The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-09-06
CERTAINLY HAS OIL.

Wickliffe, the county seat of
the adjoining county of Ballard,
hes oil. Of that there is no sort
of doubt. An employee of The
News visited the little city yester-
day and was shown the well from
which the oil has been taken and
brought back with him a small
sample of the fluid.
Most of our readers are familiar
with the original discovery of the
oil in a we'll dug for the purpose
of securing water supply for the
Wickliffe packing company. The
Well was dug to depth of little
over 60 feet, when the gas and
fumes resembling the smell of
gasoline or benzine became so
strong that no one could stay in
the opening to further prosecute
the work. When old Louis Web
ster, negro who has dug wells
and cisterns all over Ballard county
for the past 40 years, could 60 no
further with the work the well
was abandoned as a source of
water supply and was shown to
visitors and strangers as curious
ity until the oil excitement in some
other parts of the country put
some of those interested in Wick
life to thinking. Inquiry proved
that indications for oil were decid-
edly more tangible in Wickliffe
than in many places where vast
sums have been expended in boring
wells, and many other places
where gushers have been found.
Outsiders finally became interested
and the organization and incor-
poration of a company to bore for
oil resulted last week.
Before the Union city people
were asked to invest anything in
the enterprise test to settle be-
yond any question that the oil
came from the earth was decided
on for their benefit. Mr.. j. G.
Boyd and others interested had
every particle of water drawn out
of the we'll and telegraphed to the
Obion County people interested to
send trustworthy representatives
there to see the test made. The
marshal of Union City and five or
six other persons selected by the
prospective investors went to
Wickllffe, and these, with a num-
Der of local parties, stood guard
at the we'll all night and until
about 5 o'clock the following
morning, when some of the water
from the well, which had filed a
depth of about four feet, was
drawn out, and found to carry a
very encouraging percentage of
oil on its surface.
The oil is a beautiful, colorless
fluid, which burns freely, and
smells more like benzine or gaso-
line than coal oil. 1t is believed by
Wickliffe people that the pressure
is very great and forces the crude
oil through a considerable strata
of earth to the point where it ex-
udes from the soil, thereby refn-
ing it to some extent. 1t has been
tried in various ways and answers
every test for fine illumination oil.
When reliable business men like
DIR. John Boyd, I. J. Neely, Hal
Warden, G. G. Boyd, Bud Linthi-
cum, w. A. Anderson, Sam
Moore, Matt Smith, and, in fact,
most Of the reputable and respon-
sible business men of Wickliffe
pin their faith to the indications
of oil it is sufficient guaranty that
there is no fake about the matter.
The oil is there. How much, only
the sinking of a well can determine.
A gentlemen was in Wickliffe
Saturday who has two well-boring
outfits, one of which is engaged in
Ohio, another in Alabama. He
came TO make a bid on the boring
work after examining the character
of the oil. He said he could go to
work in a few days if he secured
the contract. Other bids will be
received and work commenced at
the earlist date to determine what
the Indications of oil amount to-.
People are anxious for the boring
to begin. .-Paducah News.
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