The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-29

From Collinsville. Ala, under date of June IT, MT. H HI. Smith writes some Interesting particulars of development
 in the Wayne county (Ky.) shallow oil l field and adjoining territory. As I was
 not in Wayne county in the period he mentions the first oil to have been dis covered, namely, 1920, or thereabouts | In 1SS8-9.
 When I felt interested in oil pros- poets I obtained what information could at Frankfort, from Dr. John K Proctor. state geologist of Kentucky i with whom I had interested in some 1 coal land options in the Middlesboro l (Ky.) coal district. The various en- 1 cyclopedias obtain their data from state | history as a rule, and if MT. Smith will read in the New International Encyclo- | pedia under the heading Petroleum, he will find the historical date of 1S2s I that historians accept as the date Of the l first oil well, and 1t was near Burkes- vile, Ky.
 Regarding the drilling and plugging | up of several wells in the territory, am pleased to give some information | that will partially explain some things ! The Standard oil company employed ar l exceedingly intelligent and active resi- | dent lawyer at Somerset as their at l torney, and as he was possessed o1 business ability he also represented the Cincinnati Southern (Queen and Cres- l cent system) Railroad company He left nothing reasonable undone to induce ] the Standard oil company to develop in his territory Oil was then quite plentiful in the Pennsylvania-W West vir- | ginia Ohio and Indiana oil fields. and l low in price, and the lower grades slow 1 of demand.
 LOW GRADE OIL
 l Careful chemical analysis and the re- l dning of a few barrels shipped from | those wells demonstrated the grade to run quite low. Along in the sos when | the regular inspection trip was to bt made through the south by the Stan. dard, they concluded to have the in l spection committee for the trip to con l tain several members of the advisory board of the Standard the latter being I the board or body to pass upon mat ters of development of new territory 1 discontinuance of operations. etc. in oil 1 territory
 l Amongst that inspection committed
 was John D. Archbold (deceased few | months ago) of Cleveland. Alex Mo l Donald of Cincinnati, holder of con-
 siderable Standard oil stock. and man. l ager of the Standard Oil company's in- terests in southern Ohio; H. H. Rogers | or NSW IOEks EleAzcT otIOuB gNb OstSA 2 manager of the Standards natural gal l interests) of Oil City, Pa. also geol- ogist of the standard, and one or two other Standard officials frcm other states. Their car was sidetracked al Somerset and stay of three days
 made Vehicles were secured and the i three days spent In a thorough investi- gation of the territory with view te 1 it's development. Nothing was given oul I as to their ideas in the premises and | the only thing to do was to await the decision of the advisory board. It came | in the shape of resolution that # was not advisable in view of dullness. etc. of the markets. to institute develop
 ments suggested.
 l A few months later Alex McDoanld 1 in discussing the matter. said, "Mr Slater. had that Somerset district otl been as high grade as that of West Virginia and Pennsylvania immediate development would have been recom-
 mended. as 1t Is not deep territory and 1 cost of production would have been low | from those shallow wells. but for the reason that 1t was not high grade oil l 1t was not really needed at the present. we could not afford to recommend de. yelopment." 4