Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-07

Our readers will recollect that some three
months since we gave an account Of q visit
to the Mecca Oil District At that time the
first well was being sunk, 10y Messrs. Bonnell,
Jordan Co, and though the indications
were that oil would be found in paying guam
titles, still twas not regarded as a fixed fact,
and those who were exploring were looked
upon by the public, generally, as half crazed
adventures who were spending their money
and labor very foolishly Since that time,
we have been almost daily receiving accounts
Of the progress Of the investigations, which
were generally favorable, 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.
Thewell Of Bonnell, Jordan & Co., directly
at Powers corners, was the first experiment.
/ Here a small steam engine has been at work
for nearly four weeks. It pumps aboat a
barrel of water per minute, the water is carried
into large vat; the oil rises TO the top Of the
water, and the surface oil and water passes
over into another vat, while the water is
drawn OFF below. From this vat the surface
| water and oil passes into another, and another,
and after again undergoing the separating
| process, into fourth vat or tank, from
whence it is drawn into barrels, and is ready
for market The yield Of oil at this well is
about five barrels Of 40 gallons each, every
twenty-four hours. The oil is of brown or
dark yellow color, and has strong though
not very unpleasant odor. The depth of this
well is 50 feet size of bore inches Except
the first ten feet from the surface, it is rock
the whole distance, mostly grey and white
sand stone
Next We visited the well of Messrs. Rein
hart & Bonner, some twenty rods farther
north. At this well the proportion of oil to
/ the water is much greater, less water being
/ brought 10 the surface than at the first men
/ toned well while the yield Of oil is much
! larger. Here the average product is sixteen
barrels per day; and over twenty barrels have
! been raised in twenty-four hours. The oil is
Of dark green color, quite different in ap-
/ pearance from that obtained at the other
well. The same process of separating the
oil from the water is used as before described.
/ That it is very imperfect is evident from the
/ fact that in the ditch where the waste water
runs off from the vats, oil is seen floating on
| the water, and though the oil is gathered
from 90 to 100 gallons have been SKINNED
from the water in the ditch, some rods below,
by small boy who was working on his own
account The nett pre6t of this well to the
prOprietOrs, cannot be less than 800 per day,
and probably very considerably exceeds that
/ amount
Hull & Co, onN. Wiber's farm, have found
oil at the depth Of AZ feet. They have an
engine on the ground, and viii commence
pumping in a very few days.
LoWrey, Mattocks & Dickinson have bored
to the depth Of6l feet, and have fine promise
of oil. To crafty our curiosity, they let down
their sand pump "a tin tube or inches in
diameter and some four feet in length, with
valve at the lower end, and drew it up with
between one and two gallons of oil in it
With that instrument alone they could raise
at the rate of from twenty to forty gallons of
oil per hour. They also have a new engine
on the ground, and are nearly ready to COM
mence pumping
VIM. Smith after finding oil at the depth Of
AZ feet, las we are informed) sold his well
together with his lease of 2 acres of land, for
81. 2.40O, to a Mr. Kerr of Pa.
n. w. Palmer, F. Rice, 7. N. and Charles
Abel have well on the east side Of the road,
the boring of which they finished while we
were looking on, and drew mp oil freely with
their sand pump. They have fine promise
of oil.
The company consisting of Gen. Curtis &
Jesse Reeves of Sharon, Pa, A. Andrews and
J. Messersmith of Vienna, and John 5. King
have leased several hundred acres Of land
in the vicinity, which they are sub-leasing in
small lots. They have an Office for this pur-
pose on the spot They have sunk four or
five wells and found Oil at one or more of
these they will commence pumping, shortly.
Thompson Duncan & Co., have found OIL
and have fair prospects of good yield u.
W. Pattengell and D. MetcalfOf Bristol are
interested in this company
Besides these, many other individuals and
companies whose names we have not space to
enumerate, are at work. Within the diane
ter oftwo miles taking Powers corners as
the centre, not less than one hundred wells
have been bored, in one half of which oil in
more or less quantities has been found and
one fourth of which, at least promise to be
paying wells.
The oil seems to be in veins or seams Of
the sand rock as there arc instances where
wells have been sunk to the depth ofl5O feet,
without finding oil, and others sunk within
fifty feet have oil at the depth of 40 to GO
feet
It is reported that Cleveland gentleman
has leased FIVE acres of land and will proceed
to erect a refinery for the purpose of clarity
ing the oil This is greatly needed, a large
quantity of the crude oil being already raised
and awaiting the purifying process to beready
for market. One of the greatest drawbacks
at present is the difficulty of obtaining bar
rels If this is the case when only two wells
are being drawn from, how barrels can be
had, sufficient to hold the product of hundred,
(which bids fair to the number) is a ques-
ton. m
The excitement is intense, men being here
from New York, Boston, Buffalo, Pittsburg,
and many from the oil district in Western
Pennsylvania. These last were the pioneers
in the enterprise and viii reap their reward
Quite number from Cleveland are on hand,
most of whom are more or less Interested
Among these were Prof Newbury, Chas.
HicllOx, T. Il. Best Thayer, Scoville, Skeels,
Knight, &c.
The land owners bid fair to realize hand
some fortunes. The lucky ones, thus far,
seem TO be- the Messrs. Wilburs, Jacob
Powers, Fankle and Jeffreys, &c. Should the
supply prove as exhaustless as it has proved
to be in Western Pennsylvania up to this
time, it will be a source Of immense revenue
to this section Of the country, aswell as build
up many individual fortunes. As in all in
stances of the kind some sanguine people
will probably lose largely, and we know
few who had better keep COOL Warren
Chronicle.
III. W johnson at Home.
We take the following extract from pri-