Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-02-27
.Gbe Obio 6tatesnran
T z n n g..
From the Marietta Republican,
OIL Regions up the Ksuawhs.

the Petersburg Ntps, in relation to the almos
incredible yield Of the Oil Wells near BurninI
Springs, Va Several of our citizens, anon
them c. E. Glines, Capt. Drown, VIM. Scott
DR.. Regnier, DR., Cook and others, well know
90 gentlemen of veracitys have visited thes
wells, and 30 far as we have heard an expires.
sion, all endorse the correctness OF the state.
ments Of the Ne,vs. The Parkersburg Gaxeit
also corrobora,es ihese reports Of the enormou
yield, and the value OF lands In the vicinity o
Burning Springs Here are the facts as detaiIet
In the Neps: q .". ~
As all sorts of reports are In circulation IL
reference to the yield Of these wells, some O
which have by spme been supposed to be fabu-
lous, we propose TO give an accurate account
thereof, In this and other nilmbersof our paper
taken from reliable data and personal observa-
tion, in order that the public may be fully In
formed thereon.
The frst oil well In this region was opened
by Messrs. 8 D. &F. J Harms, Of Pennsy Iva
MIA These gentlemen, surmisiog, rom the ap-
pearance of the country, the great quantity ol
surface oil aud gas, and other infallible signs
that q large amount OF oil lay imbedded below
leased the old Rathbone Salt Well, cleaned II
out, put In pump, and commenced operations
For days they obtained only water. Soon oil
ter 4 few weeks barrel of oil per day was OBJ
tanned, then Two, three, and finally ten barrels
per day. Their well yielded about this quaint
" for some time, bat latterly has increased
until It now gives from twenty-five to thirty
barrels every tTenty-four hours, and is still OF
the increase. f-ss
Some time during last summer, Messrs ]
G. and J. " Rdthbone each commenced boring
for oil on their contiguous farm, We have
heretofore noted the yield of one 9f these wells
but for the information OF our many new sub
scribers. again insert the facts in reference tc
it. This we'll. belonging to Mr.. j. G. Rsth
bone, gave PR mise of great yield while ID
tho process of boring. Upon putting In the
pump, and getting fairly to work, IL Was founc
70 yield from tDo hundred and fIfy TO ihyee hun
dyed barrels of oil in twenty -iour hours
This immense product, far surprising that oi
any other well in existence, was soon noised
abroad by means of o notice In these columns
which was copied into other papers, and attract.
ed to the spot numbeIs from distance Lea
ses were shortly 10 demand. which has steadily
and rapidly increased, notwithstanding the cor.
responding increase in terms, until now q per
feet oil m .nia RACES, and oil privileges cannot
b "signed, sealed and delivered" fast enough to
satisfy those desiring them.
Or these latter enterprises but few have pro.
gressed to completion, though hundreds, per-
hhaps, are now boring or preparing to do so.-
Up to the date Of writing this article, we have
information ,of bat three wells which are vel
tubed or pumping, though the oil is pour.
log or spouting from them In inmense quantI-
ties. ~ . u. iltl lu-
One OF these wells, owned by Messrs. G D
y ]. N. Camden, J. J, Jr., g. ]. M. Jackson,
and B. W.. Byine. "struck oiI' two or three
weeks since, at which time there issued from II
an immense body of pure oil, which was thrown
In q compact lass forty or ffty feet high, for q
time beyond all control. There hsvebeen gath
cred from this soil spout" during the past tWo
weeks, about seventeen hundred barrels of oil,
besides large amount which was wasted, and
notwithstanding IL has been stopped up great
portion of the time The depth o. this wen is
l39 feet. I,-l ,2-sgF
The we'll of Messrs. Weir g. Datnell, which
is lis feet deep, and from which the oil is
thrown In similar manner to the one spoken
of above, also Yields, wben allowed to aowsabout
a barrel per minute. On the first day of its
opening about four or Eve hundred barrels of oil
were secured; since which time, In consequence
OF the scarcity OF barrels 1t has been kept closed
most of the lime. E'rf5 b! - AH! -
Messrs Leaellyn & Wilson alec have q we'll
from which the yield Il perfectly tremendous
A holeeight or ten feet square was dug in the
ground around the mouth Of the well, and into
II the oil was allowed TO fow from the conduc-
tor, which it did without spoutng, and In quiet,
orderly way. Boards were placed over this
pit, and as many barrels ss could be eonven.
iently made room for set on them. Fifteen
hands were then employed, some In taking out
and replacing bungs, others In placing and re-
moving barrels, while Ave men were busily en-.
gagged in dipping up the pure fluid In buckets
and pouring it through large box tunnels into
the barIels. In this way four hundred barrels
ieeye tiltd IN ten hours. During this period the
well was stopped up half the time, in oouse-
quence Of the inability of the hands to secure
the oil as fast as 1t flowed, and even when run-
ming, large iron punger, two inches in diam
eser was kept in the we'll Had this been taken
out, the yield Of pure oil frome this single
well must have been full hundred barrels an
hour a9at.
Incredible as these statements must appear,
they are nothing bnt facts. Other wells will
probably be finished and pumping in q few days,
which give full assurance of yielding fully as
much as those described above Nor is the oil
region confined to the Immediate vicinity re-
ferred to. On Hughes River, and on every
creek and run In the whole valley of the Little
Kanawha. there 10 an abundsnce Of oil. ~ In the
vicinity Of Parkersburg, also, and on the creeks
above and below, emptyiDg Into the Ohio, oil is
found, We coDtemplatein In future numbers, Civ
ing fuller statements In reference to The main
Kanawhs wells, and also of the prospects and
reaults on the smaller streams. s5asEa@l.