The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-18

t.U tNfultN tNE w HV'uai - '"'Ni~'
extensive operator. and he tells Of the
Oh! ames in the upper districts in a
graphic style, as follows;
elm recent trip to the oil region OF
Pennsylvania, where In years past had
e,sn many fortunes made and as many
more lost. was reminded OF the excite
,,ant IN the good old times OF petroleum
an ,ha keystone state. The low price NJ
MI "a. urestnt Is casting q gloom over me
r-liuring territories, and small lluc,ua-
Inns Al present are Us gentle zephyr
vb,n compared with conditions during
trr carly sixties. When Col. Drake hrst
discovered the greasy iluld IN 1853, It wac
sid for $50 ner barrel, and during that
yalr about 1000 We're pumped from the
.Ilr,n on on creek &: NenanG1 county. as
tH.r, was no use for that kind OF oil AZ
thlt time II was used only for expert
n,ants 10 determine IL II could be utilized
Ia lake the place Of sperm oil for lllu-
mlnatlng or for lubrlCatlng purposes.
Nevertheless people went wild over the
discovery and everybody OF means en-
r3-pd In the business OF drilling wells,
which 1T that time was done by the use
oI what was known as spring poles or
tanning down the hOlas. Poles were
usei and a set OF drilling tools could be
ehoulderGd and carried by stout man.
Now cables OF heavy callbrc and the
iarrers. sinker and augur stem ana
rrng weigh tens, even the bit alone
sometimes weighs 200 to 500 pounds, the
stems alone cequirin; good team u
maui them on smooth roads.
During 1860 over 100000 barrels OF oil
was produced aud the price fell TO 81 30
per barrel. Kerosine as yet had not be-
come much OF a commercial article and
tho market was overstncked. Until
about June or July. 1861, all oil was
pumped from the wells, but then a well
was struck on the Funk creek that How
Ell over 800 barrels day, and was
wonder. The owners OF pumping wells
were about scared ou. OF their boots and
the fluid fel! 10 fifty cents per barrel.
Then the famous Tarr farm produced
gusher OF 1000 barrels in the following
September and down II went to twenty
c,uts. This seemed as n plgmy when
the Phillips spOu:er followed WITH over
5000 barrels In twenty-four hours OIL.
nil you wanted, could be had for ten
cents per barrel. and for want of tanks
(. is thought that 5000 barrels was let
run into OIL creek daily. Thence 1t
found lts way to the Allegheny and Ohio
rivers. and many will remember how the
Use OF these rivers was spoiled rot only
for fishing and bathing but 1t so I'M
pugned the water II was almost unfit for
drinking or washing purposes.
AT this time pipe lines were unheard
OF. and OF course no Standard OIL Conf
pany was on hand 90 take charst oil Inc
production. Barrels were worth from
twelve TO fifteen times the price o. OIL
OH. nolagses, whisky and cider barrels
were collected from country stores ana
farm houses During 1862 about l,bOOVOO
barrels OF oil werG produced. but more
than one-half OF II was lost In the creek
The average price for this year was for
ty-hve cents. In March 1t advanced from
ten to twenty-five cents. 1t was now be-
coming generally used and the demaEd
was increasing. The year closed WIKI
oil at 81 per barrel.
"Plttsburgh was the market to which
Il was transported on fiat boats, COM
monty called 'guipers.' There thu price
was double that at the wells. the cost Of
transportation making the difference. In
1893 oil kept going up and about 100000
barrels were produced during the year.
and It closed with oil at s.. 1868 was not
so productive as an army Of producers
and operators went to the front to drill
for blood among the army who thought
to upset Uncle SANS domain. II Is not
known what condition the oil trade
would have assumed had not the war
taken place. Some heavy wells were
struck however and 1864 was the year
when the biggest fortunes were made IN
oil, In February Il was worth So and on
May LIST. ST. Some good wells coming In,
decreased It again somewhat. but at the
end OF the month II was up TO 81 so. Juna
onenel Mt 81 30 per barrel, bu. in the
middle Of the month 81, vas quoted At ~,
0nd the month closed with petroleum
worth 81 10, an increase Of 81 in thirty
days.
Never was there a time when so many
men made fortunes as among the owner7
Of the big wells ON OIL creek during 1868.
There werc men there at that time who
were reaplng profit Of from 81 to s. per
minute. July opened with fall OF
twenty-five cents per barrel toe much
money to lose. FOR now the oil business
wag In the hands OF shrewd manlpula'
tors. and ne price shot up 10 SO 10 n
barrel. Well owners were ones 10 make
the money. They smoked Henry Clays.'
drank Piper HeidsolC!t aud bucked the
tiger, while the spouing wells made for
tunc1 which they had only 20 poke!
The price NJ oil never again reached
'l3 ~. and In Angus, Ii was selling az Sll
pr barrel These spectators now held
th6lr Oil for bigger prices, bu: here ihey
were fooled. for in September the price
fell to Sc 10, OWING to the striking OF
f1me great gushers. On the other hand.
It would have been wlse had they not let
81 at that price, Tor In Just two weeks
oil Jumped back again 10 81 per barrel.
"Oil dealing now Is as tame rs ped
ding pop corn. wheE You look back 70
the good old days on on creek, IN the
sixties. In October. 1864. oil fell to 81
from 81, ana the highest II sold FOR IN
that month was 80 80. II then crawlo1
back 10 81 IN November ana the year
closed a. 81 80 per barrel. The average
price FOR the year was 81 G. barrel and
iha production 100000 blrrole, There
were several 1000 and 1900 barrel wells
that kept up their production throughout
the year. and every barrel Of II was sOll
al the average Of 81 O.. so each returned
10 the owners the comfortable little jack
pot NJ $4,000 per day or over pe the cnAn
might be-, or more than Sj,jOO.OOO for the
year.
1885 was the mos. notable uf all years
fIr oh fluctuations. II opened In Jnni-
Ory NJ 81 10 q barrel. and before the end
q, The month Il reached SO ! lell 70 y