The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-08
WHEELING MEN
Opened Up What May be One OF
the Greatest OIL Fields
DEVELOPED IN wESI VIRGINIA.
The EN- Fork District, in Tyler County
which Is the Center of Attraction Ia ths
SOnthwsst-Ths Venus on cOn'PSny'S
strike Has Added to the EIultsnl'nt.
Twenty iIE' are Now DuildlnE, and
More are Projected Tor ants spring.

The recent opening Up OF the new oil
field In the Elk Fork district OF Tyler
county, has revived Interest In that sec
ton, and with the opening up of spring
there will bo large amount OF new
work started not only in the developed
parts OF West Virginia territory, but a
great deal OF wild-cattIns will be done.
For a long time after the strike made
at Benwood last winter, interest lag
ged, but that has changed now. AT
about the time the Benwood field was
opened up last winter, a small COM
pany OF Wheeling people who had a
lease In the back part OF Tyler. near
Ccnoway. got together and decided TO
drill well on their holdings. II was a
forlorn hope, as the territory was FAR
from anything that had ever been test
cd, but It was on what was supposed to
be the direct antl-cllnal from the deep
sand territory IN Wetzcl county. and al
so in direct line from the pools re-
Gently opened up on Indian creek
With the SpTnEie oil Company as the
combination was named, II was case
OF get good well the first time or
throw up the lease. In due time the well
was drilled In and at first II looked
very much as though the Sprague oil
Company was out OF existence. II
showed up an immense gasser and flow
ed huge volume OF salt water. Some
one finally told them that their well
was acting similarly to those iirst drill
cd In the old SisterSVilla field and that
perhaps II Il was put to pumping, II
would amount to something lHtcT
The well was put TO pumping and It
finally developed into good producer.
The same company's No. ., on the May
field farm, was treated In the same
manner and II too. is a good we'll This
was the opening OF what Is now called
the Elk Fork oil field, Since the May
field wells were drilled in n company
known as the Hayseed on and Gas
Company. drilled in well on the LY-
man Wood farm and has a producer
that Is making twenty barrels an hour,
II Is estimated ON reliable authority
that at the present time there are TWEEN
~ rigs up and wells drilling in This
section OF the county. quite a number
OF the wells are nearing tho sand now
and In the next week there Will be some
OF them completed and the futures OF
the Elk Fork field assured. The excite
ment has been increased by the great
strike made Tuesday By the Venus OIL
Company, whose No. ! on the Chureh
lot. is now producing between thirty
and fifty barrels an hour.
Il Is the consensus Of opinion among
the oil men that ono OF the largest pools
ever known IN this section will be open
ed IN. The bad condition Of the roads
Is holding back developments at pres
ent. but as soon as the weather opens
up there VIII he an immense amount oil
work started In all parts OF this field.
The roads are so bad that not long
ago one OF the largest producing firms
in this section. desiring TO send some
four and quarter CASING out TO one 81
their leases on Indian creek, that II
cost Just s. joint to send the stun out
II took i've days for the teams to make
the trip.
one OF the fields In this state that Is
looking very good is Hebron. This Held
ia located I'm Tyler and Peasants coun-
ties, and Is about twenty miles south
east OF SlstcrSville, There have been
quite a. number Of fine wells drilled in
there, lately, and the work OF develop
ment is going along steadily
The oil market Is serious hlnuranCe
10 development at present for the rea-
son that as :; is huctuatnE up and
down a few cents. and while man
might start n well when the market
was NJ dollar. oil might only be
worth seyenty-fVe cents when the well
was completed.
one OF the oil fields that Is coming TO
the front again is BGuwood. While 1t Is
a fact that dry and barren streak
was found which threatened to Kill that
territory. some good wells have since
been drilled in and the indications now
are thai the territory will be extended
a considerable distance In oil directions.