Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1899 — From the Oil Regions. [ARTICLE]

From the Oil Regions.

Judson J. Hunt, ex-county recorder and himself the present owner of nearly n sectiou of Gillaui lands*. wftfl cp > ~ia,.lfeaA tewaehip Thursday, and made a vinit to the oil fields. He found that thesPompany whi«h is developing the field immediately around the original Swisher well were pumping four wells with one traction engine The wells are some distance apart some as much as 40 rods from the engine, but they are easily pumped by an ingenious bat simple arrangement of iron rods, suspended on poles. At the time of Mr. Hunt’s visit one of the wells was pumping a good stream of oil, but the other three, at that time were yielding mostly water. ,It is all pumped into a large tank and the water is drawn off at the bottom. All the oil very blaok and heavy and excellent lubricating oil. Thp original Swisher well kept up its voluntary flow of about 10 barrels of the valuable oil a day until Mr. Swisher plugged it up. Why he doesn’t buy barrels and build tanks land let it flow and make him rioh is a problem we will not attempt to solve. It is not beoanse any oil company has a lease on the well, beoanse that well was excepted from the lease. Mr. Swisher, by the way has contracted to sell his farm to John Vanatta, of Brookston for $55 per aore. About half of this price is for the oilprospeot, as the land itself is worth only about $25 or S3O per aore. t here is quite a demand for land near the oil field, and John E. Comer and bis sons have sold all of theirs, abouts2o acres for S3O peri aore, Muoh of thjs land is. very I wild and the average price was muoh enhanced by the oil excitement. The produoing wells are all abont 118 to 120 feet deep. Millinery ipenjig at M. &A. Meyers begifcinar Oct. 4th and will last 2 weeulo not fail tc see the pretty hats. Early fall hats every) style and oolor at Mrs. Imes.’ 7 /