Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-07-07

yield FIVE times as much as now produced
by sinking deeper. All experience has
shown that the deeper the wells are bored
the greater will be the yield. Twenty
wells could be bored here where there is
one. There are over FIVE hundred wells on
the celebrated Rainioghong district in
Burmah, India, which is only an area OF
three by FIVE miles. For the Information
of oil. treasure seekers, 1 may mention that
the soil in this celebrated district consists
of sandy clay, OVERLAPPING thin stratum OF
slate clay saturated with naPtha, under
which is coal The petroleum, Or "natu-
raj tar" in this case, as 10 the site from
! which write, had been distilled from the
b.ds of coal, aud condensed at higher
points These wells have yielded over
| four hundred thousand barrels per annum
for many years.
The company here are sinking new
we'll to test the experiment ofdeep boring.
The well has now depth of over two
hundred aud fifty feet and goes down at
the rate of about eight feet per day.
The process of boring is simple. \ tall
derrick is erected over the spot selected
for boring. This derrick supports the
tackle, &c, for drilling. A small engine,
with much of the machinery imprOvised on
the spot, drives the descending chisel, &c.
| The drilling and FACTION is a simple con-
trivance. The drill is about two feet in
| length, with a blunt fsttened end about
four inches in breadth. Thisis attached to
labout'twenty-five feet of iron shattlWeigh-
ing over four hundred pounds. The
whole is secured TO a stout cable, which,
passing over windlass, is worked by
the engine, and controlled by one hand,
who is relieved in turn, the two acting
alternately as engineer and assistant.
l had forgotten to say that, in cons
mencing operations, an iron tube, in
Joints of about ten feet in length, is let
down into the earth until it rests upon
rock. The drill then goes to work, and
desceuds into the varied stratifycatiOns,
the tube follows. The drill having been
driven to its length-ten feet-is with
drawn, and a sand~pump let down to re-
move the accumulated debris at the bot
tom of the we'll The force pump is a
copper tube, about eight feet in length,
its diameter slightly less than the well,
and supplied at the lower end with a
valve opening upward. 1t brings up
the contents of the well very thoroughly,
which are examined with much anxiety
by parties interested.
The well which have Just been des-
cribing has for several days, been filled
with carbureted hydrogen gas 1.-THE same
with which we illuminate our houses and
cities), and kept up a constant agitation
Of the water, with a noise which can be
heard at some distance. On the with
drawal of the bit, the gas, set free by the
drill, escaped with considerable force,
eiecting the water to the height of sever
al feet. This, in the parlance of the well~
sinkers, vas called "blOwing." "Stand
off" said the driller as he prepared to
withdraw the ''reamer" (an instrument
inserted after the drill has been with
drawn, and before introducing the pump;
"she'll blow like fury" | took his adj
vice, and the water, gas, and OIL few
high and wide. The presence of gas Is
good feature in a well, particularly
when accompanied with strong btu
minuOus smell.
But will close. propose careful
exploration of what is popularity called
the oilregion, and may hereafter give you
the result of my observations.
will visit, in a few days, remarkable
coal stratum near Cairo, station fifteen
miles east of this point The coal Is rep
resented to be camel, but the specimen
exhibited partake- of the character of con-
solidated asphalt, or crystalized naptha-
Ii is black carbOnaceous mineral, with
out qualifications, and nearly free frOm
foreign matter. Ii yields by distillatiOn
about ninety per cent. pure oil. The
stratum partakes of the violent distur-
bance which characterizes this whole
region. 1t is nearly vertical, and has
been traced from the base to summit Of
a considerable hill a private company
are building a railroad from Cairo to the
mines.
Near where write, simular stratum
has been discovered, but partakes more
of the character of bituminOus coal.
There are other localities near this
where coal have been discovered, but its
quality and quantity has not been deter
mined
There can be but little doubt, when
the scientific geologist passes over West
ern Virginia, he will find it one of the
most interesting fields in the Mississippi
valley. W. De. IL.