News of The Abacos

Man Claims to Have Struck Oil in Coopers Town
By Stephanie Humblestone

Mr. Joseph Russell firmly believes that he has struck oil in the yard of his small house which is situated in Cooper's Town on the front road next to the Church of God church. Mr. Russell, who is a native of Cooper's Town, dug 100 feet through hard crystal with a rig rented from John Williams of Dundas Town. When the drill reached 100 feet, the bit brought up a dark substance. He and his family have no doubt that there is oil on his property.

"This was a vision from God".

He continued that a vein of oil goes straight from the Persian Gulf to Cooper's Town. He hopes that his prosperous find will benefit the Bahamas and its government to help sick and needy people. "This is not for greed nor for my own profit," he stated, adding that the Lord had showed him where to dig. A self-described Evangelist, Mr. Russell believes this happened at an opportune time. "It is a spiritual blessing in the Year of Jubilee, he said.

On the 15th of November Wayne Lufer and John Harvil from Bois d'Arc, an oil and gas exploration company based in Houston, Texas, took rock and water samples back to the United States to be analyzed. Mr. Russell believes that the result should be ready in a couple of weeks but for him it is a foregone conclusion. The general feeling in Cooper's Town is support for Mr. Russell. "I'm reserving my judgment but I think it's possible," said a bystander from Cooper's Town.

The visual analysis by the two men from Texas did not indicate the presence of oil. They explained that oil floats on water. The water samples which they collected did not exhibit any of this.