The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-20

THE OIL REGION OF VIRGINIA.
The Oil Excitement-.A Visit 10 the WeIls--
The Great Imfiux OF People from all Quar-
ters-- Prospects for Large Town in few
Manths, &C.. &c.
[oosKEsrospkseK OF TIE slcmxosp prsrArcH
THREE FORKS, Roane county, Va,

THREE FORKS, Roane county, Va,
March 18th, 1861 (
was here some three years ago, and wrote
you from this place. Some of your readers
about Richmond thought the letter an anus
ing fabrication, and the people in this imme-
diate neighborhood thought IL an ILL tempered
exposure of their poverty. The edi tor of a pa.
per in this region assailed my motives. and
some OF his county correspondents regarded
II as being wanting in truthfulness; bnt |
stated facts simply then, and hope shall be
equally sincere and candid now.
This country tthe Northwest has within
the period above named, improved remarka-
bly-no part of il more than this little settle
inent or village from which / write to- night
instead OF miserable cabia for hotel, l am
seated In large, we'll arranged hotel of am
pie dimensions for any village of this size in
Virginia. The acconm odations generally are
good, and l hear word whatever of com
pfaint. have no disposition TO initiate nv
course when here betore--i. e., leave before
dayhreak tomorrow, but may remain here
several DAYS.
As many of your readers may wish to know
now to get out here, will tell them. II You
take the Fredericksburg train any morning
you Will, without accident, bsSput down the
foiloWlng morning either at Ellenboro' Cairo
or at PetroItum, on the Parkersburg branch
OF the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and from
either OF these points horses can he had "a
the ''wells." The latter ,poi n t will be found
the aaast convenient. as hefses- can be gotten
there without difficulty. The hire "a Sc Der
cay Is very high for this country, as hereto
fore it was only 30 cents | went to the wells
yesterday from Ritchie Courthouse. where !
mad business, and although everybody with
whom conversed had something to saw about
the wells, yet was not fully, indeed, moi at
all, prepared for what really Witnessed NV
road lay, for the most part. through a rouob
ana uninhatited country, and lust before reach.
ing the wells, along a very high ridge from
WHICH ~"Iich d we" OF tne country for many miles
around was obtained, away in the vest
N.ths -,
along the hillside, so neto that you imagined
they We're as yet unoccupied. / was forci- :
oily reminded OF the IDEAS l had conceived in
regard to some newly discovered ''diggins'' i'll
California. Presently we began to de-
scend the ridge and wind around its base.
When ali at once the solitude of my long
Journey across the mountains was ex-
changed for the hustle and hum of citv life
L had al ways spoken 10 every man. woma n
aad child l met III the road bat now did not
think OF it. There were squads of men stand
ing In the muddy roads, while OK carts loaded
win TIMBER, Were struggling along the deep
iaVihes, ana recently -fe!led trees and split
boards lay on every side. 1 had never seen
like ii before: and as got nearer the
village saw, not far off, derric a fter derrick
win men bustly engaged at the base and upon
me top OF them, boring for the precious oil
vi excitement I quickened RAPIDLY hastered
forward, my horse throwing The muddy water
from. heels to head, until 1 found myself in
the midst of the &" Weiis,' and soon All the
door OF Il hotel, half-finished, with no steps TO
the front door, so that it was necessary IN
enter the back way-the house beino on y
steep hillside, there was no difficulty. I
never saw such a q mess - to use ayulger ey.
before-saddles and saddle bags.
bags OF beans, dried apples peachas and nOta
toes, and barrels of flour ali piled M together
IN the passage and in the dining roora amid
mud and dirt. l looked for a stable but it
had not been built-a shed for the present
suificed. The bar-room, as usual was crowded
but give you, in as few words as pos sible a de-
scription OF the "wells :" and, first. as to how
hey are dug: After the rock is reached. a few
seet below the surface, the machinery for dig
slng is prepared-a scaffold, abou 35 feet high
) or 10 feet square a. the base and about or
} feet "A the top, made OF four poles united hv
is erected at the top of this is a
= block. through which rope is passed, by
which the long "sinker," made of iron
pointed with steel, is lifted and let fall
After the well has been dug to a considerable
depth rods are screwed on, thus Ienrtheriup
the shaft: and i'll order to lift it, a long pole is
lsed' called scoop, (oiten 80 feet) one end
oI "hlch is fastened TO the ground, and the
other is attached TO the top of the rod. by
winch 1t Is lifted from the bottom. These
rods are not more than two inches IN diameter
he well Is, therefore, very small-not more
Ihan Mree or J0uf lnEheS in diameter If Won
have seen poles used in raising water from
wells, you viii readily understand what l
mean The men 1.-TWO or three OF theml at
the top OF The scaHold swing upon The end of
the pole to which the sinl<er is attached TINS
Lhrusting it down, and ''poking'' the bottom
followed by metallic " click - and again let
ting go the pole, the sinker is again raised;
ana so they continue, occasionally pulling up
the apparatus to pump out the water and de-
oris. The cost OF boring is about 81 as per foot
Tor the first hundred feet, and 81 for all be-
eond. Within space of 4 half-mile there are
about 100 "Wells,' either already dug or in
process of digging. They begin on the Little
IA
Of burning Spring Run" and continue up
the run to its source. fhere are only six or
eight wells that are yielding oil. All who
nave gone deep enough have been rewarded
with suceess-nOt q single iCeU has been a5an-
toned. Perhaps four -fifths of the wells have
been very recently begun. The progress made
S from one foot to ten or fifteen feet per day.
Some wells have been i'll process of digging
or three or four weeks. but have not gotten
more than l20 feet. The average depth is
from ll5 to l45 feet Some persons have gone
200 feet without finding oil, but are not dis
outraged. Some dig on the hill sides, but most
u them in the bottom. 1 visited every well
hat was yielding oil. That of LeWellyu &
60. was yielding very rapidly often il pro
tuces one tGTTet per M mute. Think of it! |
saw them filling seven barrels al the same
me. a friend timed them, and they filled IA
)alreIS in Is minutes-i. e., one hundred and
orty dollars IN quarter of an hour, or 5000
ber hour. This Is making money after a
ashton L never saw before. The oil sells
.eadiiy at 25 cents per gallon, or $40 per bbl.-
ne expense OF getting il is 4 mere nothing,
liter you once reach it. Sometimes II runs
at other times It's pumped mp.
| he fiat boats (of which | saw upwards of
00,) take 1t to parkersburg, i'll "A hours. Day
before yesterday 2,G00 5000 barrels left the
wells tor that destination.
The we'll of Lewellyn Il Co is much the
most productive. There are several others that
'ield 80 and 10 bbls. Per day. Many of the
wells are not worked, for want of barrels. If
ny friends, Messrs. Weston Il Co, viii bring
me of their admirable stave-cutters out here
hey will get abundant employment. Barrels
'rIng 81 apiece. The timber here is superb,
md very abundant. There is a small coopers
here, but no steam used. The
III Is peculiar. | saw some when out here two
ears ago, at Roane Court House, exuding
rom marsh, which was black and yiscid,
like tar; bat this is fluid, ard of q
bottle-green" color, sometimes yellow, like
nolasses. Its specific gravity is about 40 deg,
water being 81 deg. II is liquid as the
huid' which you burn in Richmond, and is
,sed here III fluid lamps, and, L underst tand,
lOes not smoke. 1t can, as yon know, be re-
ined aud made perfectly limpi l learn this
S done at little expense at several places on
he Ohio, and also in New York, whenever
much of it is shipped.
Wen, Mr.. Editor, would You not like to take
lease after all this If you wish 4 haIf-acre
OF you must pay $500 cash, and nother $500
when you strike the oil iii sufficient quantity
o work it, and then one third of the oil de-
ivered in barrels 81 the wells TO the COM
,any's agent.
Having good deal of land in this county,
before leasing, 10 whether the
Ill was confined to the Burning Spring VAL
ey. The point from which / write is about
2 miles South of Burning Spring, and here
o-day | find man boring with every pros
,eet of success. The indications here are
cry marked, and ! have also seen them to-
ay six miles above this point.
The elevation of the surface here is very
title above that of Burning Spring and on
omparing the different strata through which
he man boring here has trayersed and that
ncountered at the "welIs," there is singu-
AT agreement Leases can be had here for a
ong. / shall take one or two myself, think,
hough l have land in the neighborhood very
imilar in character, and on which there are