The "Big Moses" Well, drilled on the Joshua Russell farm 2 miles north on Polecat Run, was almost abandoned because of salt water, but Ludwig and Weeter introduced technology to siphon off the water and made it a producer. Drilled to the Big Injun sand, it proved the Sistersville anticline, led to Sistersville's boom, and helped establish the field as the greatest producing area at the turn of the century. The Polecat Oil Well, drilled on the Moses Spencer farm on Indian Creek 2 miles east of Sistersville and regarded as the greatest in West Virginia, came in on 6 September 1894 with an estimated daily capacity of 100 million cubic feet. Big Moses blew until 28 November, was controlled for 3 months, then burst its casing and blew again until 27 August 1895. Twice fired, and with pressure reduced by waste and excessive drilling, it was abandoned.