
too, they say, and getting good
prices for what he has to market In
this boom town.
Well, there Is another side to the
story, for all booms have two sides
as we of the Valley of Virginis
know to our cost and so has an oil
boom. When a well is started OF
the top Of the low range of noun
tains along both sides of the Ohio
where this city Is situated, it has Il
go down to the same oil sand that 1
does when started In the river bot
tom. So the wells are from 1 400 +,
], 800 feet deep and by the time tn,
:" rig" is put up, the engine bough
and the well drilled, the pros
pector is out from $1,000 to $4,OO
and he has to pay the rental besides
And IL is not always that he strike