Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1901-12-20
ROCKCASTLE AS AN OIL
FIELD.


every indication of there being oil
here in abundance and further that
we are in the coil belt" which
runs from Pennsylvania to Texas,
and that neighboring counties to
East and West Of us bave a
big number of paying wells, these
are all demonstrated facts. We
might add oil has been found in
several places in Rockcastle. In
the Smith we'll, sunk i'll southern
part OF county by "Oil Jim"
Smith, an Ohioar, some IS years
ago, the fluid was found, though
not in paying quantities. 1t is
thought that had the drilling been
continued to greater depth that
it would have been found in large
quantities. Oil still flows from
this we'll today. About 500 feet
was the depth drilled and stopped
on account o. exhaustion of funds.
There is also an oil spring near this
we'll. Some four years since was
said 10 be "dry well' by the pro-
moters though many Of our people
believe that the drillers found
what they were sent out to discover
and when they found it (oil) they
pulled out their machinery, plug
ged the wells and departed for
other fields and left the territory to
be leased at later date when the
people had about abandoned hope
of ever striking" oil in paying
quantities. The well sunk at Null
Inns Station had about the same
history, except the lessees are still
paying annual rentals on the ter
ritory. 1t is said that these same
parties have within the last ten
months, leased thousands of acres
III this county and that when they
get good and ready" they will
start a number of drills.
The Mt. Sterling Company,
managed by DR.. Northcutt, who
was a practicing physician at Will
die some years ago, is putting
down a we'll OH Copper creek,
three miles west of Conway. They
have already gone through some
Small pockets" of oil and have
reached dc ptlI of something like
600 feet. The have been delayed
in the work on account of striking
layers Of rock of extreme hardness.
At I4o feet the drill struck a flow
Of gas sufficient 10 run large
engine. 1t is believed that at
t5oo feet they will find what they
are after.
The old Pollard well near Car
tersville, put down in 1867, had a
Small flow which continued for
months, to run down White Lick
creek and covered it's surface for
miles. This we'll was not drilled
to great depth.
There is a mum Der Of wells and
places in the county where natural
gas is found. A spring or we'll
near Gum Sulphur called the
Burning Well" will fire up and
burn, for sometime, if lighted
match is dropped OH its surface.
Seventy years ago, James Kin
kead drilled 800 feet for salt water
on Brushy creek, near Level Green,
struck oil which overlooked half
acre of territory around the we'll
They didn't know what the "stuff"
was, pulled, moved short distance
away; got salt water.
Over in south western part of
county is found what might bel
called "oil springs" as at several
places can he found heavy darkish
fluid oozing from the Earth. This
product has been pronounced by
some as crock oil" The natives
have made some use of it for medi-
cal purposes. Persons supposed to
be posted i'll these matters claim
that oil is present where these
",oozings' are found, and no doubt
the territory will be a paying field
when developed.
The situation III Rockcastle today
is about this: Most OF the available