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3 HOW THE DRILLING OF WELLS
BEGAN

When a need exists something usually comes along to fill it.
Someone discovered that the rock peddled by the Indians as
medicine had another and more valuable use. When purified, it
would burn in a lamp with a much brighter cleaner light than
whale oil, and it was cheaper. It was also found, when crudе oil
was analysed that if the heavy part could be separated it would
make a fine lubricant to grease wagon wheels, mill machinery, and
steam engines.
With the prospect of such promising markets, promoters
began to lease lands with oil springs on them. First they tried to
collect the floating oil by skimming it from the top of the water.
This method, however was slow and exprensive, so they began to
look for a better way to get at the oil which they knew was locked
in the ground.
The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, Connecticut, had
leased some land near Titusville, Pennsylvania. They hired a man
named Edwin L. Drake to go to Pennsylvania, inspect their
skimming operation there, and try to find some way to increase
production.
Drake knew nothing about the oil business; but he was an
intellegent man, and he liked the idea of facing a new problem and
conquering it. He decided to try something different than
skimming oil from the water.
He knew that oil had been found in salt wells, so he reasoned
that an oil well might be the answer. He hired a crew and set them
to dig amid the jeers of the townpeople, who thought that anybody
who would dig a well to find oil must be as crazy as a loon When
the hole had gone down fifteen feet, one of the workmen suddenly
stared at the ground beside his shovel. Then he looked up and
yielded, "Oil! We've struck oil!"

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