The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-13
MASS CITY IS STILL
CRAZY OVER OIL, FIND
John A. Lee Says the Entire PopuIa-
tion Is Boring for Pc
troieun1.

MASS City, Mich, is oil crazy.
Everyone residing there or in the vi
entity of the little copper mining town
is boring for oil, and all because John
Pearson, homesteader, struck a large
petroleum bed while at work Saturday
on his farm, a few miles from the city"
So said John A. Lee last night, at the
Windsor hotel. Mr.. Lee has just re-
turned from the upper peninsula, and
was at Mass City Saturday and Sun
day, during the excitement which fol-
lowed the Pearson discovery.
THE find was accidental" continued
Mr.. Lee. Pearson. a poor farmer,
was at work digging well. He had
dug about forty feet when he struck
liquid, which he thought to be water.
Soon the hole began to fill with the
liquid He tasted it and was Disguised
to ascertain that it was unfit for
drinking. It had queer smell, and
looked unlike any water the farmer
had ever before seen.
Gas the day passed the fluid contin-
ued to flow. 1t overran the well hole
and soon was flooding the farm. A man
named Gleason, who owns the adjoin-
ing farm, was told of the strange dis
covery. Gleason formerly lived in the
Indiana oil district. He at once rec
ogniZed the fluid as a superior quality
of petroleum. The representative of
the Standard Oil company at Ontona-
gon was informed of the discovery, and
Sunday visited the farm. He tried to
obtain an option on the property, but
Pearson refused to sell.
'"The news of the discovery of oil
was not long in reaching every section
Of Ontonagon county, in which Mass
City is situated. Miners, farmers and
homesteaders crowded into the little
mining camp Sunday. Nothing was
talked of but PearSon'S oil land.
"a syndicate of Mass City business
men was formed Immediately to pur-
chase the Pearson farm, but they were
unable to secure the property. Pear
SON. refuses to sell or to consider any
proposition until the value Of his oil
discovery can be ascertained.
Until last Friday, there was not a
more undesirable piece of land in all
Michigan. The Pearson farm is To-
Gated near the Mass copper mine. The
land is scarcely capable of cultivation,
and produces little but potatoes and
other root vegetables.
Pearson staked out his homestead
three years ago, during the copper
BOOM He has lived there since, work.
ing as, a day laborer in the mines and
occasionally did little work towards
the Improvement Of his land. Last
weekehe was penniless. Sunday he
was offered 100000 for his homestead,
Other homesteaders in the vicinity
Of Mass City are working day and
night on their lands, hoping to discov-
er another bed of the petroleum. The
syndicate of business men formed in
Mass City has already bought several
pieces Of land in the country adjacent
to Pearsons farm. The agent for the
Standard Oil company has advised his
superiors of the discovery, and several
Of the company's officials are expect
ed at Ontonagon during the present
week.
Experts who have examined the oil
say it is of high grade and of the
same equality as that discovered near
Escanaba, Mich, year ago. Geolo-
gists state that the upper peninsula is
natural oil field"