Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1861-03-19
;reas Kanawi.a Oil Prospects.

| t!t " Oh StHltc Us ny AIR. ". II. SHREWS-
ECRr, taken from Ills sa,i-weit :; few III lies
above Charleston, we determined. last
week. to examine into tie prospects of oil
We set out from Charleston, and visit
ed, first. Mr. SHREWSBURY property
Here we found the oil making lis way
unaided. 10 the surface Of Ike water.
| standing in the gum Several barrels
Of the oil has been, within. few days,
taken from, this well. and. we were in :
formed, that NJ S. will have his ma
chinery ready for pumping in few days
and will tube the well down to the oil
seam and plug below it, and give tie we'll
a thorough trial
In the vicinity of this well there are
other wells that, FOR many years, have
been throwing mp large quantities of OF!
on the surface of the earth around the
gums. among which is one knows as the
Brooks we'll"
A stranger prospecting FOR oil, a few
d., $ since, near the mouth of Camp
bells creek, a mile or two below Maiden.
sal down near an old salt well that had
been abandoned and which was filed with
sand. Finding the Garth in the vicinity
quite soft, he pushed :. sticl, down in the
soil. when. upon drawing i out. he was
surprised 70 find the gas and oil flying in
the air quite profuse!y.
A few miles below Charleston, near
the mouth Of Davis creek, on Mr.. Shell
ros's form. an old salt we'll was abaa
:!oned years ago, before our salt makers
learned the art Of tubing wells tc keep
ont fresh water, oil and other matter del
eterions to Ito manufacture Of salt. be-
cause Of The large quantity Of oil that
made its appearance on the salt water.
In conversation with number of well
borers. some of whom have retired frotn
the business, we learn that the greatest
impeachment to boring they have to con
tend with was oil. 1t seems that nearly
every we'll they bored, they found. more
or less, oil. Iii some Instances, we arc
told, the oil came from The wells in large
streams. and flowed into the river, where
il could be seen for miles floating upon its
surface.
Persons from the oil regions or Little
kanawha, Pennsylvania and Ol,;,o inform
Us that the s,.,rf:ce Indications in Great
N"''-: "a alley are far better thar. ary
my have seen elsewhere. And re be-
!;eye these st;!tesnsents. from the fact that
many Of them have taken large leases in
tins alley, and frequently paid exhorbi-
ta;l1t prices therefor. j., choice localities,
and bound thenIs selves to operate imme1i-
a,cly upor the leases.
That there is oil in this Valley, and
in grca. quantities, has not been secret
to our our citizens, for rs far back as the
discovery OF ccal. the petroleum has been
gathered from tie salt-wcll5 and cis;erns
for the use of the coal miners, when at
work, in the coal banks, for illuminating
purposes.
! The oil may be seen at low stages Of
the river. in,the summer season, for miles
above and below this place, oozing from
he banks Of the river, and floating down
the stream. Any Of our boys, in the
habit Of bathing III Kanawha. will testify
70 The fact, as the oil is source If an
noyauce 10 hem. Again. The Great ka-
uawia river has been long nick-named
Greasy River" from the .act Of the Gil
upon It's surface
From ali these facts, as we believe they
are. can any one doubt that oil does ex-
isl here in large quantities. We think
pot: and shall wait with great patience
for future Developments, believing that
our Valley will yield an abundant supply
OF tie useful article.