The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-30
LITTLE IDEAS HAVE
GREAT BIG RESULTS

Ntt~f- -~t< w. - - -
It seems hardly conceivable that
only little more than so years ago
considerably over half the world was
living in darkness for want of o suit
able light Coal gas for illuminating
purposes had come into more o. less
general use In the cities and some OF
the larger towns, but the great mass
tot the country folk o ltthe world were
Bstill restricted to- the use OF dim can.
dies or yile-smelling. spluttering
lamps which burned animal or yegss
table oils.
There Is little wonder that our
grandfathers advocated the. precept
of early 10 bed,r for they: certainly.
could find little pleasure in spending
an evening with only the titful flick
5ering of a candle to light the drearyj
hours. r.
Now all this was to be. changed
through the discovery OF ILLUMINATING
oil, which brought light and cheerful.
ness into the quiet homes OF the plain
people who bore the brunt Of the
worlds work. 1t literally carried the!
light Of civilization into every corner
q fthe earth. and made slife longer.
for the millions by turning hours OF
darkness into hours OF profitable
pleasure and enjoyment. Il
Common as 1t Is. the ordinary ker:
osene lamp islone Of the greatest in:
lventions Of the world In its service
and benefits to mankind. Yet kero-
Isene is only one OF a hundred neces.
stiles 0 feveryday life which come
from the worldwide deposits Of pc;
troleum. (
Il It was In August. 1870, that Edwin
L. Drake sunk the first petroleum
well at a point on OIL Creek, Pa, near.
where the city Of Titusville now.
stands. This was the beginning OF
the industry which has reached stu.
pendous proportions.
4 OIL fuel for ships: locomotives and!
stationary engines Is still in its In
fancy. When Drake. made his discoy:
cry there was a rush to. the oil fields
of Pennsylvania almost similar to tho
rush for gold In California. Fortunes
were made with unheard Of frapidity
by simply boring a hole in the earth
and letting the oil igush forth.
Drake went to- OIL Creek
prospecting in 1858 he was a conduc:
tor on the New York Q New Haven
railroad. His employers bestowed
upon him the dlgnified title Of Colo
mel, p by which he was known forever
after
h Upon reaching the oil district
Drake Immediately began to sencouns
ter difficulties. All sorts Of tales are
told about his constant. lack Of funds
and the obstacles he had toioyercome
In getting even the barest necessities
to carry on operations. =
To add to brakes difficulty, com:
Epetent workmenl were hard to get,
and still harder to keep. on account
sofl the demand for experienced men
to drill wells for brine, where the
work was easier an dthe pay more
certain. 9Buptt he finally overcame his
greatest difficulty, the caving OF the
lsand. TO do this lie hit on the In
genious idea Of driving an iron pipe
down to solid rock, and then operat.
ing the boring tools through the pipe.
Repeated attempts finally resulted
In forcing brakes iron drive pipe
through flfty:odd feet 'of sand, q depth
which presented an almost impossi;
BILE barrier to the Old methods OF dig
Iging in an open pit. When triumph
finally cane Drake and his drillman.j
"uncle Billy" Smith, had brought Into
existence the first we'll ever drilled
for oil In the United States, and won
for themselves everlasting fame In,
the annals Of the petroleu mindustry.,
When brakes oil well began "gush;s
ing it marked the beginning Of the
boom in Pennsylvania by which, poor
farmers became fabnlously} rich and
in which fortunes we're lost as well
as gained. In: a few years wells ap.3
'peared as 81 by magic in all the Swest:|
,ern section of the state. ri
si1tswas not long until the entire APP.
,pearance Of the oil country was
changed. Derrieks and engine houses
replaced the humble backwoods
dwellings and a spirit Of. restless acti
,tiyity took the place OF former epace:
full quiet. Two years after brakes
well was completed the valley Of on
Creek, still the only producing local:
'ity OF any consequence. had under:
gone such a stratling Transformation
as to beanos longer recognized ias its;
former self. AZ hustling town 10,
miles long filled a valley where only
yesterday had stretched green fields.
and quiet pastures.
Today the oil industry. Is one OF the
greatest In the country, and It has
made; or assisted In making, some of
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