Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1863-12-25
Pennsylvania Oil.

The people OF Eastern Pennsylvania
have not wakencd up to the Importance
Of the great oil rcgicn of the Northwest
ern part of the State. There are but .
few citizens cf Philadelphia that know
the NJ gnitulc OF the business that has
sprung up there in short timo. Most
of them treat the reports as travellers
stories or if they do credit them, they
think that the oil business can only be
temporary; and that the wells will run
dry in a tow months, and that the invest.
ments in the region will not pay
Similar predictions were made couple
Of years ago, when the first discoveries
we're made. The accounts Of the over.
lowing wells were treated as fabulous,
and it was positively asserted that they
could not hold out long. But the bust.
ness has gone steadily along, many new
wells have been sunk and the flow Of oil
is increasing. Mr.. Henry G, lIickok
lately addressed our Board of Trade on
the subject. lie was for {. number Of
years the State Superintendent of Com.
mon Schools, and is known to us and all
over the State as gentleman Of veracity,
intelligence and practical common sense.
He is the last man in the world from
whom We should look for fables, exagger-
atons or visionary theories. He has re.
sided for year or more in Franklin, We.
mango County, and has made himself
thoroughly wcIl-acquainted with the i'm.
mensc oil business that has sprung up
around him. His statements must be
accepted as literal truth.
Mr. IIickok stated that on Oil Creek.
within a range Of nine miles, there were
lately no less than $50 900 barrels of oil
in vat5, together with $1,000 barrels at 3
station on the Philadelphia and Erie
Railroad, and $4,000 barrels waiting
shipment at Oil City. Surely our peo.
pie have had no idea of sach immense
proportions as this. The weekly prodact
Of the oil wells is stated to be now not
less than 1900 barrels, and it might
easily be raised to 200,00e barrels. This
throws whales and whaiers entirely ia
the shade. We need have no more voya.
ges to the Northern seas no more har-
2ooning and blubbcriag. The earth only
asks to be tapped, and she will yield
more than men want Of the fluid they
have heretofore obtained at such peril
from the sea. A single wcll-the Em-
pirc-yields in day 5000 barrels of oil,
which would be very large "get" for ,
whaling ship after years perious voya-
ging,
The experience of the last year er two
has shown chat the Oil becomes moro
abundant the deeper the bore. The sup
ply is believed to be inexhaustible, and
there is as good reason for this belief As
there is for believing that our veins Of
micral are incxhaustible. The oil field
of Birmah in India, has yielded 4e0. .000
barrels Of oil per annum, from time where
of the memory Of man runneth not e
the contrary and the region there Is ~cey
small compared with that Of WesterR
Pennsylvania. We may we'll ask, in
view of those facts, whether the oil wealth
of the State is not really greater than its
mineral wealth? Considering the small
amount of capital required to develep It
as compared to the enormous amounts in
vested in our coal and iron regions, We
incline to give the preference to oil, over
both coal and iron. Our Philadclphia
capitalists have certainly not appreciated
have aone Scarcely nothing in the oil
region. New York capitalists and mea
of enterprise are Gsrt in the field. aud are
rcaping the first harvest. Most Of the
oil goes to Buffalo, aud thence to New
York while, by the Allegheny rive. and
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and it is
cheaper and easier to bring it te Philadel.
phia. When the railroad to Erie Is COM
plctcd, the facilities TOR reaching this port
viii be much Increased, and if our men
of business use the proper energy, they
may make Philadelphia the great depot
and shipping port Of the oil of Pennsyl-
vauia