Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-03-22
An Oily Letter from the Oil
Springs.

AS Luo Ou OpIluSS III AiuuiOuu SouhsJ
Ohio, are exciting great deal of interest
we prevailed upon the Fat Contributor to
90 down there last week, in order that we
might furnish cur readers with an authen-
tic account of its locality. We have re.
ceived the following unetunous letter:
DEAR REGISTER ER:-Everything about
here is so greasy and oily it is with ex-
treme difficulty that I can write at all. My
pen slips out of my fingers; there is an
oily scum on the ink; the paper is fairly
transparent, and 1 slosh around in my chair
in demned unpleasant manner. Patience
and perseverance (sweet oil is unnecessary
here will, however, overcome many OBJ
stacles.
AN OILY TRACK.
I arrived here at very late hour last
night, on an oil train, and might as we'll
have come on train oil, as We were 16
hours behind time. All trains are hehind
time here, learn, owing to the accumula-
ton of oil on the track at this end of the
road. The oil fries out of the ground and
lubricates the rails for great distance. We
shouldn't arrived here at all if the passen-
gers hadn't got out and sprinkled the track
with cigar ashes.
1 slipped out of bed (nobody "arises''
here; we all slip in bed and slip out at
an early hour this morning and began my
Investigations. I found section embra-
cling fourteen thousand acres of land chuck
full of oil springs.
HOW THE WOMEN FRY DoUGH-NUTs.
Drilling is unnecessary here, as the oil
boils up in springs, sometimes to the height
of twenty-five feet, and IS caught in tin
pals as it comes down. On hot day, /
am told it is no unusual thing 20 see wo-
men frying dough-nuts out of these jets Of
oil. The balls of dough are dropped into
these Jets, where they are allowed to toss
about like corks in fountain, until they
are fried by the heat of the sun.
SLIPPERY ELM.
The only species of tree which abounds
here is the slippery elm. These trees are
so slippery a squirrel can't climb them
without dipping bis paws in Spalding's
Prepared Glue small bottle of which he
always carries about bis neck. There are
few maple trees hero but no sugar is
made, as nothing but oil runs out when
they are tapped.
A RIVER OF OIL.
There is one considerable sized creek
running through Trumbull county which
is all oil. 1t was discovered short time
ago in singular manner. Three boys went
bathing and when they came out were SO
greasy they couldn't stay in their clothes
As fast as they slipped them on they slip
ped off again, and one of the lads in q
needless moment narrowly escaped slipping
out of his skin. On reaching home their
parents being exceeding frugal, wrung them
out and extracted about fourteen gallons
Of pure oil from the three boys! Fact
A company are erecting large candle
factory on the banks of this river, prepar-
ing to dip candles in it.
ADJUSTMENTS.
The principal amusements here are
climbing creased poles and catching oiled
pigs, the necessary Appliances being con-
stautly on hand. Sliding down hill is pop
ular during the summer months. This is
effected without sleds, on hill of solid tai
low just behind the tavern. As / write,
laughter rich and gushing is waited to my
window from a number Of the beauties Of
"Bowers' Corners" as they sweetly DIS
solye down the sides of that melting
slope.
CREASED LIGHTNING
There was thunder storm this after
noon and as the eclectric fluid ran down
one of those slippery elms, told you Of
l was treated to my first view of "greased
lightning" Il is quite common here
they say. Thunder is divested of all its
harsh intonatons by the minute particles
of oil which fill the air and grease the
wheels of Jove's noisy chariot.
If any Of your readers think have "cut
it fat" in this letter let them visit the Oil
Springs and see for themselves.
Yours truly,
FAT CONTRIBUTOR.
-aSdndusky Reqister.