A WONDERFUL WELL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1059, 8 April 1882, Page 4

A WONDERFUL WELL.

h. most remarkable circumstance has occurred at a town called franklin, in the oil regions of the United States. There is a hill on the borders of a creek in that location which has proved very productive to those prospecting after petroleum. In fact, so fruitful was it that it was positively honeycombed with borings. Rial and Son, the enterprising firm that had carried these on with so much profit, were loath to abandon their workings until they were satisfied that they had exhausted their luck. They gave orders to sink the shaft deeper. The workmen pierced away until they had penetrated to a depth of nigh 500 feet, when success rewarded their efforts. They had “ struck ile ” again, and at the first action of the pump up came bubbling in a full continuous stream the precious liquid. But there was something very peculiar about it. It had not exactly the bituminous colour or smell, nor would it take fire. At last one daring fellow determined to taste it in order to form some opinion of its quality. After he had placed a few drops on his tongue he smacked his lips knowingly, and said, “ This must be looked into." He put the end of the pipe to his mouth and imbibed such an enormous quantity of the product of the spring that his comrades drew him away lest he should do himself injury. But curiosity' impelled them to follow his example, and the consequence was that every one of them drank and drank again, until in less than an hour all of them were stretched insensible around. The tidings spread to the village that there was something very strange in Rial and Sons’ new well. The entire population ran up to test the w’ondrous oil, and in a brief period the entire population was seized with a thickness of utterance, an incontinency of the knees, and a species of stupor. Very soon after the entire population was prone in a stertorous coma on the ground. At last Mr Rial and his foreman arrived, and were bewildered at the sight that met them. The foreman tasted the liquid, and stated that it had a queer savour of beer. In all haste Mr Rial sent for Herr Grossman, the brewer, the greatest connoisseur ■of beer in the district, to consult him on the subject. The brewer came, tasted the fluid, and exclaimed in agony, “Mein Gott, it w peer, my peer! they have pored into my cellar.” Further research showed the poor man was right; the cellar was examined, and the huge tank from which the barrels were supplied was run perfectly dry. Happily, the workmen and villagers have recovered; they were not dead —they were only dead drunk.

" What was the text the day Jamie ?” was the question asked one Sunday afternoon. “ Weel, it was ane where the apostle delivered Hymeneue and Philetus to Satan, and that they might learn not to blaspheme.” *• Noo, I’am thinkin’ he couldna give them into waur * lands.”