Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19

with glycerine. INT lowered them to tn,
bottom of the we'll with the same care tina
/ always do, clapped the firing heat
lowered the guide was ready with the 20
devil. l turned and hurried out of III,
s aerTie :thsl as she he dropped the weight AN;
the f1uid with a splash.
That was all the sound We heard. TIL,
silence OF the forest was broken only by
house and the cry of a screech owl. There
was no rumble and no column of nu:t
spouted from the hole. We waited five
my companion turned to me and roareG
in that well?' |
THE best in the world. my boy
Then We began to jangle. and what We
said could be heard rods away. l Claimed
That the well was no good and he claimed
and offered to prove that the stock was ali
right. He called the bluff. / went TO the
wagon and took out the can with a quar-,
a aa hlsro-s 4 bic hsm IN K 5 amd fa placed ed the can
the derrick. / lit a short fuse attached
to Il mercury, cap and hurried away. In
that awakened every dormant echo within
ten miles. and there was a scattering of
the scouts. The hemlock groaned and
twisted like a ship in distress. NV yindi-
cation was accomplished.
The 800 Earned.
Fl got back to Kane the next forenoon
and drove up to Murphy's office to report.
waiting for news. l told Murphy that the
well was a frost, and it made him as
mad as a hornet. He declared that the
accused me of spelling the well. and hung
one of the best bluffs I ever heard. i be,
came indignant, and when the guide cor
He gave me a check for 500 and said thai
anyway that was the last shooting I
would ever do for him.
The crowd walked away with long faces
Some of them followed me to the torpedo
office. and wanted to know IL the well
was really a buster. l could only say that
have made all kinds of money if I had
wanted to betray Murphy. but the unwrit-
ten law of the oil regions does not allow
4 shooter to reveal mystery secrets.
The next day the well was plugged, the
rig torn down and moved away. The
failure. and prophesied that the belt did
not extend in that direction. The other
leaseholders became discouraged and grad
ually surrendered their leases or allowed
mem TO expire. In II year Murphy's agents
had the whole section under lease. several
.housand acres i'll all; Then the derrick
and l was ordered to shoot the well-this
line with 100 quarts Of the real stuff and II
was to be u daylight job.
.When reached the well. I found Muir
ohy there with Il few friends, who had
Deen let into the secret. The plug was
,uiled. the glvcerine lowered into the hole
md when the go-devi' struck the firing |
read far down in the earth there was a
'umbie like ,muftled thunder. The earth
rembled and a great column of oil rose
lbove the derrick floor. then fell back to
';ither strength for a flight over the top
u the derrick. The Well put 20 barrels
OIL into the tank the first day and for
|! long time produced 100 barrels IA dav.
ms was the key that unlocked the rich
.lk county nool. OF course Murphy was
II lover. rms one move netted him
learly 10000 He lives in Philadelphia
low. and is the guiding spirit of Murphy.
,,ennlnSS x to, one of the largest pro-
!ucing firms in the oil regions. with pro
Iuction in Pennsylvania. Ohio. West Vir-