West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-03-22
WILL BolL our The PARAFFIN


a
venattBg Old Wells.
Fulton Gardner and 7. B. War :
Ing, two prominent Chicago men,
who are guests at the Huffman
house, are In the city for the pur.
pose of making a test which, If sue
cessful will revolutionize the oil
producing industry of the North
western Ohio fields. Mr.. Gardner
Is the inventor and. patentee of an
electrical apparatus by the use of
which he hopes to be able to clean
out old oil wells and permit the re-
newal of their valuable production
that Is now held back by the here
tofore AMIDST invu1nerable obstruc.
ton, parafine, II 1t will accomplish
that which he Is confident 1t will
accomplish. cannot be over esti-
mated.
Mr.. Gardner Is native of Clar-
lon county, Pennsylvania, and has
passed the meridian of life. Dur
Ing his youth and the early days of
his manhood he was connected
with the oil industry In the Penn
sylvania oil fields and In that busi
ness his father, who was veteran
producer, lost fortune. Quitting
the oil business when yet quite a
young man he went to Chicago and
became a student of electricity and
advanced so rapidly and successful.
1y In mastering Its many mysteries
that he was given the position of
inspector of the electrical appli-
ances throughout the down town
districts of Windy City. Nor for
getting bis knowledge of the old
industry he began working some
time ago upon plan to clean out
the old and frequently abandoned
wells In which he and many other
men of the trade arec nhdent there
are still supplies of crude that can
be produced In paying quantities,
providing the distractions that
stop the production can be removed
He found, by experiment that,
parafine Is impervious to almost
everything but heat. A torpedo
exploded In the bottom of an old
producing we'll will sometimes re.
move some of the obstruction and
thus increase the production for a
short time, but the well, In almost
every instance soon clogs up again.
Neither alcohol, benzine, steam Or
water will have the slightest eff
feet upon parafine, and the inven
tor set out to construct an apparatus
that would generate intense heat In
the old wells. He has completed
the construction of,and has secured
the patent rights upon, an electric
contrivance which In Its operation
Is similar to the electric heater used
In street cars The heater Is
lowered into the bottom of a we'll,
and by attaching a wire to 1t,
getting a return circuit through
the well casing, heat to almost
any degree that Is desired may be
generated In the very place where
paraffine forms the thickest and
does most damage. Mr.. Gardner
claims that he can boil out the par.
afine from within a radius of at
least fifty feet around the working
barrel In the bottom of an oil we'll
and remove the obstruction while 1t
is yet In liquid form and thus open
up. the crevices and assures so that
the crude oil production may be re-
newed'
The inventor and his associate,
who represents some Chicago capt.
talists who are backing the expert
meots, have secured permission to
test their apparatus In the Ander-
son & Kreiling well at the mill near
the east of Market street bridge,
and with power supplied by the
street railway company they will
put the heater In operation within
day or two. The we'll Is an old
one that was drilled In fully ten or
twelve years ago, and Its daily pro-
duction has been reduced to about
IH barrels of crude per day. The
result of the test will be awaited
with interest by the oil producers.
Lima Times. Democrat.
An Honest Medicine fOrLa Grippe.
George w. Watt, of South Gar