Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-20
IN EVENTFUL WEEK.
The Developments Of Six Days in the
Oil Fields.
The Ruckman Well Good for TWEEN
ty-Five Berrels-The Devonian
Wild The Victor We'll on the
pullman Farm-Fluctuations in
Price Of the Liquid.

The past week was one Of the most
eventful and sensational in the history
OF the oil fields of the State. The
operators and producers were kept on
the anxious seat the greater part Of the
week. The first thing that bothered
them was the report that there was a
possibility of the oil market going down
and the next was that there were sew
eral important wells due in different
sections Of the State, which were rank
wild cats.
The price of oil kept up all right I'M
til the latter part of the week, and the
oil men commenced to feel better and
to think there was no danger OF it fall
ing during the week, but they had
counted without their host, " rather,
without the Standard Oil Company.
The old price Of $3.50 remained until
Friday, when it took a tumble of two
cents and wound up at the close of the
market at $1.47. Saturday morning
the market opened apparently weak at
Fridays closing prices, and before an
hour had passed it went down three
cents more, and the market closed at
noon at S1.45. The drop in price ef-
fected all oils produced except Lima and
Indiana.
The next excitement was caused by
the Union Oil Co. s we'll on the Ruck-
man farm at Eureka. This well, which
is located a short distance southwest
of the Big Jim on the Hammet farm,
was known to be due and all the opera
tors were watching it very closely, as
on it depended the future, in part, OF
the new pool supposed to have been
found in that section. The well was
drilled to the top of what was supposed
to be the sand last Sunday evening and
shut down until tankage could be
erected and the boiler moved back 1t
is also said that the drillers were wait
ing on Barney FOrst, the principal of
the well. Be that as it may, the well
was accidentally drilled into a shale
formation at the depth at which the
Big Jim got the pay. 1t seems that
a small pocket of oil and gas was
found and the well stopped over lit
tie. The people about the well did
not wait TO see whether it was good for
anything or not, but Immediately rush
ed off and gave out the story that the
well was a better producer than the
one of the Hammet farm. This story
was sent all over the country, and even
the Register which is usually very
careful in these things, was caught.
The well was drilled deeper on Mon
day and It was developed that there
had been no sand struck at all and that
the well was absolutely no good. Drill
ing was continued all week until the
hole was about 1000 feet deep. Here
it was reported that a second pay had
been struck and that the well was MAX
ing about 90 barrels a day. The gen.
eral opinion among those who have
been to the we'll is that it will not
amount to anything.
The next thing that attracted not only
the attention CT the operators and pro-
duceTs in this State, but the entire oil
world, was The drilling in of the well
on the Ky.e farm, In the back part of
Tyler county, by the DeyOnian Oh Com
pauy. This well had been drilled TO
The top Of the sand some weeks ago,
but had been shut down until the COM
p3ny could lease some land in that sec
ton which had not been lied up. Some
of the owners of the we'll got TO monkey
ing and drilled it a few inches deeper
and il commenced TO flow at the rate
Of twenty barrels an hour. The well
is a rank wildcat and viii open up a
big lot of territory which no one
thought very much Of. The we'll is now
doing about twelve barrels an hour and
is holding up at that
Another important strike during the
week was that Of the Victor Oil Com
pany on the pullman farm, also in
the back part Of Tyler county. This
we'll was drilled In Thursday evening
and started off at twenty barrels an
hour, and afterward increased to thirty,
and IS now doing about twenty-five.
This well, like the one mentioned
above, was a wildcat, and opens up
hundreds of acres of good territory.
1t is now believed that both Of these
wells have opened up new fields. and
that the Sistersville field IS only in It's
infancy. There VIII be a big lot of
work done Out in that section in the
next couple of months, and there is no
doubt but there VIII be a good pool
opened.
The other fields Of the State showed
~ as usua, with about the same amount
Of new work they have been showing
for some time, but there was nothing
eff more than ordinary Importance oc-
Cured. Next week ought 20 be a
lively one. especially in the new Eureka
territory. as there are several wells due
there. All Of them are in different d.
nect.ons from the Big jim than the
Ruckman, and there is a chance that
something good may be gotten, al
though some of those holding territory
In - --.-.--. - - .--l.-.-- -...o-t-- L,l..a