The times., 1899-03-05

now. Some of the town lot wells are pay
ing the lot owners $50 a week royalty.
The town is built along the foot of the
hills that run up some 400 feet from the
valley through which the railroads and
creek with water the color of clam broth
runs. row of wells is now being drilled
on the railroad right OF way, and some of
the derricks touch the end of the ties.
They are owned by company of railroad
men. With thousands of barrels Of oil
stored in the tanks on the steep hillsides
among the houses ii is only a question of
time when fire will wipe the town off the
map. Scio is without water system or
fire protection of any kind. An ordinance
just passed eompels well owners TO build
an embankment of dirt about the tanks
or sink them in the ground, so that in case
of fire they will not boil over and send
flood of burning oil down the hill and
along the streets.
In no other field in the history of the oil
business has there been so little oil allowed
to run to waste as in this new field. Just
as soon the Standard Oil Company's
Ohio branch saw that a new pool was in
sight a line was laid and preparations
made 10 take care OF the oil. A pump sta
tion has been built of hemlock boards and
two storage tanks set up on the fats near
the railroad tracks. The first line was
too small and a three-inch line is now be
ing laid The oil is piped east 20 the
main line and then forced across three
States TO the retineries at the seaboard.
When the great Bradford oil field was
opened thousands OF barrels of~oil ran to
waste every day because the pipe lines
could not handle it, but the modern pipe
line system is equal to any demand In
one respect the Scio field is unique-no
Sunday drilling is allowed. The drilIers
quit work at midnight on Saturday and
start up again at midnight on Sunday.
College Authorities Distressed.
The Scio college authorities do not know
whether TO be sorry or glad about the oil
boom. Several of the 800 students enrolled
at the opening Of the fall term have been
called home by their parents and other
parents are hesitating about having their
sons and daughters exposed to the much
heraded wickedness of a boom oil town
The only excuse for town here was the
college, which distributed about 1900 a
year through the students. Several other
Ohio towns which haven't an oil boom
have sent delegations here offering free
sites if the college officials decide to move
The college grounds embrace seven acres
and the location is an ideal one and it is
also on the oil belt With an eye TO the
main chance well has been drilled on the
ColltSe grounds ana II is pouring out SSO
worth of oil a day. Another rig is up
and the drill is pounding on the second col
lege well. One of the professors of the col
iege was interested In the first well drilled
in the field and his share of the purchase
price received by the owners was $4,000.
The indications are that Sco will have
1000 or 5000 population when spring opens.
This week the village editor converted his
weekly into a daily in order TO meet a
competitor attracted by the boom More
than l50 wells are being drilled. Rigs are
going up i'll every direction and hundreds
of thousands of dollars are being dumped
into Harrison County. One OF the oil well
supply stores sent in an order for $26 900
worth of certain make OF steam boilers
the other day That is the style OF doing
business here. Everything is cash and
money is plenty. Such famous oil opera
tors as Col. j. NJ. Guffey, John Galloway
George V. Forman and Jennings Brothers
are either here in person or have men at
work leasing up all the available land in
sight. OIL operators from West Virginia,
New York Pennsylvania and Indiana are
fiocking here. Scio people have not yet
learned what the effect of nitroglycerine
is. and the thunder wagons have as much
freedom on the streets as the butchers
wagon. After load Of the stuff explodes
and blows a corner off the town they will
pass an ordinance that will make the shoot
er drive around the back way.
AS soon as a well Is drilled on town
lot the insurance company cancels the
policy on the nearest house. That fact is
causing the average citizen to wonder what
will happen nest. Over in Dead Mans