Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-07-04
The Mecca Oil Wells.

Our readers will recollect that some three
months since we gave an account of a VISIT to
the Mecca Oil District. At that time the first
well was being sunk, by Messrs. Bonnel' Jor-
dan & Co, and though the indications were
that oil would be found in paying quantities,
stilI It was not regarded as a fixed fact ana
those who were exploring were looked upon oy
the public, generally, as half erazed adventur-
.ers who were spending their money and labor
very foolishly. Since that time We have oeeh
almost daily receiving accounts Of the progress
of the Investigations, which were generally Ia
vorable, and on Friday We revisited the spot
and saw that very great changes had been
made.
We have no wish to add to the excitement
which is already sufficiently high, but VIII
state what came under our own observation
The well of Bonnell, Jordan d Co., directly
mt Powers corners, was the first experiment.
Here a small steam engine has been at work Tor
mearlv four weeks. 1t pumps about a barrel
of water per minute, the water Is carried iato
= large vat; the oil rises to the top of the water
and the surface oil and water passes over into
snotber vel. while the wateri is drawnof below.
From this vat the surface water and oil passes
anto another, and another, and after again I'M
.dereoine the separating process, into a fourth
wat or tank, from whence it is drawn into bar
,rels. and is ready for market. The yield oil
oil ut this we'll is about five barrels OF 4O gal
-lons each, every twenty four hours. The oil
il of a brown or dark yellow color, and has a
strong though not very unpleasant odor. The
.aepth of this. well is 95 feet, size of bore , lR-
.bcs. Except the first ten feet frUEa the sur
face, it is rock the whole distance, mostly q
grey and white sand stone.
Next we visited the well Of Messrs. Rem
hart & Bonner, some twenty rods farther n0rth-
At this well the proportion of oil to the water
is much greater, less water being brought to
the surface than at the first mentioned WELL
while the Weld of oil is much Larger. here
the average product is sixteen barrels per day;
md over twenty barrels have been raised In
twenty-four hours. The oil is of a dark
green color, quite different in appearance
from that obtained at the other well. The
same process of separating the oil from the wat
-er is used as before described. That 1t very
imperfeet is evident from the fact that IN thu
ditch where the waste water runs OF from the
watts, oils seenfoating on the water. and thougl
the oil is gathered from the ditch by the road
side near the watts, from 80 to 100 gallons haY'
been skinned from the water in the ditch, som
- Ill low Hhn uraz WORKING
on his own account. The nett profit of TIN
we'll to the proprietors, cannot be less thai
500 per day, and probably very cOnsider=bl.
exceeds that amount.
Hull 4 Co., on n. Wilber's farm, have fOun'
oil at the depth of Al feet. They have an er
CINE on the ground. and will commence pump
ing in q very few days.
Lowrev, Mattoeks & Dickinson have bore
to the depth of 81 feet. and have a fine Promis
of oil. To crafty our curiosity, they let dow
their sand pump IA tin tube 3 or 4 inches !
diameter and some four feet in length, wit
valve at the lower end, } aud drew it up wit
between one and two gallons of Oilinit. Wit
that instrument alone they could raise at IL
rate Oh lrOm lNGnlA ~ AOHg
hour. They also have a new engine on IL
ground, and are nearly ready to eommen'
pumping.
VIM. Smith after finding oil at the depth
Al feet, las we are informed) sold his well
gsther with his lease of . acres of land, +
S2.400, to a Mr.. Kerr, of Pa
NV Palmer, F. Rice, T. n. and Charl
Abel have a well on the east side of the roa
the boring of which they finished while
were looking on, and drew up oil freely wi
their sand pump. They have a fine prOmi
of oil.
The company consisting of Gen. Curtis
Jesse Reeves of Sharon, Pa, A Andrews a
J. Messersmith of Vienna. and John s. King
have leased several hundred acres of land
the vicinity, which they are sub-leaslng
small lots. They have an Office for this n
pose on the spot. They have sunk four orr
wells and found oil; at one or more Of theset tn
will commence pumping, shortly.
Thompson, Duncan & Co., have found
and have fair prospects of a good yield
w. PattengeIl and d. Metealf Of Bristol
interested in this company .
Besides these, many other individuals &
companies whose names We have not space
enumerate, are at work. Within the diam'
of two miles, taking Powers corners as
centre, not less than one hundred wells b
b.ep bored. in one half of which oil in more
less quantities has been foEHi, and one fou
of which, at least, promise to be paying We
The oil seems to be in veins or seams of
sand rock, as there are instances where w