Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-06-07
THE KENTUCKY
OIL FIELDS

Of Paris, KY, a company that al
ready owns many producing wells
DR.. Elmer Northcutt. says the Of
World, twenty years ago, with the
crude instruments Of time. set oui
10 prove his belief tfiat there wal
oil IN Kentucky. Against the pes
:. simistic outlook he fought And
found oil-lots Of H.
u Today, with the oil industry heur'
ishing IN Eastern Kentucky. he see'
a stiII more optimistic outlook.
Development in Kentucky is on
~ beginning. Or. Northeutt declared
recently. 1.-THE best wells have not
been drilled. The largest pools are
still untouched"
DR.. Northeutt says that the oil
men Of the present In this State can
not realize the difficulties which faced
J the men who blazed the trail There
ARE troubles now and many Of them
but the future, he says, is bright.
and things are shaping themselves
in favor Of the industry.
"The oil wells now are necessarily
being drilled near railroads. near
boarding houses. and where big leases
can be obtained. Bad roads have
hurt the operators rs they work their
way In the new-found fields. Il Is
hard 10 get castings for drilling. curb
ing for wells and machinery. but the
oil men are plugging against the
difficulties as we battled with the
greater obstacles when there were
greater hardships and the outcome
was not so sure
There is a CHEEKY outlook in the
other dinection." he said. Now vir-
tually any development in the State
Of Kentucky is valuable. A lucky
strike, either Of oil or gas, counts for
gain. Gasoline plants are now being
built in Menifee county, and soon
will be built in other fields Of Ken
lucky. Two gas lines extend through
the field. Pipe lines from Monticello.
in Wayne county. have been built to
Petersburg. W. Va, and there Is a
steady market for oil"
DIR. Northcutt Is not a believer in
luck in the oil business. The lucky
strike idea Is all wrong. he says
"rhe Kentucky field was not run
into by accident 10 make men rich
by turn Of fate"
The finding Of oil in this State was
brought about by cold study. Geo
logical survey showed where lines
and structures were located. This
Is his explanation Of the exploration
DrW1rrhcutt's story Of the be-
ginning Of Kentucky gives an insight
into the troubles met by the path
finders as they drilled in fields un-
known 10 the oil world.
LOADED in pushboats. his maehin-
cry was pushed by poles seventy
miles up the Sandy river to the
point chosen for the fiEst oil develop
ment in that part Of Kentucky. The
first well was a ''kusher" and flowed
over the top Of the derrick. The first
production was put on the market and
sSa
"a few years later | left Valley
View and begun development in the
Ragland field. Mr.. Dimmick and
were both believers in geology. We
did our own drawing. located our
own lines and structures. The dis
eoveries Of the early oil field in Ken
lucky did not occur by any accident.
but by careful study and hard work.
"As usual in pioneering, the ex-
pense Of obtaining the market for
the oil, lack Of pipe lines and ae-
Feasibility 20 Pefneries, etc, made
Il losing proposition TO the pioneer
operators at that time. Spending
Of enough money to build the line
for running Of oil was objected TO.
"A few years later, with the largest
steel tanks at that time in the world
full Of oil. ! found myself practically
broke. There was no market, no
pipe lines. II could not be sold.
"In what Is now the Menifee gas
field. the first well drilled at that
time met a problem. In that il was
utterly impossible TO obtain a market
for gas or oil There was absolutely
no market. Today. from this field.
gas as being produced which for
twelve years has supplied Lexington.
Winchester and Mt. Sterling.
at required large sums Of money
20 build the Cumberland Pipe Line.
yhieh now takes oil from the field.
bis was done after the pioneer had
owed there was oil In abundance
re-"