In the days of oil-shipments by boat and teaming, before the advent of pipe-lines, Watson, Densmore & Co. handled large quantities of crude in barrels, hauling it from the wells to the nearest railroad-station. Daniel T. Watson, senior member of the firm, was born in Maine in 1806, learned harness-making, conducted a profitable store in New Hampshire and came to Oil Creek with James Densmore early in the sixties. He bought the oil and managed the shipping-business of the firm, which employed scores of teams to haul crude from wells at Shamburg and boat it from wells on the banks of Oil-Creek to the loading-tanks at Miller Farm. When the railroad reached Boyd Farm the firm opened a branch office at Pioneer and shipped east most of the oil produced on Bull, Pioneer and Benninghoff Runs, in the “blue cars” Watson, Densmore & Co. were the first to introduce. Clinton Rouderbush, afterwards well known in the exchanges, represented the firm in New York. Pipe lines ending primitive modes of transportation, Mr. Watson operated largely in the Pleasantville field, in connection with Benson & McKelvy, Lewis Emery and Samuel Q. Brown. He lived two years on the Morrison farm, removed to Minnesota in 1873 and died at Lakeland on July first, 1894. Mr. Watson was prominent in his day and did much to put oil-shipping on a solid basis.[basis.]
DANIEL T. WATSON.
JOEL DENSMORE.
WILLIAM DENSMORE.
JAMES DENSMORE.
EMMETT DENSMORE.
The Densmores lived on Woodcock Creek, twenty miles from Titusville, when the Drake well startled the quiet community. The father and his son Amos visited the well and soon contrived a metal-shoe to fix to a wooden-pipe to cheapen drilling. Emmett Densmore traversed the oil-region to sell the shoes, often walking forty miles a day. Jonathan Watson leased him land on the flats below Titusville, Amos had good credit and the pair put down a dry-hole with a spring-pole. They leased a piece of ground from James Tarr and drilled the Elephant well, so named from the “monster tank”—twenty-five hundred barrels—Amos constructed from pine-planks to hold the great flow of oil. The Elephant yielded hundreds of barrels daily and the other brothers—James, William and Joel—were invited to come into the partnership. Amos was given to invention and he made bulk-boats, the first tanks for storing crude and the first wooden-tanks—forty to fifty barrels each—for platform-cars. With Daniel T. Watson they shipped extensively until pipe-lines retired barrels, pond-freshets and bulk-boats permanently. The brothers sank many wells and acquired wealth. Amos, James and Joel have passed over to the better land. Amos and George W. N. Yost, once the largest oil-shipper, perfected the famous Densmore Type-Writer. James bought out the Remington Type-Writer. London is Emmett’s home and he has attained prominence as a physician. His wife, Dr. Helen Densmore, assists in his practice and has written a book in behalf of Mrs. Maybrick, whose imprisonment has aroused so much sympathy. William Densmore owns a big flour-mill and the Central Market at Erie. The Densmores possessed energy, genius and manliness that merited the success which rewarded their efforts in various lines of human activity.
ISAAC REINEMAN.