Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-15
SCOUT AND PUBLiClST
Late Patrick c. Boyle, Of tho
state Board Of Charities, Had
Stirring Career In Oil Fields
By GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

east of the Alleghsnies noted the fact in
a paragraph.
And yet L. G. Boyle was one of the
/ biggest men in northwestern Pennsyl-
vania. He had state wide acquain-
tance among men Of affairs. The men
who knew him best loved him most.
He was publicist and philan-
! thropist. Twenty years ago he was an
active editor and publisher and held the
/ personal acquaintance and friendship
of every big political leader in both
parties.
For half q generation lie was the
right hand man Of John d. Archbold
, in a managerial way the brains of the
Standard Oil Company. When he died
he was rounding out twenty one years
Of faithful service as a member Of the
! State Board of Charities. | do not be.
( lieve that y. c. Boyle ever refused
single appeal for help from any man.
He was sincere. direct. and outspoken
He was the finest example. as I recall.
Of an Irish immigrant who rose by his
unaided efforts TO high aud honorable
place in Pennsylvania.
! L'OR Pat" Boyle. as he was affec.
L tionatcly known, was born in Ire
land. in the Rosscs, County Donegal.
| in 1916. He was brought here a child.
! His father>died of ship fever a short
time after the little family had settled
out in Butler county. where the lad had
such limited opportunities for educa
tion as were offered at that time.
The American spirit grew in him
with the years. and when mere strip
lug he enlisted in the Union army.
Soon after til" outbreak Of the great
oil excitement in NonanCo county he
did odd jobs around Pitholc. until he
took IN the work Of an ''oil scout. :"
The oil scouts Of tho seventies were a
wonderful brotherhood. They could tell
by the operations around well in proc
ess of drilling its depth and the char
acter of the sand. They Nould Ismcll
oil
, They eluded pickets. hid in trees and
brush wood. and worked by night as
we'll as day. They reported their find =
ings 10 the capitalists and corporations
that employed them and millions of dol
larS were invested on their Judgment.
1t was facilc transition for young
Boyle from oil scout to oil field news
paper reporter. and from reporter to the
editorial desk.
In 1855 Mr. Boyle purchased an in
trrcst in tho Oil City Derrick and ulti-
matply became its editor in chief and
principal owner. The Derrick attained
the largest circulation nf any oil news
paper in the world. Boyle's editorials
were like tho man. fearless and. Mt
times. vitriolic.
For years Pat" Boyle kept himself
poor by helping others. Finally John
u. Archbold made him his personal ad e
wiser in all matters relating to petroleum
in northwestern PENNSYLVANIA. Ills
quick and accurate judgment was hts
most valuable ASST.
\ philanthropiSt by natural inclina-
ion he gladly accepted an appointment
on the Board Of Public Charities in
lS!@ His failing health in recent years
was not sufficient cause for him to aban-
don his interest in the helpless and hope
less wards Of tho state.
A RCIIIE Il. CRrM. who until his
"A death n f"w years ago was one of
III" editors of tho Pittsburgh Dispatch
himself an old time oil scout. used to
tell n story about pat" Boyle illus
trative Of oil scout methods. II was
one time that Boyle got the better OF
CrIm.
Oil scouting was then about az dan e.
gcrous an Indian scouting. Options and
leases were valuable or worthless ac.
cording as adjacent wells were "dust
erS' a. 'camc in big. II was i'm
portant 10 know what the drilcrs were
doing.
And oil we'll drillcrs resorted to all
sorts OF devices to fool the scouts. Pick
cts were frequently planted with orders
To shoot trcSpassers.
There was intense interest about a
certain well due to come in" Big
money was ready to break into that
field. II was summer and one night
Boyle wormod himself along the ground
to within a short distance Of the der
rick. lie climbed a tree and hid himself
among the branches. and with the aid OF
powerful glasses and Il reflector lantern
near the derrick he studied tho situa =
tiOn.
suddenly tho bull wheel ceased turn
ing and the drillcrs began to draw their
tools.
By estimating the amount Of unused
cable on the wheel and counting tho rev
olUtions in raising the tools from the
hole. he made rough estimate of its
depth. Then there came to him the odor
Of oil.
Boyle got away with his information
though picket got a flying shot at
him. The we'll ultimately came in big
and the owners of the adjacent property
utilized the scouts information to big
financial profit.
John l.. SHIELDS reports new cx-
- tension of western Pennsylvania gas
territory on BruShy run in Westmore
land county. Oddly enough it is in the
famous Connelsvilc coke region. where
perennial fires light the night
The new argouauts are after gas
rather than oil. presume they have
been wrought up by the recent gas de
velOpments around McKeesport.
1t isn't more than thirty miles from
the experimental Brushy run territory
to the scene of one Of the earliest trag
cdies of the natural gas belt.
Fights for possession of coveted terri
tory and bitter disputes over rights
were as common forty years ago as claim
jumping in the Klondike was in '9s
and 90
The first tragedy was in the Murrays.
vile field in Westmorcland coYnty. II
was in dispute over one of the frs,
great gas ''roarPrs.' One of the Mur-
rays. IL ] recall Alright. was stabbed
10 death with bayonets. He was de
Tending his property and the opposition
had men armed with old muskets with
fixed bayonets.
had been detailed as staff cor
respondent. and remember that there
wasn't two square inches on the abdO =