The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-08
THE MODE OF BORING FOR OIL
Ete.. Eto.. Eto.. Eto.. Eto.
The RegInnimg.

Probably there is no article Of commerce or
speculation that is so much exciting the attention
Of capitalists and others as the product of the
rock oil regions of our country. These regions
are believed to extend from the southern portion
Of the Ohio valley to Georgian bay on Lake
Huron, in Upper Canada, and from the Allie
ghanies, in Pennsylvania, to the western limits
Of the btuminOus coa-felds in the vicinity of
The Missouri river The probable superficial
extent Of this region is estimated to be fifty thou
sand square miles, vast amount Of which is, of
course, undeveloped; but SO violent is the fever
on the subject of petroleum now raging, that it is
likely but few years will elapse before a very
large part of the tract we have described will be
dotted with wei derricks and filed with an indus
triOus and enterprisng class of people. We do
not propose, however, TO wander over so large q
space in examining the subject; for those who
hsvetraveled in oil regions know how undesirable
1t is 60 take any unnecessary steps in going from
one point 70 another. We propose, for the
present, TO confne ourselves to tho examination
offs small, but probably the richer portion of all
the oil regions yet developed, situated in We
BangO county, and part of Crawford county
PeInslyania, and known more famiarly as the
"on creek regions" and if the wonders we shall
have TO describe within the com pass we have
chosen, in regard to the freaks of Mother Earth
as well as the freaks Of Dame Fortu ne, do not
carry the imagination of the reader back to the
marvellous stories of the Sultana Scheherazade
In the "Arabian Nights Entertainments" then
we shall feax that the memory of those delightful
chronicles has passed away, and that the recol-
lec,iOns of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp.
which, ii il inferred, was filed with petroleum
have become entirely extinguished.
a TraditiOn-FLrst Discovery and Uses OF
Uhe Oil.
Many years ago, as the Seneca Indians have
the tradition, the Great Spirit appeared to one o
their chiefs in q stream and told him that if ht
would proce"d 10 certain part of the country
he would find, Oozing up from the earth, q liquid
which would prove a balm for the cure of many
ailments which the red men as well as white
msn were heirs TO. The chief proceeded TO the
sp.t, and there found the balm flowing copiously
from the bosom of the earth. The instructions
of the vision were complied WITH and sure enough
the liquid proved heating ointment to the tribe;
of the Senacas. There are white people now
living who were treated incidentally by those
Indians with this ointment, and we believe there
is still article known and sold in the drug shop
as Seneca OIL"
As the whites encroached upon the soil of thu
Indians they discovered certain pits or hOllOwi
dug by these Indians-and the remains Of som,
are still visible Oil creek, particularly wha
il known rs the Ilynd iarm-whch were used al
receptacles for accHmulatiDg the oil as it flow
the oil came in use as means OF furnishing
light but when it did so its reputation a lumi
natOr became gradually spread abroad, and in tn
year 1859 u New Haven company was fOrmed &
develop the article, and test its value for com
mercial purposes. An enterprising gentleman
named Drake, of Massachusetts,, was the pionee
in this investigation. He gave his whole atten
tion 10 the business; hrst "struck or nea
TitusYiIe, Crawford county; made a rapid for
tune for himself, but far greater one for others
and, like most men OF genius, he desplsed wealth
number of the rich oil men, who have become 81
by the skill and energy OF Colonel Drake, ar
making up noble testimonial, amounting 70
quarter of a million, 10 be presented 90 him il
token Of their esteem. these oil princes ngYe
do anything by halves.
Going TO the Oil Region.
Having thus briefly traced the origin Of a dis
covery that has and still is causing wealth q
fOW into the possession OF people like gOlde
stream in a fairy fable, we will proceed 70 shOy
how the reader can appreciate this region, and
little in regard to what he will find when he get
there.
In going from New York the most easy an
expeditions route is to take the cars Of the NeT
York and Erie railroad at O'Clock in the after
noon, enjoy good supper at Turner's, retire b
rest in one of those comfortable sleeping cars, an
wake up in the morning in time to breakfast a
HOrnellsYille. Thence take cars on the Atlanta
and Great Western road, via Salamanca, direct T.
MeAdYille, passing Cory City-a thriving oil cit
of night-lOr the present.
meadVtIle.
AS this town is destined 10 become of mucl
importance, both on account Of its proximity t
the oil region, and as being the of the division
of the Atlantic and Great Western railroad which
will before many years become the great high
way from the city Of New York TO San Francisco
uniting the atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the
traveller will find II pleasant 10 stop day OF
two, examine the place, and enjoy the warm hos
pitality Of the host Of the McHenry House, at the
depot.
Meadyille is an old place. II was settled during
the time of the French and Indian wars. It CON
fained population in 1860 of four thousand but
has more than double the number since then by
influx of the employees Of the railroad company,
who are constructing machine and workshops
and other buildings Of a most substantial and
extensive kind, and those Interested in the oil
business-a business that is bound to be largely
increased as the oil country lying on French
creek of which il is situated, already producing
well, Is developed. The facilities for transporta-
ton, wharfage, &c, are better than those at Oil
City. II has ten churches-tWO Presbyterian,
a Baptist Methodist, Unitarian, Episcopal, Ger