256 ANNUAL REPORT 
Fox farm about one mile east of Zanesville. The Berea made a small show 
of gas and with it much salt-water. From Zanesville the search has con- 
tinued in all directions, and the various townships will be reviewed to show 
the thoroughness with which the tests have been made. 
Blue Rock Township.—Pioneers of this township observed gas bub- 
bling on the headwaters of Mann’s Fork, and after oil had been discovered 
at Macksburg and Cow Run it was decided to drill a deep well in the hope 
of finding a pool of oil. The first well was drilled on the Daniel Border 
farm, and a show of oil was found at a depth of 80 feet. The next well, 
known as the Woodbury, was drilled on the Joseph McDonald farm. At 
a depth approximating 75 feet oil was found. The yield at first was from 
Ao to 50 barrels per day, but the decrease was rapid and by the end of per- 
haps two years the well was abandoned. This success started a boom, and 
' it is estimated that within a year a hundred wells had been drilled in that 
locality. A hamlet known as Oil City, and with it the usual proportion of 
boarding-houses and saloons soon appeared. Within a year, however, it 
- was found that the pool was small and the wells short lived. Soon the 
field was abandoned, and the only evidence now found of the former activ- 
ity is an occasional piece of scrap iron, the remains of some crude drill or 
pump. Landholders received a royalty of one-fourth the oil, but notwith- 
standing this heavy ratio large bonuses in addition were sometimes paid. 
Several tracts, too, were sold at exorbitant prices, one piece of 13 acres 
commanding $13,000. The oil is reported to have had a gravity of 26 de- 
grees B. and to have been an excellent lubricator. The producing sand 
ranges in thicknes from 2 to 30 feet, and lies about 70 feet below the “fos- 
sil” or Ames limestone. From this it appears that the oil sand is the First 
Cow Run. About 1870 an effort was made to drill a deep well in this ter- 
ritory, but at a depth of 500 feet the tools became fast and the well was 
abandoned. In the fall of 1900 two shallow wells were drilled on the Bor- 
der farm, already mentioned. These were pumped a short time and then 
abandoned. In 1g01 two wells were drilled near Rural Dale, but both were 
failures. 
In 1886 Carr Brothers and Jewett drilled a well in section 32. The 
Berea sand, having a thickness of 14 feet, was found at 1,074 feet. It was 
torpedoed with 80 quarts of nitro-glycerine and made a good show of both 
oil and gas.’ This was sufficient to encourage further exploration, and in 
1887 a well was sunk on the Durant farm in section 31. The Berea was 
found 30 feet in thickness, but was of poor quality. It made a show of oil, 
but was abandoned without having been shot. About the same time a test 
was made along the river, one and one-half miles south of Gaysport. The 
Berea was reported 5 feet thick. The well was shot and made sufficient 
oil to warrant pumping, but in a short time salt-water ruined it. In 
the fall of 1900 a well was drilled on the Peyton farm, about two miles east 
c=  ~ Sew 
i@eol. Sur. of Ohio, Vol. VI, p. 375. 
