450 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



that are found on such a line, when its direction is half way 

 between north and east. 



The geologic absurdity of all this it is impossible to over- 

 state, but such is the natural desire of the mind for rational 

 guidance, or at least for the semblance of such guidance, instead 

 of mere guess work, that men intelligent enough in other respects 

 have taken up the 45° and 22-J° lines as if they could give a clew 

 to the accumulations of oil all the world over. 



The fact that a sand rock overlying the granite was struck 

 in several wells of the county and that in one of these to be 

 described hereafter it held a considerable supply of gas, is also to 

 be taken into account. The location of the Orwell well is best 

 explained by the statement of these facts. 



The Potsdam sandstone is unquestionably a widespread 

 stratum in the underground stratigraphy of this portion of New 

 York, but thus far no petroleum has been reported in any of its 

 unmistakable occurrences. 



The Stillwater well gave new data for the measurement of 

 the dip of the strata. The descent of the Trenton from this well 

 to Pulaski is about 12J feet to the mile in a due west direction. 

 The southward element of the dip is much stronger. 



e Mexico. Another deep well was drilled at Mexico, a dozen 

 miles southwest of Pulaski. The Trenton was found at 1027 

 feet, and the well was carried to granite at something less than 

 2000 feet. Small gas veins were struck at 1300 and 1400 feet 

 but no economic value was attached to the discovery. 



f Parish. An immensely interesting record has been obtained 

 from drilling .in this town. A deep well was put down here by 

 the Eastern oil co. of Buffalo, the operations of which have been 

 before noted. The management of the work was in the hands 

 of Charles W. Vroman, who later drilled the Stillwater well, 

 already described. Drilling was begun on the Parish well in 

 1895, inspired by the experience at Sanely Creek and Pulaski. 

 The show of oil at Greig is said to have figured also in this 

 location. Some of the operators who were making explorations 

 in this region were sanguine that oil would somewhere be found 

 in a stratum that had proved to be so important a gas rock as the 

 Trenton limestone. Such a conclusion seemed warranted by ex- 

 perience, for in all the great fields every good gas rock has at 



