The Oil Regions of Pennsylvania - 1865 Author:William Wright Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. LOCATING AND SINKING THE WELLS. In the earlier days of well-sinking, the inexperienced operator planted his derrick and drilled his well where... more »ver he detected " surface indications " of petroleum, probably little thinking that it might show itself on the ground at a point far from vertical to its proper source in the sand- rocks. In general, the margins of rivers and creeks were preferred to spots more distant, even though equally low; hence the first crop of derricks grew up close to Oil Greek and the Alleghany. Even at this late day there is little to guide the adventurous operator beyond the conceded existence of oil-veins in the inferior rocks, which circumstance, however, could only become known by making numerous experiments. A new profession of men, claiming to be gifted with extraordinary powers, has arisen in Petrolia, namely, " oil-smellers " or " diviners." Let not the pious reader start with alarm, lest the practice of divination, (whatever it may have been,) condemned so repeatedly in the Mosaic code, has been revived in Western Pennsylvania and Virginia. No devil, demon, ghost, ghoul, fairy, goblin, or table-tapping spirit is known or believed to be at work, albeit the use of a twig of witch- hazel or peach might readily enough suggest to some the calling up of spirits from their vasty deep by modern enchanters. The mode of operating is substantially as follows : The diviner cuts from one of the trees mentioned, a bifurcated bough or twig, reducing the stem and the forks to about a foot in length, for convenience' sake. In each hand he grasps firmly one end of the fork, letting the stem point upward and a little inward. The hands should be held with their backs downward. With this simple apparatus off goes the "smeller;" and, on arriving above an oi...« less