The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-14
VISITORS AT OIL WELL
DIR. LIGHT AND FRIENDS OFFERED
$4,000 FOR THIS SINGLE FIND.
The Oil Not of the Proper Quality for
Illuminating or Fine Lubricat-
ing Purposes.

The excitement raised in the city last
week over the discovery of oil on the Hes
song farm, near Broad Ripple, has not yet
abated, and hundreds of curious specta-
tors We're out to visit the well yesterday
Some of the visitors came in carriages and
some on bicycles, and there were many
others who came on the street cars as
far as Broad Ripple and then walked the
remainder of the way. AS the pedestrians
were obliged to ford the river in order to
avoid walking several miles around some
enterprising man had established a ferry
with horse and carriage and transferred
passengers at five cents a head: The well,
owned by DR.. r. c. Light and others,
from which the large flow of oil re-
ported is located the Hessong farm,
about one and one-half miles west and
north of Broad Ripple, between the Spring
vile and the Michigan pixies on the south
side of unnamed country road which
connects the two. As the visitor nears
the vicinity of the WELL even though the
derrick was not there to mark the loca-
tion the visitor would become aware of it's
proximity by the smell that arises from
the place.
Many of the visitors who were out yes
terday were apparently disappointed. for
there was no flow of oil to be seen or even
with questions. The derrick still stands
with it's top missing and it's framework
discolored with the oil that leaped into the
air when the well was shot and the
ground within a radius of twenty feet is
saturated with the oil and a careless pc
destrian is liable to come to grief. A plug
has been inserted into the large pipe and
a smaller pipe about two inches in dame
ter extends up from the plug and at the
end of this pipe is cutoff valve, which
has been drained to prevent the curious
from causing trouble. A large cornfield
surrounds the well, the only opening being
on the north side, where the road passes,
and about forty feet from the well stands
the apple tree which was saturated with
the first ru of the OIL DR.. Light claims
that the well shows an oil pressure of 375
pounds, and it is claimed that there is
1900 pounds weight upon it to hold the oil
in check. Many entertain the erroneous
idea that if the cap were removed the oil
would spout into the air and so continue
until again checked: but even though 1t
continued to flow steadily it would not rise
much above the pipe. The reaction caused
by the explosion of the glycerine and the
accumulation of gas beneath the oil is
what caused the great squirt of oil just
after the well shot Mr.. Goldrick,
a drlller III the employ OIL the hSySlOnS
Gas and Oil Company, who has had be-
tween twenty-five and thirty years expert
ence in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, Of
fered the owners of the we'll on the Hes
song farm 81 600 for their find. which is a
pretty good indication that he thinks it
is a good well and will pay it's owners
fair return. DR.. Light and friends also
have a gas we'll on the Foley farm which
shows a small quantity of oil, and the two
gas wells owned by the keystone Gas and
Oil Company on the Sharp farm give
slight indications of oil.
Materials for the construction of a der
rick have been brought to the south side
of the Bradley farm, just across the road
from the Hessong well, and should a well
be sunk at the point where the material
now lies it will be only about one hun
dred feet from the one across the road.
The Bradley farm is part Of the Key
stone company's lease, and, from all in
dicatfons, well Will be sunk here as soon
as ths derrick can be erected. The Key