The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-23
WEEKLY OIL REVIEW.


This is Ideal weather for the oil men.
and the time he usually husttes around
to get material out to the field for win
ter operations before the roads get in
an almost impossible condition. The
roads are in a fairly good condition, but
there Is no hustlinG and no general
movement In anticipation of bad roads.
Unless all signs fail, the present winter
Will show lighter field operations than
for many years, say1 ID. s. w" In his
weekly review Of operations In the
southwest oil fields.
In the past operators have drilled
themselves poor during a period OF de-
preston. They were not content to see
their production decline II they had the
territory to hold 1t up and pushing the
drill would accomplish the purpose. BY
nursing" his old wells and declining to
drill, the average producer finds him
self In a better financial condition than
during any past depression. He prob
ably has not added much to his bank
account, has he s%quandered It all in
drilling light territory and getting I'M
remunerative wells. While the stocks
were accommodating with wonderful ra-
pldity and the market falling to a low
er level each week or month, there was
an absence of the customary dissatis-
faction and disposition to lay the blame
to any source but the natural one, sup
ply and demand. Now that consump-
ton (. largely in excess OF production,
there Is a universal feeling OF hopeful
ness for an early advance IN the price OF
crude. A little furry in the certificate
market during the past week was In
some quarters regarded as a favorable
indication for an early appreciation In
values. s.
Pittsburgh is credited with backing
the certificate purchases; 1t has been
limited that II was for the purpose OF ell
evating the credit balance market. II n
blum In that direction, the purchase OF
$1,000 barrels failed to bring the desired
result. At any rate. It represented less
than a single days production Of Penn
%sylvania oil.
The lower southwest fields, from a
eusher standpoint, were not %conspicu-
GUS during the past week. Out OF seven
wells completed In the Elk Fork pool,
but one could find a place in the Gusher
list; all others were light or dry. It Is
almost certain that nothing OF that pool
remains undeVeloped except the south
west extension, and the past week saw
four wells completed to the east Of that
development With Elk Fork defined.
the lower southwest will be without any
new developments OF a bearish nature.
The discovery OF one or more new pools
before operations nj Elk Fork have
been concluded is among the possibllit-
les, but where they exist or when they
will be discovered Is not apparent ut
this time. There is no concerted move
snent In any locality that has for It's
end the development OF a new pool,
The deep sand territory failed TO fur
nlsh any new Eushers, but It's undevel-
opcd area and the staying qualities OF
It's wells make II a factor OF no small
Importance when casting about for a
supply OF new production. The average
operators. II the territory wa attain
able. would hesitate before investing
heavily. A continuous run OF good luck
would be all right, but a little OF the
other kind would be disastrous,
Plensauts county stirred up n little
excitement last Thursday. The shallow
territory, however, has never been dan
gerous in the matter Of new produce
tIon, although II Ia n very safe place ia
operate on a low market,
The Southwest extension of the Elk
Fork pool, after q run OF light wolls,lns
taken n turn md shows some improve
mcnt. II, however, vas not q surprise
for Il was quite certain that the new
extension would furnish moro gushcrs
notwlthRtanding the east sldo gave up
nothing but light wctfs for more than II
week.
rho pnovn oil Company drilled In It's
No. 4, on the j. X. Hlll farm md made
ono OF the best strikes In that part OF
the pool Tho location OF tho well Ia
1--WE hundred feet west OF No, | and for
Tho 0rst two hours after drittCt into the
annd, produced twonty-clght barrels an
hour rho location Is the farthest west
of any of tho wells completed on that
aldc of the extension and glvcs promise
of extending the producing territory In
that DIRECTION,
East of the Older portion of the pool
pnd northeast OF the wells on the II,
Pickett farm, H. II, Jennings & Bros,
hnys drllled their Test we'll on the John
Non farm one hundred and twenty feet
into tho nlg lnjun and found nothing
I'm oilhor the Koouor or the lower sand,
The well has been abandoned and tho
cnalng pullod,
Thc largest producing well In the
pool oxccrt tho now No I on the lllll