VENANGO PORTABLE DRILLING MACHINE COMPANY/ OIL CITY WOOD WORKING MANUFACTURING COMPANY
VENANGO PORTABLE DRILLING MACHINE COMPANY (LINDEN W. WOLFE) / OIL CITY WOOD WORKING MANUFACTURING COMPANY, SUGARCREEK AND OIL CITY, PA
David L. Weber, 2008
“It is thoroughly practical, very simple and easy to operate.
“It is light and easily moved - one team can move it from one location to another under ordinary circumstances.
“The Derrick rests on the machine, between the bull wheels, this giving the derrick its full strength and the machine rigidity….
“IT WILL DO THE WORK AS THE WORK OUGHT TO BE DONE”
…. Venango Portable Drilling Machine Advertisement, c. World War I
Linden W. Wolfe; an Oil City oil producer, attorney and notary public (office in the First National Bank building, Seneca and Center streets); conceived the idea of a lightweight, portable drilling rig during the c. 1895 - 1900 era. Wolfe’s rig was designed to be easily moved and erected, eliminating the costly practice of building standard rigs for individual well sites.
The Venango Portable Drilling Machine, developed by L.W. Wolfe, was manufactured in a small shop at Semples Corners, Sugarcreek, PA. Hundreds of these rigs were constructed for drilling contractors - and many were used in the Venango County region.
James R. Semple and his son, Frank R., operated the shop which built the Wolfe rigs. The Semples also operated a general store next to their Sugarcreek rig building shop. Venango (“Wolfe”) Portable Drilling Machines were built in two sizes: one which could put down wells up to 1200 feet (Type A), and another which put down wells to 2000 feet (Type B).
These rigs could drill deeper with wire cable (instead of the standard manila rope). A Wolfe advertising brochure stated the following:
“Type A machine will spool 1200 feet of Manila cable and Type B will spool 2000 feet of Manila cable and will drill every inch of their cable room in a thoroughly business and workmanlike manner, - they will do their work as the work ought to be done. By using wire cable the Type A machines have drilled many 2000 - foot wells and the Type B over 3000 feet.
James R. Semple was also an oil and water well drilling contractor in partnership with William McQuaid. Semple probably made contributions of his own to the Venango Portable Drilling Rig design.
Woodwork for the rigs was purchased by the Wolfe - Semple partnership from the Oil City Wood Working Manufacturing Company. H.H. Haseltine and F.R. Morse founded this shop, which made bull wheel arms, adjuster boards, etc. in a building at the United Lumber & Coal Company yard (James Philip and Willis Perry), Relief Street, Oil City, c. 1900.
Being located in a lumber yard complex was advantageous for the Haseltine and Morse shop. Lumber could be purchased for “rig stuff” in quantities from Philip and Perry’s business.
Haseltine and Morse later moved their shop to the former Cordie and Copenhefer spoke factory / planing mill site, adjacent to the Earp & Kelley Lumber Yard, Duncomb Street, Oil City. The New York Industrial Recorder highlighted the Oil City Wood Working Manufacturing Company (1904):
“One of the leading industries of Oil City is the Oil City Woodworking Manufacturing Company. This concern was incorporated about two years ago under the laws of the State [of Pennsylvania], with a paid up capital of $10,000, and the following officers: President, Mr. H.H. Haseltine; secretary, Mr. J.H. Hadley; treasurer, Mr. J.T. Hadley; manager, Mr. F.R. Morse. The factory and works are located at Nos. 226, 228 and 230 Duncomb Street, and P.R.R., and occupy a large two story building, 100 × 200 feet in size, equipped with the most modern improved machinery. A large force of skilled workmen are employed in the different departments. This company does all kinds of mill work, manufacturing dressed lumber, moldings, sash and doors, brackets, window and door frames, store fronts and turned work. They do all kinds of scroll sawing, stair and porch work. Their specialties are bull wheel arms, cants and pins, band and tug wheel cants, dry hole plugs and wooden conductors. They sell in small lots, car lots and on contract.”
James T. Hadley was also an official of the Joseph Reid Gas Engine Company, which developed the first oil field gas engine reversible drilling clutch, 1899.
Oil City Woodworking Manufacturing Company later moved into a three - story factory building at Reno, 1909. This plant was used for nearly a decade, and was then sold to the Advance Oil Company. Wolverine Lubricants Company later operated a compounding plant - barrel house in this structure (merged with the adjacent Empire Oil Works, 1929, became Wolverine - Empire Oil Refining Company / Wolf’s Head Oil Refining Company).
Oil City Wood Working Manufacturing Company then moved back to its original location in the United Lumber & Coal Company yard, Relief Street (Third Ward). Officers of the wood working plant were also Joseph Reid Gas Engine Company owners / managers (1930); John Reid (nephew of Joseph Reid), president; Wade Redding (nephew of James T. Hadley), vice - president.
Oil City Wood Working Company (Oil City Wood Working Manufacturing Company) also made the pier forms for the Pennsylvania Railroad “Wye” Bridge, 1929 - 1930.
Venango Drilling Machines, also known as “Wolfe” Rigs, were mounted on wheels and could easily be moved by horses. The rigs could be set up to drill at a well site in one day. Venango Rigs, unlike the Star Drilling Machines, did not contain a built - in steam engine. Drillers could use steam, gas or gasoline power to run the Venango rigs. A leather belt connected the separate skid - mounted engine to the rig.
Synonymous ownership of Oil City Wood Working Company and the Joseph Reid Gas Engine Company leads one to believe (or provides a clue) that the Reid foundry supplied cast iron parts to the Sugarcreek assembly shop where the rigs were built. Malleable iron fittings could have been cast at the Meadville Malleable Iron Company foundry (Advanced Cast Products, Meadville, PA), which specialized in wagon, farm machinery and railroad car iron work.
Advertising brochures praised the record of Venango / Wolfe drilling rigs:
“One of these machines in 13 months drilled 35 775 - foot wells, including a water well. In the 35 moves there were 11 moves three miles between locations, over Venango county hills in the famous old Pithole district. The actual working time on these 35 wells averaged less than eight days per well for the entire work of moving, rigging up, drilling, shooting, cleaning out, tubing, pumping off and tearing down, and also includes time spent in fishing.
“Its speed was illustrated by drilling four 800 - foot wells in 24 days’ actual time - moving, shooting, pumping off, etc., included; also by drilling 1,027 feet with 417 feet of casing, in five days - 10 hours.
“Another machine, from October, 1912, to December, 15th, 1913, - a little over 13 months - drilled 32 wells which averaged 1000 feet per well.”
James Rollyette Semple died, 1924. The drilling rig assembly shop was then operated by his son, Frank R. Semple (died 1952); and grandsons, James F. (died 1996) and Frank Richard Semple (died 1990).
Linden W. Wolfe continued to build his portable rigs until the Great Depression of the 1930s. Development of portable steel spudding machines, such as the Bucyrus - Erie rigs, helped make portable wooden walking beam rigs obsolete.
Frank R. Semple assembled the last Wolfe rig in the Sugarcreek shop, 1935.
The Brundred Oil Corporation, which was once Venango County’s largest oil producing firm, operated four Wolfe machines and one Star rig on their leases, 1919 - 1952. Brundred maintained their own drilling crews for putting down and cleaning out wells at Oil City, Clapp Farm, McClintockville, Deep Hollow, Cherrytree, Columbia Farm and Petroleum Center / Petroleum Centre. Brundred Field Superintendent Gifford Exley and Head Roustabout / Assistant Field Superintendent Robert Waddell (cousin of Baseball Hall - Of - Famer George “Rube” Waddell) supervised the drilling crews.
Wells on the Brundred leases were originally shot by employees of the Ellis Hall & Sons Torpedo Company. William Brundred and Gifford Exley later began shooting wells with charges of dynamite and explosive gelatin instead of nitroglycerine. Pumpers, roustabouts and drilling crews did Brundred’s shooting from 1932 until 1952.
Buffalo Gas Engines were used for powering Brundred’s Wolfe rigs, which were moved to and from well sites with winch - equipped Fordson tractors. The Wolfe Rig which was abandoned at Wildcat Hollow, was used for clean out work at Petroleum Center and Columbia Farm.
Independent drilling contractors; such as Oma “Gobbler” Turk, Waldo Bankson and Merwin E. Bolles; also used Wolfe rigs. The Venango / Wolfe rig once owned by Bolles is now on display at Drake Well Museum and Park, near the Oil Lease Exhibit.
Few Venango “Wolfe” oil / water well portable rigs remained in use after the 1950s.