The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-10-28

WITH the advent 90 the shallow sand
Richie counties. IN. str ana hsstie =
the Ohio river front invaded the Interior
In this development the native cons %
West Virginia took an active part and
swelled the ranks OF eager producers
some 81 them coming out with fortunes
fields fell upon hard fate In the spotted
territory and dropped all the wealth they
brought with them IN dry holes. All -
not proht In The OIL business. as NAV
readily be seen I'm the fact that the Ssaa
dry holes drilled In West virginia since
lNss represent a fruitless outlay % more
timate the net losses on the thousands
OF other small wells that have returned
a part but not all Of their cost Evsrv
producer OF experience knows his end %
the game n mot all beer and no sktt-
ties Fortunately. however. majority
OF the non-payinE wells have been the
property - the large companies and the
fortunate producers who have struck ~
rich. and have only dctracted from the
prohts OF more fortunate ventures
In all the hurry burly % these many
West Virginia oil fields. tho only sure
and easy winners have been the farmers
and land owners. \ DRY hole might ieave
them disappointed. hut no poorer than
when it was started "gusher- would
mean an income without risk. effort or
expenditure. The S65 600. 900 or royalties
and rentals derived from tho oN opera
lions Of twenty-five years has been their
profit and IN the phrase OF the gambler
is pure velvet" II has put hundreds
on easy street who were previously
close 70 poverty. alley" and compare
wasted their substance in riotous uv-
Ing. despite the temptations brought 90
them by TIE suffers and camp followers
OF the Industrial army.
Inevitably such "A wealth producer a.
an OIL and gas development attracts
gamblers. sharpcrs and all the legion %
those who subsist upon the devices ror
beruiling the nlmbi, dollar from the
more or less honest pocket Life IN an
OF town is strenuous and its diversions
are not infrcquently at high pressure and
great expense Money is To- be caught
on the ny and dropped IN the running:
wherefore. the weak. the vicious and The
unwary are offered every facility for
parting with the bank roll on the old
principle Of a fool and his money etc
For the sharks that follow the oil de-
velorer is no more responsibility than 4.
the sailing master. iu the WAKE ~ wroS.
ship IN" monsters are 20 Doe found. at
from The cabin table. For The rir-ter
part Che pooulc OF West Virginia have
Eren .svcl Of head and wis" IN their
generation. retaining tho wealth that
has poured and iS pouring from the
thousands ~ wells that grace the hills
AMI valleys from buukari Creek 60 Zig
Greek. from Opekiska To- MouursviIie.
ana from Beech Bottom 10 Elk creek.
with recent events IN tho on rcrlou 81
o." state our readers are familiar and
they need NOT I" u'tri"d with rcret.fion
Ih'N ar" inlIuWirr the latest develop
ments on Failing Rock creek and al
Beech f"ttom as ke"uIy ae the earliest
uN'me-f- around Warrington were fol-
ioN.d t"'nt'-i"ur wears ago They
know .H about 'he ouersfions ~ WI
lam Seymour Edwards and tho zig
. creek Development Company. they are
familiar with the drilling of the Hone
p1uv and tho south penn. There h lack
IL some OF the novelty and dash or
] longer anything strange or unfamiliar
about the terms or toiUCS - %, rrafe
/ l.Nt '.IS i""uty-'our wear development
Z L pei. ihi'ft~fiuE 'rHuicr from the he
/ ginning. and the end is not vet 90 srrrt
] N"f Hll 'f tie ufl and gas territory OF
/ Wo~f Virginia has been orsucd and after
I steady. IT less spectacular. prosperity In
/ store t". 'he Oh fields. II IS no mean in
I ttIirt- wear "t r. gross valuation 81 St4i-
I ."..'n". and that paid I'm state and local
: iaN"ii'n q sum aprroNimatirE ono mill
non dollars for The wear. This is an IN
: crease IN valuation. since the BOARD OF
! funlc Works was created in 1904. OF
3 has also added materially 90 me Increase
D or 70. .r't rrrr lu the valuation Of real
IN the rate uf taxation.
] While such Incidents as arr related In
] the beginning OF this article have he
/ come common ana familiar. leg no one
/ lu.aE NE there BE- no longer any interest
| iu IN. search for new fc-rit6r, or ST.
/ is exploitation when found "c,b
! hafe man Us no novelty in these latter
goiuEs. but the race for lenses -e4r n
/ new strike has lost none OF its zest
throuel greater familiarity or frequent
/ repetition.
b.f"lopmcnt Of oil and ras has now
emnr1red thirty-f'ur counties in me
/ si'tr from the Pennsylvania state ,rre
/ tlt western panhandle Within this r.-
t'. since ls,' thgrc have been drilled
. -. 600 have been producers az
AMI fully $500 have been failures s~I
j