The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-11-16
Wednesday Morning, Nov. 16, 1864.
Sketch Of the Pennsylvania Oil Regions.

OIL CITY, Ia, Oct, 24th, 1854.
n 10 redeem the promise made you when /
felt New Haven, take the first opportunity,
since reaching the coal regions, to write YOU
what have seen and learned in the few days
q have been In this land, flowing with kero-
sene and mud. The best way TO the oil re-
gions, from New York, is by the Erie road to
Salamanca, then by the Atlantic and Great
Western to Corrythen, by branch road to IT.
tusville, and then to Shaffer's Farm-the ter
minus OF the railroad on the famous Oil Creek.
From Skaters farm to Oil City, on the Ale
ghany, at the mouth of the creek, the distance
is fourteen miles-and between these two
points, most OF the wells from which our SUM-
ply Of kerosene is now produced, are located.
Wishing to make satisfactory inspection of
this part of oildom, footed it over tie whole
route, from Shafier's to Oil City-visiting the
famous Noble well, the Jersey" well, the
( "Maple Shades well, the 'Shermann we'll
all flowing wells, which, when the oil was first
struck, flowed from 1900 to 1000 barrels each.
per day, but have gradually decreased the
quantity, until the best now only flow $50
baFrels-and i was told by the parties in
charge, that they would in few months stop
flowing, aud have to be made pumping wells.
There are on the creek eighty more wells,
pumping from five to thirty barrels EACH
There are hundreds of new wells being sunk
where oil has not been struck at all, or in such
small quantities as not to pay, or, after being
pumped for few months, the oil has given
out. and these wei numbering many hundred
are abandoned; SO you see it is not "dean
sure thing" this searching after oil. There
are no surface indications to show exactly
where the oil veins are, so in selecting the par
ticular spot for boring you sgo 1t blind The
Noble well flowed 1000 barrels of oil when ,he
vein was first struck, while dozens of other
wells have been sunk all around with little
success. These wells are sunk to the depth Of
150 feet the boring being being done by steam.
and the entire expense, including steam en-
gine and fixtures, is about $4,000. Should oil
MT be struck, the engine and fixtures can Of
course be used for other wells, so that the loss
when oil is not struck is about $3OOO ~
The hills on each side of the creek are very
high and steep, coming Ia some places to the
edge OF the creek, and In others the meadow
land is from one to twenty rods wide. It is on
these lands that most of the wells are The
oil is pumped by steam into tanks placed by
the side OF the creek. The large wells have
from five to twenty very largetanks, while the
small lone horse chaps" have only one small
one From the tanks the oil is drawn into
barrels and shipped by fat boats down to Oil
City and Pittsburg, or up the creek to Titus
vile. OH Greek is rapid flowing stream,
about two hundred feet wide, with just depth
OF water enough to occasionally ground the
boats and give the boatnen an opportunity to
become skilled in the use of the pfofane Ian
guages. think there Is damning enough
done on that creek, every day, lift was only
ofthe right sort, to raise water high enough
to float the Great Eastern. An inquisitive
friend who was with me asked one Of these
swearing natives where he supposed the oil
came from, and was told that it came "right
straight from hell" agreed with the native.
and told him very meekly, that from what
had seen and heard on that creek,I didn't
think hell could be more than six hundred and
fifty feet away. 4 found OIL City busy, thriv-
ing place, which has been creased into exist
ence within two years, and from Its location is
destined to be place of considerable impor-
tance
The amount ofcapitaI invested in this oil
business Is very large, and the amount ofbusi-
ness done very Important The discoveries
OF oil are not confined to Oil Creek and vicin-
ity, but up and down the Allegheny and its
vicinity oil is now found, and of a different
character from that on the creek, being heav-
g. Ter and more valuable, having all the good
qualities OF 6ne lubricating oil. In eastern
Ohio, western Virginia and eastern Kentucky
oil Is also found, and the attention of thou
sands now turned to this new source of wealth.
Gone into rightly, there is money in this BUSH
ness, but let me advise your readers to be very
shy OF these big stock companies, or they will
be swindled. It is all very nice for few in
diViduals to pnt $4,000 to $4,000 in oil lands
and then start a company and sell 100000 to
SaOO,QOO OF the stock, dttoping their friends
topurchase few hundred shares az a favor
% II any OF your readers feel that they must 60
IN for oil let them buy or lease some oil lands,
and, 1t they do not wish to risk the amount
necessary, let them join with some of their
. friends and send competent man to transact
the business for them; and II they are lucky
enough to "strike oil,D all right, and If they