The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-24
A GREAT POOL.
The Benwood Pool May Rival the
Sistcrsvillc Field.
M'FARLAND FARM PRODUCER
Is Making 1900 Darrels u Day, and Make.
tho Outlook for the iienwood District
BriSht- Territory Has een Opened
up-An Area or Twelve Mile. square is
Now being worked-son,c of tho Recent
History OF thc New District.

TOT the past year tho oil Oelds or the
southwest. and especially OF the Sisters.
Vile field, have not been coming to the
front with anything OF more than ordl-
nary Importance, but have been bringing
In n few wells of the ordinary calIbre.
The talent had commenced to think that
the oil belt In this section OF the country
had been defined and that with the old
Slstersville pool, the largest oil produce
Ing territory Of the southwest had been
found and passed by. 1t has looked for
the past year as though such was the
case, but within the past week there
have been Indications now that n pool
has been opened up that will be fully as
large II II does not distance the original
Sistersvllle field.
The field is that OF Benwood, on the
Ohio side OF the river, In Monroe county,
In which so many good wells have been
drilled In during the past few weeks.
Since the opening Of this field there have
been quite Il number OF Very good wells
drilled In, all OF which started on at the
Sushcr rate. but in a short time declined
TO ordinary wells Of the size usually
found In the old %iield-about 100 barrels
n day.
on Friday last. however. the banner
well OF the territory was drilled In and 1t
looks now as though the future OF that
territory Is assured. The we'll was that
of Crawford x Treat, on the Mcfarland
farm. When the well reached the top OF
the sand 1t showed up for n good pro-
Queer and commenced spraying some
oil. The drlllers Immediately shut 1t
down and made arrangements for av-
Ing the precious fluid. 1t was not
thought necessary to erect more than
two $50 barrel tanks and II wa not en-
pected that the well would amount 10
more than 100 barrels n day. and only
that amour OF tankagc was put up.
After the tankage had been erected the
well was drilled deeper and at four feet
In the sand the first pay was struck. The
well Immediately commenced to flow
and from that time until the present II
has been flowing at such a rate that 1t
has been impossible TO do anything with
II. The casing head was put on and
from this there arc three three-inch lead
pipes to the tanks which have been erect
ed and 1t Is almost impossible 10 get
tankagc up fast enough to keep the oil
from going Ia waste. 1t Is estimated
that the we'll is doing better than 1900
barrels a day. The reason so much
tankage Is being erected at this well is
because 1t Is n considerable distance
ahead Of developments and as yet the
pipe line company has not been able to
make connections. 1t is likely the well
will be connected up within two days
and then an actual gauge of its produc-
ton can be made.
This we'll Is one of the most important
tbor hoe baa, dri1la1 IN In The sa-sinp
for a long time and will make business
unusually active in this part of the
southwest. The well is located directly
north OF the former development in this
field one mile and has opened up q vast
amount of territory. Ii Is situated on a
small piece of the Mcfarland farm.
which contains about forty acres, and
enhances the value Of many hundreds of
acres OF territory in that part of the
field. AS for instance of the amount OF
territory opened up by this well 1t Is said
on reliable authority that the Fisher
OIL Company, which Is the largest holder
of territory. will be enabled to make In
the n~eighborhood of about forty-five
locations that will be considered frs.
class In every respect. In fact 1t is a
''cInch' that all OF these locations when
drilled in will be good wells.
The excitement in Si%sterSvilla and in
all places where oil men are located. in
regard to this strike, Is intense. Since
the we'll has been drilled in there have
been hundreds OF oil men over to see 1t
and incidentally on the side trying to
pick UP a piece of territory, but this Is
next to impossible as the companies
which were first on the scene have taken
care that no loose territory is in evil
dence. 1t is estimated hat a: present
there are in the n~eighborhood Of 5000
acres Of ground under lease. 1t Is
known that all Of the TERRITORY from the
Ohio river to New Castle and Cameron
on the east and west lines has been taken
up. and in many cases for miles hack OF
both OF these places. This will give a
scope of territory of about twelve miles
square 10 be developed and It Will be de-
veloped in a very short time.
Since the well on the Mcfarland farm
was drilled In the company owning 1t
has made locations for eight wells on the
forty acres and is drilling on the lines.
The companies who own the territory
on the other sides OF the lines are also
| making arrangements for drilling their
| holdings and II Is estimated that within
| the next thirty days there will be not
| less thar thirty new wells started and
| probably twice that number. The work
| will be rushed as rapidly as possible, as
all Of the companies want 10 &c, In on the
ground floor for the cream OF the. new
production.
There Is every reason TO believe that
an immense oil field has been opened up
by the Benwood development. and that
this Will be proven in q very short time.
AS an Instance OF the belief held by the
| operators that It is good stuff the num-
| Der Of wells is given. Then again, one
of the reasons why this territory Is be-
lieveG to be 50 good Is that the forma,
| lions are almost Identical with those in
| the old Sistersvillc field. In the old field
field the first sal: water eve. gotten In
an oil field was encountered, and that
had much to do with the slow develop
ment OF the field. However. when a de-
vice was made for the handling the
water the field rapidly developed into the
greatest and best of Its kind ever known
in the history OF the business. The Ben
wood Is 4 salt water territory, but the
| operators have the advantage over there,
as they know how to handle the briny
| fluid. There has Y been an oil field
| that has produced the amount of oil the
| old Sistersville field has given and held
up as long as 1t, and Il is believed that
| the Benwood territory will be n rcpeti-
ton OF that field.
There arc n number OF good wells that
will be due this week and among them Is
that of Ramey & Co., on the Stalder
farm, located about thrce-quarters of n
mile east of present developments. This
well has been delayed for almost three
weeks by various small accidents, prin-
cspal among which was n heavy dose of
water encountered about ten days ago,
which compelled them to put In n string
OF 4h-lnch casing. This well Is expect
ed in about the middle OF this week and
its advent is an4iously expected. a
great deal Of Interest is manifested in
this vol for the season that IL is so far