The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-07
Oil Wells Old and New
Kentucky Wells Bring Riches to Many Mountaneers from
Land Too Poor to Cultivate.

the largest oil producing county IN
Kentucky, and among the largest pro-
ducing sections in America, is little
changed. The station is three-quar-
tiers of mile from the old fashioned
mountain tavern that has been the
leading hotel since the large modern
hotel became a school when the boom
subsided. No light burns in the office
of the tavern late at night 1.-THE boys
have been doing some shooting lately
was the explanation. Elaboration of
that explanation revealed survival of
old conditions under which it was
deemed safer not to use lights I'm.
necessarily, attracting attention of vii.
lage terTorists full of moonshine whis
key and the spirit of sport.
Many Lee count1ans, beneficiaries
of oil, left the roadless section of the
state never to return. The effects OF
the exodus are less apparent in Month
cello, in Wayne, the oldest ell county
in Kentucky, because Wayne is foot
hills county in which there is good
land and modest mileage of roads
fit for automobiles. Yet Monticello,
an old oil center, remains a small
town.
Two Glasses
Are Enriched.
Kentucky oil enriches two classes.
the landowners who are wise enough
or lucky enough, not to miss their OBJ
portunity to participate in the profits
OF wells drilled on their farms, and oil
companies which as a rule are not
founded upon capital owned in the oil
region.
kentucky's oil resources are as yet
not fully known. Much of the terri
tory has good agricultural resouces
destined perhaps to produce more
wealth in the long run than would
come from oil wells. But immediate
wealth from oil has caused many farm.
ers whose soil is fertile to lose in.
terest in farming and to neglect their
farms.
The search for oil is not unlike. in
point OF excitement and hardships en-
dured, the searcher for gold. Oil rigs.
! cumbersome equipment for drilling
wells, are dragged in by oxen or mules,
/ to points, 40, so, so miles from rail
roads in wild cat fields where the drill.
| ing may or may not pay. Such expert
menting, done sometimes by adventul.
/ ers whose financial collapse follows
/ failure to strike oil, is extremely costly
but one gusher is regarded as good
ground for belief that others will be
found in the same territory. The pros
pect is always appealing because strik
ing a spouting flow of oil is like strik
! ing pay dirt in an Alaskan gulch.
! Oil development brings about al
the types of humanity found in 4 gold
! field, including the adventurer who
must make good or walk away from,
the scene of his failure, the gambler
who comes to fleece the fortunate, the
\ girls, not all of them youthful whose
! like followed the army of Xerxes and
j the rush of gold seekers to the Yukon
1 and whose sisters-in-adventure fIocl
I TO Louisville when the Kentucky Der
by is run for $4,000 at Churchill
downs.
Agricultural development is a health
Ter growth and more lasting source
of welfare. In the Cumberland OF
) pool there is large opportunity for agri
: cultural development which at presen
is impossible because of lack of trans
: portation by railroad, highroad or riy
: er.
Along the Cumberland river there I
: block of eight counties wholly UT
touched by railroads and almost who
, ly without publis roads, a strangely r;
! tarded but potentially fruitful regior
) Oil wells will not make it populous
but with agriculture and adeauat
] transportation it would blossom lik
tho