West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1898-09-15
ALL OPERATIONS CEASE
On Account Of a Peculiar Three
Sided Controversy
I'm the Henderson OH Field-I.and
Owners Try 10 Block - Well
and They Themselves
Get Blocked.

The fight that the land owners
in the Henderson, oil pool below
Wllliamstown have been waging
to prevent the O. r. r. r. COM
pany from having its right-of. way
through that field, drilled, resulted
yesterday in an open warfare, as it
were, and today the railroad COM
pany certainly appears TO be on top.
The company leased their right
OF way to Dave Brown and Sam
Logan, of Parkersburg and these
two persons had begun preliminary
work toward test, when they met
with the combined opposition Of
the land owners aided and abetted
in part by the persons who had
their land leased.
The land owners refused point
blank to allow Brown and Logan to
lay water line over their land to
the river. They spurned all reason
able offers. They likewise refused
to allow any hauling over their
property at any price. So the
property owners thought they had
Brown and Logan pretty we'll
blocked. Such, however, subse-
quent events have proven was not
the case.
Brown and Logan reported the
barriers that bestrewed their path to
Geo. A. Burt, general manager of
the railroad company. Now to get
the upper hand of Col. Burt in any
sort OF a deal, is no small matter.
He told the owners of the right-of-
way lease that he would see if he
could not bring the obstreperous
property owners to a realization of
common sense acceptance of
things through the practice of a
little practical philosophy of the
Burt brand.
All the water lines that supply
the Henderson we'll did cross the
company's right of way.
That is point for the reader to
remember.
But those lines no longer cross
the right of way.
They run to it on either side.
!. Yesterday Brown and Logan and
a gang of men went up to their
lease on a special train. They
visited each property owner, and
once more made fair proposals,
which were ignored In every case.
All right" said Brown to each
man, as he declined to accede to his
reasonable requests. You are
treating us pretty mean, but we
will teach yon a lesson more forci-
bic that the Golden Rule"
Thereupon, Brown gave the or
der and his men started to work
cutting the water lines that cross
the railroad company's right .of-way.
Every single line was severed and
water spurted in every direction
from the broken water lines. The
water supply to every we'll was
shut Oft and the operators were in
a quandry and operations were, and
are yet, practically at a standstill.
One OF the largest land owners
said this morning that the operat
ors would haul their water. AS the
roadway from the river is not a
public one, it is reported that Mr..
Burt sent reply that the company
would string a train of gravel cars
along side track up there and pre-.
vent the ful6llment of the land
owners threat.
Mr.. Burt also notified Brown &
Logan that they can go ahead and
drill their we'll on the company's
right of-way without worrying
about the water to do it with, as he
will ship them two tank cars full of
water each day, if necessary.
Brown and Logan will 90 ahead
drilling their we'll and the land
owners and the other operators in
the field are now placed upon the
defensive.
Henderson Bros, who virtually
own all the land in the disputed
district, claim that the right of way
was given through their lands for
railroad purposes only, and that
the railroad company not only has
no right to lease the land nor to
prevent them nor any one acting
under them from hauling or run