The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-26

cents per barrel in the last three
months. and the predictions in oil cir
clss are for still further advances. The
pipe line companies assert that the rise
is due entirely to the Increase in con-
sumption with no corresponding in
crease in the production. Pennsyl-
vania oil has advanced to 81 es per bar
rel from 81 Is a short time ago. and the
Ohio and Indiana oil has gone up in
scarcely less proportionate degree. OF
the refined Pennsylvania product, 80
per cent OF the illuminating oil OF com
merce is classed at water white, and
this grade has advanced from57 cents
per gallon last August to II cents now
-an even larger proportionate advance
than that in tie crude product. Though
the present prices Of oil are the highest
OF the last four years, 1t is predicted
that Pennsylvania oil viii sell at 81
within short time and that other
sorts will fellow.
Official ..slres show that the STAN
dard company and other large holders
Of crude Gil are drawing heavily. on
their reserves despite the fact that
there are more wells being drilled than
at any other time in the history of the
trade. An immense amount1of wild
eating" as the search for oil is call
ed is in progress In the oil regions Of
Pennsylvania, Ohio and west Virginia,
but thus far no important discoveries
have been made. Thus far is has de-
veloped that as fast as an important
pool has been located the general pub
lie demands have Increased at a rate to
readily absorb the increased output,
An advance OF centsPeF barrel in
the crude product is count6d equal to
an advance Of one-eighth sspt per gal
lon in the refined. The facttiat the lat
ter has advanced faster than this is
evidence to the oil men OF every sort
that the large producers fear that the
consumption will make still further
gains on the supply.
Coming now to the geological, as DIFF
fering from the mechanical, improve
ment, one finds that the first illusion to
be dispelled was that oil might be
found anywhere and at any level. Such
is not. the case. It is found in well-de-
aned, localities and at certain, levels
that are now thoroughly ascertained.
For the purpose before US we will
leave aside the irregular oil bearing
lLmestones of Ohio, Indiana, Kansas
and other localities, producing a cheap
grade Of oil which is of little use ex-
cept as fuel, and conhne ourselves to
the regular sandstone formations bear
ing the hIgh-grade petroleum known as
"PennsylvSnia oil" This is found only
in tiik states Of New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky
and Tennessee, and only In very limited
quantities in the first and two latter
states, the other three having produced
nearly ali the supply marketed to date.
A line starting at olean. N. Y, and
ending at Point Pleasant, ". Va, with
an extreme width Of fifty miles on each
side, constituted what can properly be
called the oil producing belt. All the
great white sand oil pools" Of the
country lay within that belt, with the
Warrington field Of West Virginia on
the eastern extremity and the lately
discovered scio field of Ohio on the
western, Such line is almost an ex-
act 45 degrees or northeast and south
west one, and experience has also de-
monstratAd that almost all oil pools
on this general belt lay in the same
direction. saH
While the territory SO deseribed con-
sututes the general belt. let 1t not be
supposed that the greater part of this
territory is productive. At Intervals OF
ten,twenty, sometimes fifty miles. an
important field has been discovered
with an occasional small field between
these. The largest ones cover twenty
to forty square miles. as for example
the slstersville field. which is about
eight miles long by Ave wide. How In
significant such fields are as compared
to III. area OF this belt. which Is more
than 10000 square miles, can best be
seen by stating that the Sistersville
field, as large as any on that belt oc-
cuples less than one-thoGsandth part OF
that total area; and from there one has
to travel twenty miles before coming
to anothed field Of Importance.
How then are these productive arens
discovered and the non-productive
avoided? Geology has without doubt
been OF great assistance to the pro-
ducer in the pursuit of his business
not 80 much in a positive as in mega
tive sense, by showing him which To-
calIties to avoid. The first Important
form Of ,hIs geological knowledge con-
Flsts in what is termed surface indi-
cation This is visible to the prac'
,Iced eye IN the long ridges OF exposed
rock. sometimes running for hundreds
Of miles. known to oil operators as
antlclinals. Along the eastern and
western slopes OF these antIelinals oil
may be found II other surrounding con-
dltlons are favorable.
The most noted OF these is the great
Washington antIelinal. and even the
inexperienced eye gazes with wonder
at the Jagged masses of rock tilted at a
peculiar angle. visible at the entrance
10 the Mcdonald held, the greatest
"gusher" field ever struck in the his.