Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-28
INDICATING.
Favorite Diversion for West
Virginia Operators.
They are Hunting Over Dozen Coun-
ties in the State for Gusher Territory
Increased Price Caused Activity.


The slow but steady advance in the
oil market is causing increased interest
in all sections OF the state, although
nothing particularly attractive is pre-
sented in any of the various pools.
With the prevailing prices rich and
promising pool, like Elk Fork was u
year ago, would cause a tremendous
stir among oil men, who are impatient
to get started into something exciting
after ten months of comparative quiet.
There would be an unprecedented
rush for territory in a pool where 200
or 300 barrel wells were possible, and
one reason why there are no more
wells completed in the old reliable
fields than there are is because the
operators, or good many of them at
least, are experimenting in new coun-
try in the hope of finding place
where gushers may be found. The
wildcatter is at work in scores Of
places in Writ, Gilmer, Ritchie,
Wood, Doddridge, Lewis, Roane,
Jackson and Braxton counties, in ter
ritory far remote from any production,
while in Marion, Marshall, Wetzel
and Tyler counties there has been
systematic search for new pools for
year. Every hill and valley, almost,
in the four last counties mentioned
are being explored, for it is in these
that the hope of large wells is greatest.
Ritchie. Wood and Doddridge coun-
ties have received much attention
from operators in the last two years,
but with the exception Of one or two
and Wood the wells have been uni
formly small as compared to the
gushers Of the four great producing
counties. Doddridge has presented
Big Ingun wells all Of about the same
capacity and nothing sensational is
expected from them. There may be
great possibilities in Writ, Gilmer,
Harrison, Braxton and Jackson coun-
ties, but the early efforts OF the Wild
cater has not revealed them. The
reliable producing formations are not
productive in any Of these counties, as
far as explored but oil comes from the
shallow sands and from stray shall
and sands near the Injun and Berea
The shallow sands are valuable in
that they are inexpensive, if not long
lived, but the stray sands are SO unre-
liable as to be almost worthless except
in rare instances.
WORK GOES ON.
Not dismayed by any unfayorable
conditions that have arisen, the work
nf fpSfInO tho
uninterrupted and it is possible the
final end may be a number of paying
pools. Richie county is receiving as
much attention from speculative OPP
orators now as any other in the state
Wildcat ventures perforate the hills
and valleys over large proportion of
the county. Numerous small pools
Of rather uncertain nature have open
ed besides the famous Whiskey Run
field. There are prospects of other
pools Of the same kind and many
small pools will likely be found.
Wood county does not seem to- have
reached the end of its shallow and
Berea grit productions, although the
operator is compelled to keep contin-
ually at Wildcat work. The shadow
sand territory is being worked thor
oughly aud unless new deposits are
found back from the river front it
must soon come to an end. Back in
the Berea territory new territory is
constantly being added to the Hen
dershot and Ogden fields Doddridge
county's Injun fields have proved
long-lived, il few Of them have enter
ed the gusher list. There is some wild
eating going on in territory remote
from the producing fields, but it costs
a big pile of money to drill there and
none but big operating companies can
afford to NEEDLE with the work.
All eyes turn to Marshall, Marion,
Wetzel and Tyler counties for sensa-
tional developments. The old fields
in Marion and Tyler counties have
been pretty thoroughly worked over,
but efforts are being made in many
different sections of both to find some
thing as worthy OF attention as the
past has presented. In the back part
of Tyler the drill is presenting some
thing good from the Injun and Cor
don sands every week, but there ap-
pears to be a lack of gushers such as
have made the county famous. Mar
ion has shown as much activity re-
Gently as Tyler, and some very large
wells were completed, but very little
producing territory has been added.
Wetzel and Marshall counties appear
to be underlaid with valuable oil de-
noSitS and they are being worked SyS-