Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1903-02-06
Volume 81.
The iinTing Of All OH Well.

The h"TinE of al OH Well.
1t liz thought hy tome who know very
little and perhaps absolutely nothing at
all about the business that the boring Of
an oil we'll il II simple and easy thing Ia
do; and III the mids, ~ difficulties which
stranger men have tO overcome they
stand back and with the case OF pro.
frssIonal crlticr call the operators any.
thing but successful and the drillcrs
carrlcs5. mud perhaps they will venture
the further assertion that they are lii
competent. when they themselves are
Wholly inexperienced and very likely
have never been insidc drrriGk IN their
IVES. An such critics AMI obstruction
ibi-. II you pleus", Tor thnt it really what
they are, wnuld 10 well tu consult some
good authorities, and read up ON the his
tory and ievrlnpinrnt of tie oil bust.
ness.
IL will hc founG. upon investigation,
that oil was known to rxis, fully two
hundred years III this country before il
dawncd upon nnyOn" with a practical
knowledge "r miTuirr thnt il could be
Prnduccd M quantities large enough to
mnk" II nnr of the great commercial
commodities of the age. And even the
genius who finally conceived such au
ikea and had the practical ability To carry
II out WIS four Years in organizing his
company and getting ready for the
actual field work. Then Col. Drake
WHO WIS "a small stOckhOldcf in the con.
Germ was finally scut t"Titusvillc. Penn.
syivnnIH, tO locate the site nf the first
oil well. He met with the jrcrs Of the
populHco and many cniIrd him "a fool
and others raid ne WIS II lunatlc AID en
On Thus hc was encouraged to quit
the ield and abandon the enterprise, but
he WIS fuadc II the Kind ut stuff that
does not desert any enterprise once TN.
derthkcn. He %as pioneering II now
HELD, seeking To- iiud u new raw proudct
III paying quantities. forty miles awuy
III the wilderness aud his only cunncc
ton with the outside worli was by u
stage line I" civilization. His EnEv nf
rupplics wns long way ur aud the
Landing ~ machinery amt Appliances on
the ground WIS IA difficult task and be-
fore he could get ready Ia drIll winter
"vcTi""k III" Col. aud hc wRs obliged
to suspend Operations until spring.
Finally "hrn drilling VIA HciunlIy
commenced he met with almost III.
Vulnerable diiiirultics md disaster. but
perseverance, and pluck. at lnst. over.
came all obstacles and twenty five bnr-
rcls of oil wore pumped from tho first
oil well in America on the 30th day Of
August, 1859. II IL enid TINT hia worst
critics. the Obstructiuuis!s. Immediately
commenced going about and say ing Il
told You 80. and then began u mRl rush
among Themselves Ia srr who could buy
or lens" the largcst tcr ritory in the II
cinity nf the well hc had go succrtsiulIy
drilled in spite ~ their discOuraging Mt
ttudc. One fortunate and encouraging
fcatnr" ~ the Prnus, lvnniu field. how.
ever. wHs that III the first wells oil WIZ
struck nj no great distance from the
surincc. but in later times wells have
been drilled there tr a depth nf over
1000 feet
encountered III the cnIly days 0f the
Pcuusy lvni'iu oil rcgiuus, and quiCkeand
hns been encountered ~ California and
companies, after rpcnhinR thirty or forty
thOuaNnd dOllnrr, hnyr been runucllrd
To abnndOn the enterprise aud pocket
tho loss la Wyoming and Utah they
met with many irinls and IN some plncca
they hnv" n formation 10 go through cnr.
rying large houldcrs, which roll and
turn 10y the action ~ the hit in drilling.
sometimes causing II crooked hole and
sometimes the Loss ~ tooia.
On Spindle Top. in rcxns. tho oil area
ID compri8cd in II traci ~ ahout thirty
acres and oil is obtained nt u depth Of
lC00 to 1900 feet aud wells have been
Bnnk in ouch close proximity to each
other that there is acnfccly passing
room between the dorricks Tor pcdca.
trims, and acvcral hundred feet Of hole
hnvo been madc,in some cnses. in twonty
fOur huurR md the formation linu been
thoroughly known. int yet il Inns coat
"n M average Ia drill u well IN tia;
field from $4,000 Ia $p.OUO. Let the
render benr in mind TINT after q district
Ian been explored aud the formation
"h"%n up ~ TINT II can bc read like nm
"p"n book, i, iH much caairr nnd much
I"Hr oxpenFlvc Ia operate in. Pioneer
kn"~lcdgc is nlwaj a the most lnborious
ana expensive 10 acquire IN any oi tho
hutan induBtrice.
Tho EIko field hae novor been explored
and consequently nothing ia known Of
ttH formation except IA IT Ia being act.
umliY cut by the drill oi tho Rocky
"'"ninin OH md Development Com
r"n}' This in the pioneer company in