New-York tribune., 1901-10-27
HOW TO DRILL OIL WELLS.
WEST VIRGINIA LARGER PRODUCER
THAN PENNSYLVANIA
DEPTHS OF A MILE ATTAINED-ACCIDiNrs THAT
BOTHER THE CONrRACTOR-''SHooT-
ING' AN OLD WE'LL
ING" AN OLD WE'LL.

4 great increase in Californa's production
within year two, sensational but as yet
rather unremunerative discoveries in Texas and
the finding of supplies in what have been
regarded exhausted fields in pennsylvania
have of late combined to lend fresh interest TO
the petroleum industry Of this country. In value
oil ranks fifth among the mineral products of
the United States, being greatly surpassed, how
ever only by iron and coal. Here are the
Geological Survey figures for 1890: Bituminous
ard anthracite coal. $306 S9l 364; irOn 500
q44 900; copper SOS. .49i .039: gold, $i9,i2222S
and petroleum, $40, 152,G9l. The minting value
Of silver, an artificial standard. puts that metal
on par with OIL but in the open market last
years output would have brought only S56,9oS.-
ia. And il is also to be remembered, in COM
pairing the foregoing estimates. that the prices
Of copper last year ranged abnormally high
PENNSYLVANIA has been considered the great
oil producing State of this country 1t will
prise a good many people to learn. therefore,
that she has a formidable rival In thesis
presented at Cornell University last summer
for 4 degree in civil engineering lie Van NJ.
Burt made some interesting claims for his native
State. West Virginia Mr.. Burts old home,
Warrington. has been peculiarly identified with
the petroleum industry. of the most IA
nous wells having been drilled his fathers
farm in 1889 and thereafter.
The business OF getting OH from wells bored
primarily for that substance probably first
conducted in the keystone State The great
strike Of August 81, 1888 on oil Creek is
ally recognized as the initial event of that char
acter But Mr.. Burt shows that far back
1914 petroleum had been collected in West Nir-
l-na from salt wells and other sources. ana in
the year 1S36 total of something like 30 OF 100
barrels was marketed The first well in that
state for petroleum only was started in $50,
Ind began to flow early in 1860 Immediately
there was a tremendous development OF the
business there. as in Pennsylvania but the Civil
War interrupted operations. The great plant at
t'urning Springs was destroyed by the CoAfed-
crates in 1863; and little or nothing done
after that until 1889 Late in that year Captain
Frank Burt, of Warrington, struck oil. His
trst well was not rich producer but the sec
,nd one, opened in 1890, was 100 barrel gusher.
A great invasion of that region by oil operators
followed At the present time West Virginia
has something like GOO 5000 wells. most
of then in half dozen counties up near the
Panhandle. The largest number is probably in
Monongaa County BY the close OF lNJS Mr..
Burt says, West Virginia producing
largely as Pennsylvania. while In 1899 her
output equalied that of Pennsylvania New
York and Southeastern Ohio combined. He
thinks that she is still ahead of all rivals.
petroleum Is not found In CaNernS or pockets,
but is held in the interstices of porous rocks.
ether shales or sandstone. What is called "oil
sand" will often contain one-ffth of its bulk in
Oil. Each cubic foot yields about a gallon. and
a stratum five feet thick will produce 1000 bar
rels to the The oil bearing rocks lie below
a number of other strata. If they occupy a
c, mparatively level position where tapped
poor flow may be expected But if through the
Wrinkling of the earths crust they tilted
up, then there is tendency of the confined
fluid to drain down into the hoows and we'll
sunk of these points will give relief to
cCnsidera BILE pressure, and hence yield hand
somely. Still there may be minor ridges even on
a broad slope, and it occasionally happens that
q good we'll and a poor situated very
near each other. There is science. but
much luck also about the location of oil
well.
The depth to which seekers for petroleum go
in Marion County, in which Mar arnington is stu
than 1000 feet. The first important landmark
which is watched for is vein called the Pitts
burg coal. This is from 400 to 800 feet down
" hat is known the Big InjUn sand' Mr.
Burt says, lies / 400 feet below the coal and the
Gordon sand" another exceedingly productive
stratum 600 or 700 feet further. Wells have
been drilled, in exceptional cases to a depth of
more than mile, but the average distance OF
their bot toms from the surface at least in West
Virginia. is about half mile. At West Eliza
beth, twelve miles from Pittsburg, a few years