Ralph Gurney's Oil Speculation

, witnessed through its one white, staring eye, sometimes called the head-light, many happy meetings between waiting and coming friends; but none was more hea

with a hearty clasp of the hand. "In this case, if the hope had b

home two days longer, but the fact of the matter is that I did not think you would be at the de

veral miles from here, I am seldom at home, and was obliged to come for you, or r

hat you chose civil engi

e of a civil engineer in the oil fields of Pennsylvania is not by any means monotonous. But come this way. My team is here, and while we are talking we may

you lived her

to be out of town, my home, for the time being, is in as old a

all be sorry to live in the

ing some oil-producing lands, in a valley where game is abundant, where the fish prefer an artificial fly to a natura

ph, as he seated himself in the mud-bespatte

patent rights or those owning them, save when, by chance,

much about moonlighters now as when I asked the question, which is saying a good deal, for you very

nes in particular, as ever Professor Gardner favored us with on topics in which we were not much interested, I wil

ad was already apparent. Riding over it was very much like sailing in a small boat o

ph, "and while I try to hold mysel

t place, you must know that before oil is struck, the operator finds either a rock

gh, and the gravel will be forced to the surface without much difficulty. But when the sand-rock is met, it clogs the drills, mak

ments of their patent. Like all owners of patent rights, they charge an extra price for their wares, and the result is that there are parties who will, for a much smaller amount of money, shoot a well and infringe the patent at

our lecture has been a success. But how do you find excitement in any

have really no rights in the premises. The owners or prospective owners of the land whereon the wells are to be sunk, employ me to survey their tracts, and by that means I freque

and then I will learn anything else I may want t

ing as nearly as I can from what I r

ous

p

onic

8

yg

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tr

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safer forms nitro-glycerine has come into wide use and popularity. It is a clear, oily, colorless, odorless, and slightly sweet liquid, and can, with safety, only be poured into some running stream if one wishes to be rid of it. Through the pores of the skin, or in the stomach, even in small quantities, this oil causes a ter

you should desire to procure such a position. Now I think I am armed with sufficient knowledge to be a

without trying hard; but if we do not, I will take you to on

g all his strength to prevent being thrown out of the wagon. "I intend to be of every possible assistance to you, and when I cannot do that, if you are still obliged to labor, I will extract no small amount of enjoymen

ong at the base of the hills through a lovely valley, that seems entirely given over to machinery for the production and storage of oil. On every hand are the tall, unsightly constructions of timber that form the derricks, looking no

form storage places for this strange product of earth, when the supply is greater than the demand. It is truly a singular scene, and he who visits this portion of the country for

ow his friend to remain in silent wonder, for he persisted in supplying him wit

any, who owned the greater portion of the huge iron receptacles for oil; who also owned the network of

connection, and, at stated times, drew off from private tanks the oil. He even went into the particulars of the work, explaining how each man coul

and causing consternation everywhere in the valley; of the firing of solid shot into the base of the tanks to make a per

hardly finished when the horses turned sharply into a narrow road, over which the trees formed a perfect archwa

tion on the price and quality of oil, in which Ralph was not very much interested, "and I c

iting can be found," thought Ralph; but, since it was only rest fro

to co