The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-31


into thp tank in the form Of a spray BY
the former. making It very dIfdcult for
the scouts TO arrive at correct astiuateS
OF it's production. The owners iiad en-
ployed guards 10 see that. no scout &C.
cured a gauge OF the tanks. Aioat Of the
scouts having arrived at what theS, con-
cluded fair estimate OF the production
at forty barrels per hour, mounted their
hoyses and rod. 10 Sheaipld n ,iie,s,ca
y -. -, -. -.
VI SVil'S eisi'' Ali's' u lt'Ois' tle near
est telegraph office Of the Western I'm
| ion Company, TO ndvIsa their princinaIa
who wore awaiting the ns,,, -, 80
80 ~ s.-,.s.s. W ~
lVUr VI 'nS eAel''lilse' - SOON a. thslr
estimates were In the hands OF the prin-
| cipais In the exchanges. the markot
dronnad m p,.rv no,nt, "a go, ~,
1922 49, 49, $3.50 ~ s-' "'''
cohslueEeu tne InllueISt OF auch large
well 80 far in advance Of Developments.
| II was al this polnt that tbs usa ~ tina
,tn, I,na ,,.Iro, nod a. .,,,,..,,...s.. =,
L'Pe '' '' 40 ~ ''''itases :"
Boyle, remnant ana TOrrey' When the
| other scouts and owners hal left the
| we'll this trIo used tba most aFy.,,tya
-, a.. ,,.,,.,-,,., ,....
HsHSuie W. seVui"s UurIeet lhtoFHih'
/ ton OF the wells production, by briblng
| the guards TO run u gauge pole on the
outsIde az tha tank .fter I,o,,tD,, s,,,,o,.1
g.. -. '''' - '"s s'tuse
Ihe h's' hour production. II was
making eight barrels an hour Instead
OF forty, as the other scouts had lneor-
rooti,, as,,r,,ts5
| ANNANS tPNAAAAsNtNAs
Boyle ana IOrrey each had their
horses Mt the well but Termant had
taken snort cut ana left his horse IN
me WOODS some instance away An
started lOr the pump station, a mile or
more away throush the woods, Boyle
ana lorrey on their hOrses and Ter
mRnt hanging on 10 the tail OF Boyles
steed, an on a DEAD run The wires
from the pump station We're Kept hot
with their information, with the result
mat the market TOOK sudden upward
turn, causing severe loss to the ma
nipuiatots VINO had conspired to de-
press prices, and corresponding gains
to the principals OF the trio OF scouts
who had the privilege OF the pipe line
| wires. me hardest propositions the
scouts ever mad to contend with were
Imposed upon them by Mike" Murphy,
now millionaire operator OF the West
virginia neIds, ana an 0ntcer OF the
Pure OH Company. Murphy always
seemed TO enjoy little tussle for SUI
premacy. with the scouts. and honOrs
We're about evenly divided. 1t was the
winter and spring Of SO that Murphy
was dealing very heavily In oil and
was also interested In, and manipulate
ing number Of wildcat wells, all more
or less important as to their bearing
on values. The famous Good Friday
WELL finished sixteen years ago on
Perky Run In the Balloon field, was
one Of the wells, owned by Murphy and
Vandergrift, that gave the scouts as
much trouble as any ever handled by
them. This well came mighty near
breaking the owners as well, large
number OF heavy spectators. 1t was
the night before this well was due TO
strike the sand. when Murphy and
VandsrErift dispatched scout Torrey
who represented the lntter'S interest In
the well, he having in his possession
piece Of an auger stem about one foot
long, which was intended TO be drop
ped into the well to keep the drill from
bouncing without cutting into the sand
rock, thus hoping to mystify the scouts
and giving the owners FIRST information,
should the well turn out to be large.
Murphy had previously sent out of his
field, men to the well with instructions
to shut 1t down when the sand was
reached, and wait until everything was
in readiness to drill It in.
Through some mlscalculation IN
depth, during the night the drillers
struck the sand, and the well COM
menced to flow; the rig caught fire and
burned down, and the tools and ropes
were left In the hole. Here was nice
mess. The next day was Good Fri
day and holiday and Murphy and
Vandergrift,. each with over half n mil
lion barrels Of oil on their handn. ON
the receipt of the information. Torrey
telegraphed the condition OF affairs to
his principal. VnndergrIft. in Warren,
and he In turn made the facts known to
Murphy. From that time on. marked
one OF the most active speculation per-
Iods of the oil market. Instead OF work
ing together, both Vandergrlft and
Murphy exercised their best resources
to get out from under the load of oil
which they were carrying. It was at
this well that all the devices known to
the trade to mystIfy the scouts were
brought into use. 1t was at this well
that scout TOrrey locked horns with
Mike Murphy, and brought INFO play
all the schemes and resources which
would give one the advantage over the
other in getting quick information TO
principals. and brokers, and both were
! equally Interested in deceivlng the
scouts. Torrey had the use Of pipe line
wires. while Murphy was dependent on
Western Union'service. They each had
ulentv Of assistants at the well few
hundred rods away, to keep them post
ed when the time came to drill It In.
BY mutual agreement, Murphy and