The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-11-30
Correspondence Of the Jc6ersoni0n Democrat.
Mecca and Her Oil Wells.
MEccA, Nov. 18th 1850

| MECCA, NOV. lZlh l6OU.
Ep1ToR DEMOCRAT This Yankee ma
ton are always "pitching in," and not a
lew of them have pitched into "Mother
Earth" in this region, to the depth OF
few hundred feet, in few hundred places,
and are coming out rather oily.
Having spare day and disposition to
see some Of the wonders Of this modern
Mecca, in company with the Secretary Of
the Illinois Natural History Society, G. d.
WILDER, who has long been a curious stu.
dent of Natures wonderful volume in the
stony edition, VIC came TO this new Cal.
ifornin. California indeed, for there men
went to get rich in day, and here for
tunes are pumped out in day.
This is a level, woody country the gen.
eral slope Of the surface in the vicinity Of
the oil wells, being TO the east. Coming
into the district from the west, the first
sight was "stack Of gin poles" standing
over a hole in a meadow just back from
the road, where, as we were told, a
"spirtual adviser" had told some fortune
seekers from Geauga County TO dig
Strong in the faith, they sunk the shaft,
drilling away day alter day, until, weary
with working and finding no oil. they con-
GUIDED it was "lying spriI" that con.
troled, and gave up the job. Our in
formant said another company Of the
same faith brought a woman,a renowned
over their lot with eyes intent on the
ground, until stopping, stamping one heel
into the soil, she says, "Set your stake in
the heel marl-dig here and you will find
OIL" They did so, paying the driller
twenty dollars, for setting his box exactly
where she directed. Down went the
! shaft but up came TO oil. Spirits and
, their relations in trouble again company
scratch their wonder il they have
0 been duped-think it's mistake con
clude the spirits may go home, and they'l
go down again after OIL
To what we see again, and not what
h we hear. Yonder is big vat, six feet
:. high by fifteen each way. 1t has held
:. oil. The engine and the pump beside ii
/. are idle now. Next we come to well
:. owned by Ilovey 81 Co., of Cleveland
Beside it is big vat into which dirty.
coored water is 6cing pumped. The oil
:, rises to the surface OF the water in the vat,
:, u while tie water runs off. Here little 8
@ horse power engine is pumping from 3 TO
}. 4 barrels Of oil duly The engineer told
J; us tina. Mr.. Hovey, being President of a
=. Railroad, this OIL was shipped to Cleve.
+ land, and used on the machinery Of the
n road.
, From tie "Corners" on every side you
!. can see men prospecting for oil, or busy
d working the wells. Engine alter engine
i. has come in ard been set up, and you can
8 hear the working Of tie balance beams,
d tarn which way you will. pumping their
d 3, 4 and 8 inch streams from the wells
&c e A young city has sprung up in a night,
:, I, and daily hundreds are here as visitors
. The streets are fuE, and The grass, that
', Two weeks ago, was green by the road
side south, is now completely trodden out,
such is the rush Of iootmen Farms are
being divided up and sold off at from three
to four and FIVE hundred dollars per acre
n Many men lease The ground at $50 pei
,, acre, and give one-tbild Of all the nett
}, profits of the oil. 1t is said that there are
600 wells in this vicinity. Many of them
are only so to 60 feet deep, and very
many are not yet being worked, rs such
is the rush, that machinery canro. be oh
tanned to do the work with. Llille houses
and shanlies are going up on every lo
along the roads, and Il number Of wells
are being worked far back in The woods
p. The old residents "wonder where all the
i world OF people come from" The best
S wells are yielding from to 10 and as
d high as 25 barrels Of oil per day, and ono
v owned by Mr. Hooks, OF Warren, i,
: said TO have gone us high as 75 At thi,
# well were two vats, said TO contain l50
# barrels Of oil, which looked very much
g like thin tar The men claimed TO have
i pumped out 800 barrels, and not being
# able to obtain casks in which to secure it,
0 had ceased pumping. In the crude state
it is counted worth $40 per barrel.
! Many entire farms have been bough
1t or leased, and the land speculation is run
}, ming high. Elk Gov. Briggs, Of Mass.
81 has a well here. John Brown, Jr., O
n IIarpers Ferry no!oriety, is also workin!
j. one. lie is seen about the "Giggings,
n fully armed with Ievolvers and knife, n
W il expecting to meet Gov. Wise. He i
s. undoubtedly preparing to send more iigh
e 10 beuighted Virginia. The common
'e water wells in the neighborhood, we ar,
h told, are dry, and the people use the waite
\. that comes from tie first vein in the oi
wells. The water in the liule runs by
the roadside, and anywhere on The sur
face, is covered with oil, the change
made by the running Of the wa'er giving
&c it every shade of color as it glides along
'e % in rhe sunlight.
- - In drilling for oil, the shaft often strike
a crevice in the grey sandstone rock, anC
through this creVice or vein there seem
> to be flow Of water as Of an underground
river. When this water is reached, i
upon pumping it out, there is no oil found
IL then the shaft is sunk TO the next crevice
y and so on, until oil is found. How mucl
- oil is TO be found, how long it will con
= tinue, or whence it comes, are ali matter
u of speculation, One thing is probabl
u true, even if the wells are never failing
:" that of the masses of men that come, lh
= larger portion will become poor, while th
D. few will get rich. Men doing well a
: home, may not do better here. The fac
IS IS that oil is being found in such quantiie
'e for miles around this region, create
III i 4 r.. IL