The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-22


have wondered and still wonder if
John l.. Rockefeller, multi illionairc
AMI president Of the Standard OIL
Company, knows that his treat for
tune rests upon the corner stone
which Calvin lIawlcy lay away back
in the first year cf the iiftics, when he
placed upon the market the first pctro
lcum ever taken from out Of the
ground.
Before this coal oil was known, Of
course, but few had any idea that it
would ever become Of commercial val
uc except to the chemist. Early in
the present century settler in the
Mohawk Valley discovered that the
Seneca Indians in that section com
pounded a linimcnt which was Of val
uc in soothing rheumatic pains. In
vestigation showed tha: the Indians
used but two Ingredients, an oil which
oozcd from the ground in gully near
the lake and balsam. The settler OBJ
tanned quantity Of the oil. which
was petroleum, and filling bottles with
it and balsam, labeled them Seneca
Linimcnt. lie travelled about the
country selling it. It's medical quail
ties soon created a demand it and
this man made fortune. Every
country boy who was reared in New
York, Pennsylvania, or New England
can remember it as one Of the stand
ard remedies Of his early days, the
yellow label with picture of Indians
gathered about campfire, presumably
preparing the linimcnt, vas always in
the front row OH the shelf in he medi-
cine closet.
Calvin llawlcy did not know that
coal oil was one Of the Ingredients Of
the linimcnt-it is doubtless if he
ever heard Of it, But that part of
West Virginia where he lived was sat
uratcd with an oil-namclcss to him
which he felt was of some commercial
value. and he determined to take
quantity Of it to Cincinnati. He
thought it might be used for oiling
machinery, use for which the oil is
untitled, although it was tried some
time later.
1t seems strange that Hawlcy did
not realize that it was suitable for
lighting purposes. Five miles from
his home, at place where the boys
and girls of the neighborhood held
their picsies; we're Rathbonc' Burn
ing Springs. These springs were
nothing but barren acres of land, acres
without.a yestigc of vegetation and
covered with n damp sand that was al
most. t.blnck., . 1t was soaked with pc
troleuM, and a match touched to the
surface sent thoflames sweeping across
those, barren places like prairie fire
until the miniature desert was a vcri-
table sea Of fire. Once ignitcd, the
Springs would burn until heavy
rain cxtinguishcd them
llawlcy, however, thought only Of
the grease which was in the petroleum.
So, when he decided to place the coal
oil Oh the market he sought the lowest
point in the vicinity, with the hope
that the liquid would be thicker,
which is really quality not to be
desired. He found the oil oozel
from the banks Of the Hughes River
and at place about four miles from
Newark, W. VA, he and half dozen
companions in the enterprise dug
long trench just above the waters
edge. This they lined with clay, and
then began the construction Of fiat
boat while the ditch was filing. The
raft-for that was about all the boat
was-was made of hewn poplar logs
lashed together with rawhidc.
Finally the trench was filed, but
not with the kind of oil one purchases
at the grocer to-day. Instead was a
thick, sticky, i'll l-smclling mess that
was half sand and half petroleum.
The men stripped and waded into it.
For weeks they worked, FIRST dipping
the mess by the pailial and straining
it through sicves, time after time, to
remove the dirt; then ladling it into
barrels, where it was allowed to settle
until the dirt was at the bottom, when
the crude petroleum was drawn off
through sr;got.
Seventy y-eight barrels were filed af-
ter six weeks work, and the men
started down the river. Cincinnati
was reached after some difficulties, the
boat stranding on sandbars several
times. There a brother of Calvin
Hawley, general dealer in merchan-
disc, stored the cargo and waited for