West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-03-31

Pittsburg, Pa, March GIT has
been estimated that approximately
100000 wells have been drilled
tor oil and gas In the United States
since Col. Edwin L. Drake in 1859.
drilled the first oil we'll, located on
Oh Creek. near Titusville, Pa.
Since then the search for new fields
has gone forward and oil Is now
produced In 10: fewer than twelve
of the Middle and Western States
and territories, and many foreign
lands.
Notwithstanding the great strikes
that have been made In the devel,
opment of the petroleum industry
and the almost countless number of
wells drilled. there Is one stands
out and but one, that penetrates the
hidden resources deep below the
surface of the earth that has no
parallel in the puri y aud value OF
its product. It Is so distinctly differ
ent from all others that tits won
der to the practical oil operator aud
an unsolvable problem for the
scientist. Men of letters who de-
light In unraveling The mysterious
In nature have never been able In
mole than a theatrical way to dem
onstrate the causes that have lead
up to this most complete and per.
feet work In mineralogy.
The we'll which unlocked this
most curious storehouse of natures
own building. is located on the
James Sommervllle farm, on Hold.
er's Run, Armstrong county. Pa,
and about midway between Miller
town (now Chicora) and Brady
Bend. 1t was put down by the late
Westerman in the summer of the
Centennial Year, and like thousand
Of others drilled before and since
was an exceptional venture and had
it not been tor the popularity of Its
product would long ago have been
abandoned and forgotten. When
the we'll was drilled toto the rock II
was discovered that the oil that
came out was water white, instead
of dark green, and almost oderless
and when examined contained none
of the impurities or by.products In
other oils. When tested its specific
gravity was found to be IS a thing
previously unheard of. The well,
contrary, to the usual rule, was
never shot but was at once put to
pumping and for some years pro-
duced two barrels day and at the
present time, about twenty gallons
OF natural white oil is taken from 1t
each twenty four hours.
For a number Of years or before
its true value was discovered, 1t was
put In barrels at the we'll and with
out being subjected to any refining
process whatever, was sold for IL
lumioating purposes, giving out a
light equally as brilliant as the best
grades of the refined article. For
almost fifteen years the oil was used
for no other purpose than to fur
nish light for hundreds ofhomes In
Armstrong and Butler counties.
Collectors of specimens of miner.
alogy from all over the country
have sent requests for sample bot.
ties of oil, realizing that no matter
how carefully had they made thei
collection of oil 1t was not complete
until they had secured at least a
small Quantity of the white oil
from Holders Run. The Smith
sonian destitute at Washington, D.
c., Princeton, Harvard and Cornell
Universities have 1t In their miner.
alogy departments. Boulder, Col
orado and the Stanford, California
Universities have 1t, and Ia fact
wherever the curious In nature Is
made study 1t Is IN demand.
The Standard On Company gave
1t conspicuous place In Its famous
exhibition at the Worlds Fair. the
Paris Exposition, and the Pan
American Exhibition held last year
at Bcff 10, N. Y.
To the students of mineralogy 1t
Is a wonderful deposit and the for
nation 10 which It Is found incom
prehensible to the geologist. The
sand rock Is not greatly at variance
from that In other wells In Arm
strong county. The depth. of the
we'll and the different strata through
which the drill passed In It's down
ward course, would Indicate that
the deposit was encountered In
what the drillers designate as the
Is Second Sandn or. Is known to