The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-30
Washington County Oil Fields.

John M. Huges of Beaver Falls. Pa. who has been in the Birmingham dis trict and other portions of Alabama for several months past. has returned from what Is termed the oil field Of Ala bama, a short distance from St. Ste phens. Washington County. MT. Hughes was one of the first of the Pennsylvania capitalists to become tn- terested in Walker County coal lands and had much to do with the final purchase of $S50,000 worth of those lands by the Monongahela River Coal and Coke Company. Recently Mfr. Hughes was informed that there were evidence of coal deposits in Washing. ton County. He went there in the in terest of himself and associates ano conducted series of borings. He said he did not come across the alleged three and a half foot vein of coal, to which his attention had been called, but he states, that in boring for coal his drills struck beds of solid asphal- tum, three feet and more in thickness. He has not had this asphaltum analy- zed yet, but sufficient already Is known of 1t to demonstrate that 1t Is a good commercial commodity. Samples of 1t have been turned over to an expert for anaylsis. Speaking of these as- phaltum finds. MT. Hughes said:
 They are located about sixteen miles from St. Stephens. There Is an oil well which was bored there years ago which sends up oil that runs for twen- ty or thirty feet to creek. under stand the well was bored about 1Sao. but the borers did not go deep enough and abandoned the feld too quickly, There are dozen wells there three hundred and to four hundred feet deep and gas comes from several of them in such quantity as to be easily lighted and maintained a flame two or three feet high. In the past ten days a remarka- ble interest in this territory has devei' oped. MT. Rose of New York Of the Royal Baking Powder Company, has made a fiat purchase of several thous. and acres at $1s.500. and fully sio,0ot worth of options have already beer taken. The surface indications are su' perb. They could not be better. Prof Joseph Hill, who made an exhaustive investigations of this field and wrote the result of his Investigations to Int Montgomery Advertiser, Is of the opin. ion that the Texas oil belt extends tt the very section which I have just visited. Hand Brothers, the South Ala bama and Mississippi lumbermen, have gone into the field and paid $S,I6' for options of a tract of 300 acres. Il is not a new thing in that country, but 1t is new in the appreciation now be ing shown. In 1881, I ascertained from an old settler rock was blasted out o the river at St. Stephens and in the upheaval there came oil which foatet on the river several days. A well wal subsequently, drilled and the tools De came fastened. Gas accumulated ant the tools were shot out of the well anf the project was abandoned. In fact the negroes became so frightened tha although they were slaves at that time it became practically impossible tt force them to longer work on the wei after the tools were blown out, as they thought, by supernatural power"
 MT. Hughes built the Grasselh chem ical plant at Powderly, near this city He Is dealing actively in Alabama in dustrial affairs with Pennsylvaniar following behind him. It is believed that -ees. e:ss;fss!l some SSv si0p' ments in the South Alabama oil re- zion. He returned to Pennsylvania to- day.