Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1899 — That Oil Well at Parr. [ARTICLE]

That Oil Well at Parr.

The Republican would rejoice greatly to be able to record the discovery of a valuable or even promising natural product of any kind in Jasper county but when people believe that they have made such a discovery when it is obvious that they are mistaken, it should be the part of the public press to point out the mistake rather than to increase ultimate disappointment by encouraging it. The alleged oil find at Parr has already been alluded to. There is a hole or depression in the cellar under W. L. Wood’s general store, in which the oil accumulates and is dipped out. We have seen two samples of the oil and supposed oil. There is a little dear limpid and very inflammable oil on top, which has the appearance, the odor and all the qualities of the common coal-oil or kerosene of commerce, and such it undoubtedly is. Below the kerosene and constituting far the greater part of what is dipped from the supposed oil spring is a heavier liquid, but also clear and limped. This substance is what is known in the language of science as aqua pura, or pure water, though we are not sure but the pura might be left off. Anyhow it is water and probably only a rather common kind of slough water at that. The kerosene on top is very imflammable, but the water under it, instead of burning readily, puts out fire very promptly, as we demonstrated to a Parr resident, a few days ago, by pouring half a bottle on a bed of coals.

By taking a bottle or a bucket of this oil and water as it comes from the “spring” and by passing a roll of paper down through the oil on top and into the water below and, on drawing the paper out and touching fire to it, the paper burns readily, and the conclusion is that it is the heavier substance below which burns. But really the oil above is all that adheres to the paper, and by its natural action it excludes the water, as anyone can test for themselves by putting a little kerosene on top of some water and passing a strip of paper down through the oil into the water and then taking it out immediately. The paper will burn when drawn out, but the water doesn’t burn, by a good deal. Lastly, natural petroleum or rock oil is never clear, limpid and volatile but always of a more. or less dark color, and more or less thick and viscid. This coal oil in the cellar might have leaked from some of Mr. Wood’s barrels months ago. and remained in the porous soil until the water from the recent rains forced it to the surface.