The Kingwood chronicle. [volume] (Kingwood, Va. [W. Va.]) 1861-1861, 1861-03-02
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Oil Discoveries in Western Vir-
glnia.


The Kanawha region Of Virginia, already
known to be the richest mineral district in
the United States, has given forth i new
treasure which seems destined TO throw all its
others III the back ground. The PaikcrS-
burgA va News. III long article on tie new
discoveries, notice. two extensive land sales
last week One Of them was TO a company
Of gentlemen from Baltimore. who paid $50
900 for tract of land. and the other was 10
the Little kanawha Burning Spring peuo-
leum Company, who, with q capital stock Of
SlGO COO ale abont to commence operations
Ii says.
These sales averaging between fifteen hun
dred and Two thousand dollars per acre, are
Of land which one year AGO could have been
bought for less than the llnnelicth part of
their present price A~tonl- hing ~ this may
seem, it is yet deemed the greatest bargain
ever sold in this country, as. should the land
continue to yield oil, even IN moderate guam
titles, the rents alone for one year would ie
worth much more than the purchase money.
The actual value Of the land can hardly be
computed The i.cvelyn WELL Ior instance,
which Welded FIVE thousand dollars worth OF
bal1eed oil in ten hours, and would pour out
If unobstructed, over a thousand dollars
worth of pure oil IN an hour-who can COM
putc It's value?
The same paper, IN an interesting article on
the discovery OF the oil wells; says
There can be no doubt Of the fact that the
Petroleum or Carbon oil region Of the Little
kanawla and its tributaries, far surpa>s il
extent and proluctiyeness those Of any other
section Of the United States yet explored 80
While the work Of development Ut this region
is but Just commenced tie ti.w wells complet-
Cd but six in number. already give larger
Weld of oil than the hundreds which have
been sunk in Penn yisania and will probably
never be surpassed except by other wells III
the same neiYhborhool
The presence Of Petroleum. oil il this region
has been known for years \ deposit ct il,
found Oh IIuehs River, fcw feet helow the
surface. iii vein OF sand, has for Years fur
nished the main Ingredient Of powerful lill
mcnts 1t has also been found oozing out Of
clctts III the rocks on almost every tributary
of the little kanavha. and especially in the
neighlorhood Of Burning Spring, on this
river, (owned hy the Rathbone> has been
gathered in considerable quantities from off
the surface Of the water The Burning
Springs, which abound, proceeding from
stores Of cas-, sufficient perhaps, to light the
world. have been viewed mainly as cnriosities
and the oil considered until within the past
few months, almost a nuisance, from its con
tinued presence in the water, rendering it un
palatabe, and to some extent unfit for domes
tic use
The first oil we'll in this region was opened
by firm from PENNSYLVANIA. These gentle
men, suimlslng from the appearance Of the
country, the great quantity ot surface oil and
gas, and other infallihle signs. that large
amonnt Of oil lay imbedded below. leased the
old Rathbone Salt Well, cleaned it out. put
in a pump, and commenced operations. For
days they obtained only water. Soon oil min
gled with water made its appearance. After
few weeks a barrel of oil per day was OBJ
tanned, then two, three, and finally ten barrels
per day. Their well yielded about this guam
tity for some time, but latterly has increased
until it now gives from twenty-five to thirty
barrels every twenty-four hours, and Is still
on the increase. On another farm well was
bored, and, upon putting ii the pump and
getting fairly to work, it was found to yield
frem t,eo hundred and .ffty to three hundred