Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-02-23
LEADS In OIL.
West Virginia Ahead of the
Union in Grease.

the State Every day-Pr0gress Of the
Development Traced by an Expert
Interesting Resume of the Oil In
terests in the State.
It is well enough To notice that
West Virginia is the oil producing
state of the world Gradually the in
3dustry which commenced on Oil Greek
has worked its way down across Penn
sylYania until the hope of the future
Iturns to the steep hills of the Noun
tain State. Although the stock of
crude shows declining tendency it is
\rather because of the increasing use
than of the failure in production.
1.-THE entire production Of the higher
Igrade of Illuminating oil in 1899 ex-
|ceeded 80, 900, 900 barrels. Only in a
few Of the best years of the trade has
this been surpassed, and then but
Slightly, and in such years the stocks
piled up in an amazing manner. Were
it not that Lima oil has finally been
brought into the power of the wizards
)of the refinery and converted into IL
Illuminating oil the supply Of the high
ar grades large as it is, would be en-
tirely insufficient now. So much for
the benefits that have been conferred
by the people who have made Lima
oil possibility. Just how much
Lima oil goes TO the refinery to be
made into Illuminating oil could be
told only by those who operate the
refneries. But with the demands of
the country taking the entire 80, 000.
poo barrels of Appalachian oil, and
the 1000, 600 barrels of Lima oil,
and drawing on surplus stocks for sew
eral hundred thousand barrels besides,
t is not hard to see that the eastern
pill would be hopeless to satisfy the
needs of the trade.
To what extent the oil man is look
ing, TO West Virginia for his high
grade oil can now be seen by little
study of the current figures. The
number of new wells is running about
800 month not taking into consider
alton any cessation of work that the
cold snap may influence temporarily.
Of the 500, West Virginia and the
territory on the Pennsylvania border
will contribute three-eights. The
ObIlCl ilNt-CiS uUo dlC III lNC0 1Olh,
Ohio and the Pennsylvania territory
north of Washington aud Greene
counties, which have been classified as
in the ssSouthwest, classification
that includes all of West Virginia.
But while West Virginia, or the
'sSouthwest' has but three fifths of
the new wells, the smaller number of
wells contributes seven tenths of new
production. The average of pew wells
In Bradford, Armstrong, Venango and
Butler fields is about four barrels.
In Ohio it is 13 barrels. In West
Virginia and the Southwest it is
% barrels. Leaving out the dry holes
which are more numerous in the
Southwest" than elsewhere, because
of the greater activity of the wildcat
ter, the West Virginia average is even
proportionately greater.
Continually the work of the drill
bnlarges the West Virginia oil horizon.
What was at first looked upon as
narrow strip along the Ohio river has
Widened out until it extends from the
Eastern counties Of Ohio, more than
nalf way across West Virginia to the
Eastward the recent finds in the vi
cinity of Weston putting nearly every
Thing to the foot hills of the Rich
mountain range in the possible class.
n the other direction the finds extend
rom Warrington and the counties
adjacent on the north, half way
through the State to the south, with
Encouragement for the wild-catter
A1oar fn tho L aptnoIxv Ctota linz
The product Of the Appalachian sys-
em now reaches close to 90, 900 bar
Fels daily, and at the current price of
81 68 it is worth $50, 900, 900 year.
The Ohio and Indiana oil, which is
rood for nearly $1,000 barrels daily,
Eill swell the annual value of the oil
crop to $75, 900. 600, while the pro-
ducts of California, Kansas, Texas
nd other smaller fields will tack on
rom IS, 600, 600 to $1,000, 900 more.
The yield was never SO valuable in
he history of the country before, and
he production is outranking ia value
the gold out put in the United States.
1t is expected that as soon AS the
Weather is settled and the roads pas
able the activity that will commence
M over West Virginia will surpass
nything ever known in the history of
he oil country, for the continued de-
line of stocks makes more oil imper-
tive. The production is still not
DUAL to the demand, and the incen-
live now is sufficient to induce drill
Ing where it would have been out Of
the question year ago The closing
months of 1899 made new record in
the number of wells finished, but 1899
also pushed the eastern frontier of the
oil world well over into Lewis county,
while Mason is making pretentions in
the West. This is scope of country
big enough for the oil prospector to
get lost in.-Bion. II. Butler, in Pitts