, 1861-02-05
TIE PROGRESS OF OIL DISCOVERY.


We had the pleasure Of call yesterday from
Mr. Lewellen, the proprietor OF the most pro-
,iuctive OF the oil wells lately bored Hear
Elizabeth, Writ County, w, about twenty
eight miles back Of Parker.buYg.
4 brief and incomplete notice Of these re-
a1arkabls springs Las already appeared in our
columns. The details whicn We have learned
irou Mr. LeWellen are, however, 30 much lnorG
tuil, that they will be read with especial lnlcE-
est iust now, when general attention Is being
paiu to 1uese new found treasures.
The discovery Of oil In PENNSYLVANIA from
the Irst. excited great hopes III tbs Inhabitants
uf the hilly regions Of Western Virginia that
similar deposits might bo found in their uejgn-
borhood. The volcanic nature Of the rocky
.trata and the general Connguration Of coun-
try, led them to d careful survey OF the ground
and to: various experiments. 1t WIS r. rem
bcred that near Burning Springs Post Office
20 called from the iDitanmaklc springs that
exist in its vicinity ty-thete Hae i'll auceAt shalt
thar had been sunk several years since In the
uopa Of discovering salt, but had been aban-
loncd from the acrld gaseous qualities Of the
-oil. A company was Immediately orsauizca,
harrela Of oil ure pumped from 1t daily. This
well is leased by Carues d Co., from the Penn
sylynnia oil section. Another well, sunk bJ the
Me&srs. Rathbone, yields from 100 to 500 bbls.
day.
nut oil faster than it eau be dipped up. In
eleven hours of one day last week, 400 barrels
were filed, and tho work only stopped frum
lack Of barrels III which to put it. This well
wa, bored through the hard rock for consid-
crable depth, when the bure suddenly sank IS
u it had broken through crust. II Lad esi-
acntlY laid open resel yolr which thus GaE Las
proved ine1haustible, Besides those ahove
described, there are two wells yielding daily
over 100 barrels ea"h- Others are to be sunk.
They ali lio in piece Of ground about one mile
square. Lenses Tor ground now command
81, 600 premium and one-third OF the proceeds
of the well, the owners positively refusing TO-
sell the land on any terms. The oil Is OF
greater purity than the average y.e d Of the
Pennsylyaaia springs. Its specific gravity il
,orty, that Of Pennsylvania 1arely exceeding
tlirty-tive.
The oil brings from twenty to twcnty.three
cents per gallon at the wells, twenty-five cents
1T Paskersourg, and thirty cents In this city, In
It's crude state. !.
Our informant describes the excitement
throughout parEersbufg and vicinity to be in
tense; new companies are daily forming, aud
the heretofore uninhabited valley is filing up
with an enterprisipg population. Tbs springs
licahout eighteen miles from the Northwestern
Virginia. railroad, but are In close proximity
to the Little hanawha river, 60 that the oil caa
DO readily shipped to market while the waicr
is at its present high stage
the Portsmouth (0.) Tribune, which shows
that the upper river counties Of our OWL State
are not behind Virginia, Pennsylvania, Or
Por'agc county, will be read win great In
tezest: -.
me discovery of It Coal Oil" or Petroleum
in this vicinity has been creating some excite
mcnt, which Is decidedly on the increase. At
first the announcement Of these discoveries
was considered as Joke, and great many are
disposed to SO consider it yet. But with all
the Joking there Ia good deal Of ea1nestEess
about the business. Capitalists have been Wis
iting aud prospecting our vicinity; come Of
them are practical men, experienced in the
coal oil business. Several companies have
been organized with q view to Engage In the
search tor coal OIL Lands supposed to contain
oil have been leased in large quantities. One
company Is building M engine aud other ma
chincry for pumping oil from wells, now yield
ine sufficient to encourage the Investment Of
capital.
t--uues a1e out I'LL orer the country prospect
Ing, und supplies Of oil are brought in daily.
4 spring near Madison Furnace has been dis
covered to contain oil The manager Of the
furnace writes to Mr. J. ?. Terry that be skim
med or five or sir gallons in short time, Is
1t loated upon the surface Of the water.
Mr. Giles Gilbert, Jr., visited piece Of land
on Stony Run, Niles township, just below
town, lew days since, and found the real oil
exuding from the tissnres In the rocks, Just
below the surface Of tho ground where par
was found, but shaIe vas abundanr, 4 epeci.
mcn Of Ills oil nav be seen at liz, Gi1bert's
store,
One thing Is certa1n: This oil ha. been e1u-
ding from The rocky banks Of our little streams
and floating unon ihe Yoter from time imme-
mortal Il now remains to be seen whether
borine into the earth viii uroye Il to erI,t Il,
such Quantities a. to make it profitable b.
way OF throwing some light upon this subject,
bersSS,s rennrt mon M he :. Rack Cj1s n f)h;o -
nubiisheS IN fnii in the Ohio Agricultural Re-
i,ort fnr 1s51 AiScr sueatino AZ lenrtl. mon