STATE GEOLOGIST. 281 
gress was very slow. At one time nothing was done during 4 years, and 
not until about 1898 was the Berea struck. The production of oil was 
from 1¥4 to 2 barrels per day before shooting, and less afterwards. 
A Berea well was drilled on the William Boice farm adjoining the 
Betz in 1899. It made a showing of oil, but was never shot. About one 
mile west from the Betz farm a Berea well was drilled in 1899 on the 
Cole property. It never made more than a showing of oil, but produced 
considerable gas. About one-fourth of a mile south of the Betz, a Berea 
well was drilled on the Swisher farm. It produced about 2 barrels per 
day. In August, 1900, a well drilled near the center of section 34, Addison 
township, struck the Berea at 1,503 feet. The rock was fine grained and 
had a thickness of 11 feet. It contained some gas and produced one-half 
barrel of oil per day. 
In 1887 a deep well was drilled on the land of John E. Mills, near 
Mills Station, by the Gallipolis Natural Gas Company. A heavy oil is 
reported to have been found in a 4 foot seam of coal at a depth of 325 
feet. A 7 foot seam is reported at a depth of 578 feet. It should be borne 
in mind, however, that such data in so far as it refers to coal beds is very 
unreliable. The drillings of the reported seam are reduced to mud, and 
a soft dark shale when ground up in this manner may be readily taken for 
coal. Besides the measurements may be incorrect. A heavy string of 
tools, such as is used in deep wells, passes through coal seams so rapidly 
that the driller is liable to err in his measurements. Especially is this true 
when the steel measuring line is not used, which is commonly the case. 
Veins of brine were found at 678, 730, 930, 1,213 and 1,475 feet. The 
Berea was struck at 1,475 feet and was 32 feet thick, but contained nothing 
more than salt-water. From a shelly sandstone, 3 feet in thickness which 
was struck at a depth of 2,458 feet, one barrel of lubricating oil was se- 
cured. The Corniferous limestone was reached at 2,865 feet and the drill 
was forced on to a depth of 2,910 feet, when the tools became fast and 
the well was abandoned. A log of this well may be found in the Pennsyl- 
vania Second Geological Survey, Vol. XV., page 335. 
A deep well was begun May 14, 1896, on ‘Keton’s run in Huntington 
township. It passed through 15 feet of Berea sand and reached a total 
depth of 1.765 feet, but nothing was secured to compensate the operator 
for his time and money. 
The production of oil and gas in the county, it will be seen from what 
has just been said, is comparable to that in Athens county. That found up 
to the present time has been insignificant in comparison to the money ex- 
pended. In fact the yield has been sufficient merely to lead the operator 
on and on in hope of finding a large pool. The outlook for a good pro- 
4 
duction of either oil or gas in this county is not promising. 
