The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-07-04
AN OIL EXCITEMENT
Stories Of Its Discovery in
South Florida
MANY SURFACE INDICATIONS
Company Being Organized to Bore
Wells In Marion County.

The reported discovery of oil in the
WithlocoOchee valley by Mr.. Albertus-
VOgt is supposed to be in township
l6, range 18, and lis not more than a
mile distant from the identical spot
Wnere hard rock phosphate was dis
covered by the same gentleman in the
year 1889. !
Different stories are told as to what
led to the discovery. The following is
believed to be the most authentic:
1t seems that near the residence Of
Mr.. and Mrs. VOgt is a pond. Mrs.
VOgt noticed for d long time that
neither horses, dogs nor COWS would
drink the water. She called Mr.. VOgts
attention to the fact, so one day when
they were passing by the pond he got
Lown anu put his arm up to the elbow
into the water, and when he withdrew
it discovered an oily substance cling
ing to it, which had the smell of kerO-
sene.
When the excitement of the oil
guShers at beaumont were filling the
newspapers, Mr.. and Mrs. VOgt in
stantly thought of the pond near them,
and an analysis of the water followed,
which showed the prevalence Of oil,
and the matter some how and in some
way became a matter of public motor
iety.
Albertus Vogt, of DunellOn, Sam
uel r. Pyles, of Ocala, CASTOR Drake,
of st. Louis, and other parties inter
ested in the supposed discovery of oil
in the WithlacOOchee valley are in
this city, and have been for several
days past. 1t is surmised that they
are perrecting the organization of a
company for the purpose of boring
for a 'gusher."
They are closely clOSeted, examining
maps, recording! options and consult
ing with their attorneys, but are not
giving anything put for publication.
George Ware,t gentleman from
Texas, passed through here Tuesday
and submitted tb an interview which
precipitated thet excitement from the
standpoint in waich it has since been
discussed.
Mr.. Ware is fresh from the oil fields
of Beaumont He was there during
all the stages of. the oil discovery,
from the time the surface indications
were first made known until the
gusher ceased all doubt as to the exist
enee Of oil in Texas.
For ten days or more Mr.. Ware has
been in Dunel1On, and gives, or at
tempts to give, the alleged oil discov-
cry in that region "a black eye" He
says there is not a particle of doubt
about the surface indications of oil
being visible in the region named.
He says it can be seen OOzing out in
the ruts of the roadway, in ponds and
running streams. and can be smelled-
for distance of many yards, but he
says it is refined oil. the oil of COM
merce. old fashioned kerosene oil, pure
and simple, the same as you purchase
from the stores.
The plain inference, of course, is
that the oil find in that region is a
put up job" that someone has
''salted" these supposed finds" or,
more properly speaking, has "kerO-
sened the earth.' and is playing the
world for suckers
A story has also gained publicity
that a barrel of oil mysteriOusly dis
appeared from the railroad station at
DunellOn about six weeks ago. which
heightenS the color of the story of the
6ChCACA4Aclh AAOAl OCclulIlOul
Let's seriously see if this story will
bear analyZing.
The reported finds of oil in the
WithlOcOOchee valley are widely sep
arated from each other. 1t is there
fore seen that it would require large
quantities of kerosene to saturate the
earth. 1t is known that kerosene oil
evapOrates very rapidly, hence the
places where these finds are reported
would have to be constantly supplied
with fresh oil if the supposed discOv-
cry is fake and fraud.
-hen, too. for the past six weeks
we have had unusual and unparaI-
leled rains. In some places as much
as fourteen inches of rainfall is re-
ported in single day. 1t is not too
much to say that in the six weeks
past we have had enough rainfall to-
wash to ''smithereens" all the loose
kerosene that could have been
''sneaked' into the bowels of the earth.
We have taken pains to investigate
the alleged missing barrel of oil from
the railroad station at DUnellOn, and
find it to be entirely mythical. The
agent reports that no barrel of oil has
been missing at that station and that
every barrel shipped there has been
properly accounted for.
So, instead of beng fake, the in
terView of the gentleman from Texas
strengthens rather than weakens the
faith of the people here as to the gen.
uineness of the oil discovery in the
Withlacooches valley. If the oil is
there in quantities and in remote
places, it is clearly evident that it
could not haFe been placed there by
/ individuals.
Capt. John; L. IngIis was in Ocala
Wednesday fIOm Port Inglis, near the
mouth Of the Withlocoochee river.
From the very start of the supposed
oil discovery the captain has been a
doubling Thomas" and has taken no.
stock" in ths genuineness of the dis
cOvery. He believed implicitly in the