The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-13

| er Holmden, not believing the boys
| could raise that much money in sixty
days, and seeing better prospect for
oil on the Prather farm at Plumer than
there was on his own farm, accepted
the offer and signed papers to that eff
| feet.
1 hate to do the boys out O. their
farm old Holmden said to me the day
| he signed the papers, especially as
Johnny's my son-in-law, but If they
| don't know good thing when they've
got it 1 can't help it,
This was along in November. I kept
pegging away at the we'll I was drill
ling, and the Prather boys began ne
gotlat1ng for a customer for their ter
r1tory on the strength of that we'll
Ihey wanted 100000 for their part of
the farm. | found good signs of oil,
out no vein. l got clear through the
third sand, which was as deep as we
drilled in those days, and reported to
the company that there was no use
L had orders to keep still and go on
drilling. There was a few hundred
thousand dollars worth OF stock to be
unloaded on the public yet. The
Prather boys saw that something had
TO be done with their territory pretty
quick or not at all, and George Prather
was sent to pittsburg to work it up
This was about the 1st of January
1865, just about the time that my drill
entered what had never been found in
oil we'll drilling before-a fourth sand.
The weather was such that we had to
shut down then, whether or no. and
even If 1 could have gone on with the
, drill, L wouldn't have taken any stock
in that fourth sand
DROPPED INTO BIG OIL VEIN.
Toward the middle Of January there came
a big break uD and thaw and the super!n-
tendent Of the company ordered me to take
the TOOLS out Of the well while l had the
chance, Tor the company had more use
Tor 1t, having disposed of more than $500 900
Oh lts N,U0O,0OO OF stock and the whole bust
ness hadn't cost 1t $4,000. l went over to
the well and started to obey orders but be-
fore pulling the tools l thought l would see
Just for curiosity's sake. if there was any
kind OF depth to that fourth sand | set the
| drill TO jogging and it hadn't bore into that
sand more than foot wfen it dropped
plump into the oil vein, and l had a wei that
was flowing oil al the rate OF 300 barrels a
day. There had been spouters few times
as big as that along Oil creek, but these had
their day, and the pump was then getting
most of the oil in the region, so this strike
seven miles beyond developments, in a wild
cat country, just set the oil field wild. This
well was on Pithole creek, and it was the
starter of Pithole City, where there were
1900 people in less than two months and
millions of-but everybody knows the story
of Pithole
We'll, sir, you may imagine how John and
Abe Prather felt when they heard what my
idle stroke of the drill had struck and you
may imagine the feelings of old man Holm
den. He had bargained away land for $4,000
provided the boys could raise the money in
time-that was now worth million at least
IN
graphed George at Plttsburg to stop all ne
gotiatons for the property that he might
have on. No answer was received. Fear
ing that the farm would be sold by George
at figures which, although a fortune would
now be but song, John and Abe were near
ly craZed. There railroad commu-
nication with any place from Oil City then
RODE ON HORSEBACK AND TRAIN.
Telegram after telegram remaining unan-
swered, John Prather hired the feetest and
best horse he could find, mounted it early
next morning and started for Pittsburg to
find his brother He never left the saddle
to eat or drink and changed horses but once
on the entire Journey, which he made in
nine hours, arriving at Pittsburg to learn
that his brother had customer in Philadel-
phia for the Holmden property and mad
gone to that city the day before to close the
deal John Prather telegraphed George at
Philadelphia, but got no reply. Then he tOl-
lowed him on the fastest train that ran on
the Pennsylvania railroad in those days ana
that wasn't very fast. He arrived in Phil
adephia all right, but if he had got there
one minute later the name Of Harrison w.
Woods would be among those on the list OF
oil millionaires in place OF John, ABE ana
George Prather for John met George on the
Steps of the Girard house just as he was on
his way in company with a lawyer, to close
a transaction with Woods, who mad oHered
100000 cash for the Prather boys option on
the Holmden farm. 1t is hardly necessary
to say that the news carried by John FRA
Their to his brother George put an END 70
further proceedings in that direction IL
may seem strange today that the news VI
this great strike at Pithole had not reached
George Prather yet but 1t is fact that no
mention of it was made in the Philadephl
newspapers for more than week dIleI tho
strike was made.
But the Prather boys were not out Of the
woods vet 1t was on the sale OF the tiolIn-
den property that they had depended 1or
the money to make good the price they we're
TO pay Holmden for it. The sixty days limit
was within FIVE days of being up ana they
had the money still to raise. They sue
ceeded in getting the amount from =. Il;
Duncan a Scotchman, who was IN the oil
business in Pittsburg, but when they came
to pay it to Holmden and get thelr deeu tOr
the land Holmden's wife refused to sign the
necessary papers to make the title good I'M
less she was paid s., 600 in gold lor her sig
! nature This the boys never could nave sol
| IL it hadn't been for man named CulVer,
| who had a bank at Reno, for gold was scarce
| and high IN those days. culver nao I9C oI
gold he was holding for specuiaton anu s6 od ne
| Ter the Prathers have 50, 600 OF 1t for So,VVO:
| They paid Mrs. Holmden her demand, and
| the Holmden farm passed into their posses to
siou-S3 0O0, coo for S33 600, for that was the
| amount the boys cleaned up and divided
from their lease and ROYALTIES on the farm n;
and it's production during the two years - OF
| the life of that marvellous OIL pocket. me
Wildcat oil company got out of their, part of
| the farm about as much more: besides pay,
| ing its dividends to the stockholders. AND
! how much do you suppose that company
gave me for having the investigating turn
OF mind but for which it would never nave
possessed that rich oil vein? don't mind
| Telling you, now that the thing Is all over.
| The company didn't give me cent.
CHURCH HAD DISAPPEARED.
Through the Prather boys, Duncan, the
scotchman who had advanced them the $4,000
TO make good their payment to Hofmden, got
some choice investments in Pithole territory,
and made a couple of millions. Duncan was