154 ie ANNUAL REPORT 
oil to market being by wagon nine miles to Marietta, over roads which 
were at that time of the year almost impassable.” 
It is important to note that the Perkins well was the first one in this 
field to reach the Second Cow Run sand. It caused renewed excitement, 
and probably led to the period of greatest activity in the territory, when 
the derricks were so close together that it was difficult to drive a wagon 
through the valley. According to Mr. Minshall the production of the field 
from January, 1867, to August, 1868, was about 150,000 barrels. At first 
the oil was hauled to Marietta, nine miles distant; but in times of high 
water in the Ohio there was slack water in the Little Muskingum as far as 
the mouth of Cow Run, and small steamers carried coal to the latter point 
and took back oil. At times, when the water in the Little Muskingum be- 
came too low for steamers, flat-boats were used to float the oil to the Ohio. 
In 1868 a two-inch pipe line was laid to the Ohio river, about three miles 
below Newport, and thereafter the transportation of the oil was a compara- 
tively easy matter. 
Having now reviewed the history of the discovery of oil in the Macks- 
burg and Cow Run fields, the development and subsequent history of these 
pools will be given and then the numerous other pools of the county dis- 
cussed. The description of the latter will begin in the western part of the 
county and proceed eastward, without regard to the time of discovery and 
development of the territory. 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MACKSBURG FIELD. 
During several years following the first boom the valley was very 
quiet. A number of wells were pumped, but there was little drilling. 
This resulted from several causes. The productive territory was thought 
to be limited to the valley, and since this is narrow it was soon drilled over ; 
the price of oil had decreased until it was a fraction only of what it had 
been before, and besides the expense of hauling the oil to Lowell, ten miles 
away, was too great considering the price of oil. 
The period of revival began in 1874 when George Rice secured a 150 
barrel well in the 140-foot sand. This encouraged drilling, and by the close 
of 1877 over 30 wells had been put down in the vicinity of Macksburg. 
The best of these, located on the Egler tract, started at 500 barrels, but the 
wells were nearly all small or total failures. None appear to have gone be- 
low the 500-foot sand. The next step in the development of the field was 
the discovery of the Berea, and because of the importance of this Mr. Min- 
shall’s account is reproduced : 
“Tn the summer of 1877 an attempt was made to extend the Macks- 
burg field in a northerly direction by drilling a well for the 500-foot sand 
on Buffalo Run. Some years before a well had been drilled on the Slay- 
maker farm, on this run, which made a fair showing of oil that was sup- 
posed to come from the 500-foot sand. The well had been abandoned by 
