Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-09

The derrick stood iu the field with the hall
bored we'll, the oil gushed up and over
spread the ground, the houses we've torn
down for camp-6rss, and the whole enter
prise perished. 1t is now rising again,
under the impetus of the great excitement
in Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth is an astonished town to day.
The people do not know what all this
means. Their lands, that were but recent
ly of no value but for sheep feeding, are
in as great demand as turkeys on Thanks
giving day. You will find, on looking at
the map, that after leaving the Kanawha,
at Parkersburg, we touch it again at Eliz-
sbeth. There is no bridge over the river,
but we manage to ford it, and, taking the
road that leads through the Two Rifles
Ran, push directly on, leaving the river
behind and striking for the headquarters
of Burning Spring creek. | could not inn
agtne a more disagreesble day than that
on which made this remarkable journey.
The rain WAS pouring in torrents, dead,
steady, incessant rain, as though Jupiter
Pluvius had become weary OF the dirty
earth, and was determined to give it a
thorough drenchiug. The run crosses and
recrosses the road, and as the rain had
swollen it beyond all recent precedent we
were compelled to ford it at least twenty
times, when another mountain arose be.
fore US.
The road wound around the mountain,
and as we came to the summit, far below
the Kauawha circled its way, until the eye
could no longer distinguish it from the
clouds. Notwithstanding it was Novem-
ber-and of all days the most Novemberish
there was something ecstatic in the wild
freedom of this gorgeous scenery. Go to
tnio
high hills and bow down before the sub
Unity of Almighty God. l checked the
pace of my patient and homely Roslnante,
and thoughtless of the rain, of the journey
that lay beyond, and the many miles had
given myself on the map, surrendered my
whole soul to the eurspturing scene. Now
that write these lines tar away from the
Kauawha, and think of the Burning Spring,
its mud and rain, and greasy waters, and
eager, avaricioHs, hungry men, in muddy
boots that glimpse of nature rises to the
mind and brightens all.
All along the river and on the banks of
Its tributary rivers, we find evidences of
the great panic that suddenly straugled
the enterprises of 1860. Every few rods
we see the black and mouldering derrick
and tho unfinished we'll in the ground
The few brave men who remained have
made princeIy tortuncs-the Rathbones,
Cnmdens and Netherlands being among
the oil princes of this new domain. They
made their mouey by buying these lands at
low figures, sinking good wells, and dis
posing OF their purchases to the companies
recently formed in New York and Phila-
delphia. Around the Burning Springs
there are but lew wells throwing up oil,
and these are not recently developed, but
the remnants of wells that have produced
as mduy as one thousand barrels per day,
in their time, the gas sending up the oil in
a thick, rushing stream Us high as the tree
tons, 40 that no tank could hold it, and it
rushed out into the river and covered tho
stream, The old "Eternal Centre" well is
eccentric. 1t was discovered by Que of
the Rathboncs in 1850, anil when stuck
the finder cleppcd his hGuds, and shouted,
for he had tound, he said, "lhe eternal
centre of the great oil bRsin." II does not
flow in n stream, but every six hours sends
forth q few barrels, making yield OF abou,
twenty OF twenty-five barrels a day. The
other wells in this vicinity are pumping
wells, and some of them reach as high as
fifty or hundred barrels a day. Aud yet,
in Justice to those who have spent large
sums here, it must be said that when we
speak of West Virginia we speak of bug
mess that is in its absolute infancy. II is
but few weeks since men of capital visi-
ted it, They have invested largely in
obedience to a Scientific principle, and no
doubt exists in the minds of men who have
thrown their millions over these rude and
rugged hills that their investments all will
come back to them again.
THE LINE OF THE GREAT UPHEAvAL.
Although confne my remarks to this
narrow spot, called the wells of the BuTn-
ing Spring, it must bs remembered that
the territory l trsyersed from Bull Creek
to Tyler county, and thence to Park
Creek, embraced the greater part of hun
dred miles. There is what the geologsts
call belt of oil land running from Tyler
county, Virginia, to Charleston, in Kama
Wha county, Take a map of Virginia and
stiok pin at the point marked Middle
bourne, in Tyler county. Thence carry
the eye in q southwesterly direction until
you reach Charleston, in Kanawha county,
10 the Great Kanawha river. We will
suppose this belt to be thirty miles in
width, and we have the oil territory before
us. 1t embraces Dine counties: Tyler,
Peasants, Ritchte, Wood, Writ, Calhoun,
Roane, jackson and Kanawha. In alt
these counties oil has been found, In Writ
county more WeIlS pave Oeeu sIFuch-auu
in Tyler county, which seems to be COUn.
terpart of Writ, the geological features are
strongly marked. did uot visit KtnaWhs
or jackson county, ss the country WAS too
unsettled for random traVellers-bnt in all
the other counties found the same singu-
lar geological formation. Regarding West
Virginia as a picture, or an assortment of
scenery, it is unlike anything we have in
the Middle States. The moment you look
upon the rocks and hills you see that Ma
ture had been in great trouble some day,
and these are the results of her agooy.-
The hills seem to pitch and toss and tum
bic as though the Titaus had been hurting
mountains at each other in some early su-
pernatural war. They have confused,
whimsical look, and by their COM
biuatious excite odd and amusing
faucies. Yet these strange rocks are fol-