The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-28
ONE DAY A B[GGAR,
NEXT AN .0|||.L| |. | | |
"spotty9 Mcbride, After Patient
Effort, Awakes the Owner of
Largest Gusher in World.
80 YEARS E:'''| WORK q REWARDED
--------a
His Name Had Been Byword for.
Foolish Investment and Per-
sistent Bad Lick.
30 YEARS WORK REWARDED e RI
His Name Had Been Byword for.

f2Jiif /. f
4 pittsburg special to the New York
Herald says: n.
ono week ago, pcnniless and not know
Ing where tho next meal was to come;
from for himself and his hungry familyl
To-day, almost millionaire.
That, ir, a word. Is what the last week
had IN store for ''spotty" Mcbride.
After. thirty years Of frultless work and
endeavor. "spotty', Mcbride, on Tues
day last, drilled in the biggest oil we'll
in America, which transformed his con-3
5dition from AFFECT poverty TO ono Of
wealth and nffluencc.s
Not since Coal x Oil johnny was
making history In Western Pennsylvania
has there been such excitement III tho
oil country as there is to-day In Butlcr
county, Just across the Alcghany county
line, and not more than twenty miles
z from this city. n .Si III
j The day after tho we'll was drilled
'spotty'' was no different from what ne
was the day before. All he would say
was: .'The new we'll Will be known aa
tho Marie. Ny little girl always said
that II I ever struck a we'll ! must
namo It after her. and promised. Eve
serybody always laughed when the sub
ty's Mcbride ever striking anything i But
hero 1t is at last, boys, and tho little
girls wish Is lifted. y
OLD FRIEND WEARY,
Two days before the Marie came In
s"Spotty Mcbride pleaded, actually
begged. Of John Newell, n Pitisburg hos
tel man and oil operator and brother
sin-law OF Daniel O'Day, Of the Standard
Oil Company, to give him 5000 for an
eighth interest In the hole. But the
limit had been reached.
5gs No, Spotty,.. no. 8 said John Newell;
IS we staked You too often already. 4
wouldn't give you six cen t. =, IFS:
a5E Two days after the lucky strike j ohm
Newell offered g spotty' Mcbride s25O,-s
i 900 for the same one-cahth Interest,"
This time It was cBride who refused
Thirty five years ago rs potty- Mcbride
was a otblack and general rustabout
at the Hotel Lowry, in Butler and the
oil fever struck Kim when he saw Coal
Oil Johnnie spending his rcoaey. He
gave up his bootblack Eta1d r-ped.
together what money no ~ md In
vested 1t In 1nerchan iise.S BE sold his
stock to the oil drillers and made big
profits, until the time arrived when he
could drill a hole Of his own. t 5s
That WINS thirty years ago. Mcbride
had always been considered lucky, and 4
his first venture was watched with the
greatest interest by the oil men. T Tho;
well came In a dry hole and Spot ty'''#s
Mcbride went back to his old bootblack-s
ing stand in the Hotel Lowry. lie was
not discourage and was soon plugging
away again for another stake. 8ES;,ll
To relate the history Of /" Spotty'' O.
Bride from that time down to thin il a.
q .,%I
struggles and failures. Never once I'M
all those years did ne meet with suc-5
cess. Every well that he drilled came
In a dry hole. but every time that he
went back to the tblacls stand there
was that same look OF determination on /
his face 45 55
Mcbride had married during these years
and children came faster than money.
HAD TRUE FRIEN Us.
In all Of his ventures he was helped
out by friends, for every one who knew,
|"Spotty. was his friend. They took
their turns. Just as friends take turns
sitting up with a sick mar, 3 The re-
suits were always the same.
Two months ago "spotty', gathered
together about $500 and announced to
his wife that he was going to make one
last effort. II that failed no would
give up forever. the idea Of striking OIL.
1t had always been a standing joke that
"Spotty. picked out the most undesirable
looking territory. and there was more
than smoker when 1t became known
that he had secured a lease on the DR..
o. X. Waldron farm, three miles from
the town OF Butler Tho smoker de-s
yeloped into laugh when Spot ty'' started
Ito drill Ills we'll within three hundred
feet Of a previous well that had come In
a dry hole u
The day that tho Marie came In Fin
negnn left his home, in this city, for tho
Waldron farm, AS he left the house he
called back to his wife: So Mary, I swoh t
be home till we strike a thousand BARREL
ler." She gave him n look Of disgust
for throwing his money away. That
afternoon sho received n telegram from
her husband announcing that the well
was Gin and was Producing :. 900 barrels
day.
Tho day before the work was finished
Mcbride went to Peer II. ATcCool OF
the standard Steel Car Company. and
told him how bright things were look
ing. On the stronghold this McCool5
furnished money for options on 220 acres
OF ground around the we'll, Since the
Marie calno In they have refused 81. 000,-3
900 for their holdings, Od-tlme oil men
say they arc worth several times that
amount. J5 Bit S5 "a
Tho Marie has settled down to a steady
flow OF 2,40O barrels q day. and 10 still
the biggest we'll In America. The oil
is being piped by the Standard
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WEEK IN WALL STREET. d
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