The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-04
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
QUICK GROHTH AND DECAY or 4
TOUN STRUCK NJ IN on Room.

n Mining Camp when OIL Was strnrL-Its
Greatness.
BOLIVAR. n. April IA mile up the valley
from Bolivar. In n hollow OF the hills nj Allc-
rany county. Is the nearest approach to u 10
serted city to be found in tho Empire state.
There are large business blocks with win.
dows boarded up. long rows OF vacant buildings
that are tumbliaE from shaky fnundN ions, a
great brick church slowly crumblinE, d Irrk
bank building that cost several thousand dol
lars now used us a dwelling house, stress ,ltt
are as silent us IL churchyRrd, and ovcrtlcwNu,s
hangs an air OF desolation aud decay. Ogcs
eight thousand people throngcd the streets.
and 1t was as lively and wicked rs Lny mining
CANT that ever fourished in the Rockies. M
there Is to show Of lite former greatness are three
hundred people and the village charter. Turrs
years ago 1t was proposed to throw un the liar.
ter and II special election was held. T',rs
were not many votes cast. but the majority
was on the right side. and the incorporation
papers were not surrendered. II IL the o'a
badge OF honor that poor. old. deserted Rich-
burg retains.
Petroleum, was responsible for its rise and
decay. On April /. 1881. Richburg was a rnun-
try hamlet that did not even boast of a.te'e-
graph Office. There were perhaps twcntg-Gve
houses clustered along the shady road that
led over tie hills to Friendship. on the Erie
Railroad. eleven miles away. Tic event ot
each weekday was the arrival Of the stage that
carried the mail aud an occasional passenger.
On Sunday the villagers went to cur h and
after that discussed the prospect of an advance
In cheese II It WAS summer. or the prise Of hay
and pine logs on the skids II II was winter.
All unmindful of the fact that billions of feet
of natural gas was imprisoned beneath their
farms they hauled beech and birch log. TO thc'r
dooryards and sawed them into stove wool
every fall. and occasionally one OF them grew
tired Of trying to get a liiing from u s!le-
hill farm and went West. although tho under
side OF the farm was lined with a rich O!l.bcar-
ing sand.
The Pennsylvania oil operators who had .ol.
lowed the line Of Developments from OH -icck
to Bradford lera2 to cast their eyes acro>s 'ls
State line toward Allegnny county. which was
on the "iorty-nve' degree line. In due t!D.e
several test wells were drilled in Tho county.
but none OF them gave much promise OF wealth.
though several of them produced oil in small
quantities. On the morning of April -. l-si.
n we'll was completed on the hill abo re Rich
burg that started of AZ four hundred barrels
day. 1t was known as the Boyle well, and
was the KEY to n ti:h field.
Oil scouts who had been watching devel-
opments closely rode with all haste to the
railroad towns over the hills and the
wires carried the news of the big strike 10
the newspa per offices. The next day people in
all parts Of the country knew that n new oil
field had been opened. Then began q Wild
scramble for leases, and oil operators from the
PENNSYLVANIA regions flocked across the state
line in droves, anxious to secure n slice OF t3e
new EidOrldo.
Four stage lines we're established IN less than
a week between Eldred. on the line OF the West
ern New YORK and Pennsylvania, midway be-
ween Richburs ana Bradfort. ana the scene Of
the excitement; The big. oid-tashtonei age
passengers AZ 50 apiece. a few days after the
strike u building. boom struck ItIchhl--.
butt in a night. There was a Wild rash tor
hotel accommodations. Men w~il.iICiy paid 81
"A night for the privilege of Sleeping on d b!!-
liard table. a.d the regular cLargc Tor sleeping
Ia \ oarrOnn chair was 20 cents. 80 great
was the rush that the hastily bGiit hotels
crowds that Hooked In. l: was no:hiu: strange
to see twenty men crawling Uat OF Il hay NOW
in the moTninE. ana many nights during the
summer months A. many rs 200 men slept
under the 81. ulaa!e trees IN the little park that
OF twenty feet front rented tor $50 u month.
and choice locations were scarce at that price.
field 10 make their fortunes came from all
points OF t.e commas; t,!ttsburSh. Bradford.
cities helrei 10 swell the crowd. Tie new
Town was = parad Sc for crooks OF high AMI low
and games OF every description fourisEed. Inc
town huastel OF more than a hundred saloons.
ana 30 attention was paid 10 securing a License
The people we're too busy getting. rich 10 bother
about so small a MATER. And il was the
SAINT, way with The gambling houses. one 81
loon keeter's ,tock arrived before his building
was completed. He had no time 70 lose. so 10
put two whisk"y barrels on end. utilized q
plsrk FOR a bar. and began business at tie side
of The street. The first day his receipts were
So. Money flowed like water.
RiChburG AT that time had two solid banks.
n water works system. an electric fire alarm
system. two no &c companies. u i!ae high school
building. a brick church that cost SiU.O0O. a
prospective street railroad. machine s.DDs. oil
well supply factories, a nitrO-Elyccrinc fac
tr9ry, and TWO daily newspapers: Tue nI
OIL city Derrick and bradford Era. was print
ed on a threc-revolutioa Hoe press, possessed
town. Abou- the time the boom burst tho
Echo office Sas DESTROYED by fire. and Boy!e
town because he dtd not have money 10 buy Q
t!cket. But lac is rich now.
As sooG as the oil boom was f.!rly under
way. n narrow gauge railroad WAS hu!it 30
Rich burg from. Friendship am WAS then con-
month n freight car serves as a station. and
the records show that die freight rrcc:its
amounted 70 more than $1,000. i1 u snort
time a ra!lr lad rs built over The hills rom
bradford 10 Bolivar. and thence acTp>s a new
extension OF the oil field 10. Wrllsv,lie on tho
Erie Railroad. \ spur was built iroli Bolivar
70 RtcnhurG, and . train run every hall 4oET.
lt.was called the dlnEy line. The cuEia" WAS
a cross bet ween "A ,cookstrre and a Iann.'S
mill, hut II had u whistle that could wake Ill
the dormant echoes witlip ten miles. ~oHo
DAYS this di"ky train carried ms many As styea
The PRINCIPAL part OF the criminal bustur>s
OF the county courts came from Ei.AhIr- aIi
the OUTLYING oil field. EOlluuS were ~ '.:.t-
Is occurrence; and the farmer WAC came IN o
town, with load OF produce had = .rtacA
hired lnsn with him To- guard III. load II 10
expected To- realize anything from il. T.cwo,t
"nproNoked murder that ever occurred ~ me
county VAS committed on the main street (
H~ichburc in November. 1891, wien Loan 9.
M:Corlhy., a desr"rHdo WHO hni dr fi"! in
with the oil boom. stabbed IatrIck MarAry.
a tool dresser, in front Of n snloon. ra.rf-
,wit,rd %oliI.rrs SAVED Mccarthy from ''.-H
lynched. Horace Bcmis. on. uf the !e,., &
crtmina! LAWYERS in the state NJ that t!.lr. 10
Tended Mccarthy. judge Charles Dar.tiS pTS-
sided at the trial. Mccarthy WAS hanged ~
Angelica, III the following Marsh. lis urrys
was good. On tie scatluld lie ]aSsertra h.~ ~
no,eHcc in the sight OF God although u.tHy
of The spectators mad seen him ,umMIt TO
crime.
In Ji'hhurg EVERYBODY was simply oil cray.
Wells were drilled in the centre Of he tow a
garden lots, ANA the littln village cemetery
WAS surrounded by oil de-ricks. Even ITO
,hnrch people caught the fever and u wei! vi
drilled on tie parsonage lot. Ii did not provo
] 10 be n winner. md tho IrustprH lppi .tl tu .