Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-07-19
EARLY HISTORY
OIL INDUSTRY
Continued from first page)

bration, such as we have today
where there are loads Of barbecue
and pretty girls all dressed up IN
their Sundays best, to mark the eV-
vent.
The attitude of the human race
has made no noticeable changes, In
its regard for the intelligence OF
anyone who has dared to accomplish
the unusual, since Columbus discoV-
ed America, up to bhe presdht age;
therefore Edwin l.. Drake, the man
who had the nerve to attack the
first wildcat" recorded in history,
was called a stark fool
Oil creeks and springs were spoK-
en- of in Ancient times, and many
tribes used the oily contents
they obtained from these sources Tor
numerous purposes, usually, as
liniment. Finally, it's was bottled
and put on the market under the
name of Rock Oil George H. Bis
sell a graduate Of Dartmouth Col
lege, saw a bottle of the fluid, ana
value of petroleum. In 1854 he, Wlth
the assistance Of JOnothan ID. Eve
it was he who saw the commercial
leth, organized the first oil company
The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Com
pany. This was a New York COM
pany. They secured a tract of land
on Oil Creek below Titusville, Pa.
Their idea was to collect oil from
the surface springs in sufficient
quantities TO market in the East,
but their efforts, by such primitive
methods, was unsuccessful, and an
other company was formed in Con-
necticut for the same purpose. 1t
took over the New York concerns
property, and later on was succeeded
by the Seneca Oil Company in which
Col. Edwin l.. Drake, of New Haven,
Connecticut, became interested.
Start in 1859
The Seneca Company sent Drake
to Titusville in 1859. A short time
previous to this visit, Drake had
seen the salt wells at Tarentum, Pa,
which produced considerable spetro-
leun. There Drake got the idea that
OIL could be obtained in greater guam
titles by drilling. He would drill an
oil we'll!
Years of Work
Col. Drake spent several trying
months in assembling the necessary
equ pment to start the we'll Finally
The day arrived-the well was be-
gun. There was nothing to urge
nm on in this great undertaking
Irs. Amos Slftoley on OvuSai ssias
eTcenf The faiC2' of his own heart, the
cheerful chirping of the birds an'
4Le nodd;np consent of the WIZ
Fowers Almost three months pass
cd before he reached the bedroc
which lay only thirty-sX feet oelo ,,
the surface. By this time ms con
many had lost faith IN INN ana &c re
declined to give him SuiiclehE u
ancial assistance; thus, ne ioul
himself out of funds, and had II n
been for David Fletcher a IltusViI
merchant, and Peter Wilson, anoth
huntsville friend, he would douotie
lave given up the project In at
roir hut with $500 Of borro"
money in his pocket and the
ro1raoe that was ever burning
- breast, he went back TO
task. On the 28th day of Augu
1889. his efforts were rewarded.
The depth of sixty nine and one re
fhe tools fell into a crevice. IN
rccly. this was a common thing
The salt we'll region, and nothing
+pouoh. of it until the tools W
rnIIpd and they were bathed IN
The oil rose within ten feet OF
slrface and the Colonel fitted uE
niece of tin spouting which co
he lowered into well. with,
several gallons Of oil was pa
out. The next days a hand pI
was erected and several barrels "
pumped. Copper tubing, such as
used in salt wells was sent +
Pittsburgh, and the wen was rig
up to pump with an engine.
Drake we'll produced 1000 barrels
first four months of its eZlste
This oil was worth $40 per barrel
peculiar feature Of this well is
it is the shallowest ever drilled
Pennsylvania. Others drilled abcr
varied from 200 to 600 feet.
Col. Brake never made much ,
ev out of petroleum. He oVerIo
two opportunities to make tortl
FRS, by not securing a patent
his pipe drive idea. When he st
the bedrock in his well he conce
the idea Of driving an iron pipe {
TO the rock 50 as to case oil
water, clay and quicksand.
alone would have made him 9,
tune. Then, as he never mad'
effort to secure additional acreal
appears that he thought he had
covered what the MeXia field c
ed to have, the mother pool, f
pool, and all the little pool chiI
In 1863 he went to New
There he lost all he had in
Street speculation. Later, his h
gave away, and he was left in
fute circumstances. The THU
people heard of his condition
subscribed several thousand &c
Later the legislature of Pennsyl
voted him an annuity Of $l,50O
settled with his family in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. and
away November, 1881. The Tdtl
people erected a monument
memory which was. dedicate,
1901. Later his remains wer
moved to that city.