Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-10-11
The Oil Wells OF Pennsylvania.
franklin ana the Wells on French
Creek.
Imporlant to Laud Buyers.
OIL CITY AND ITS HOTELS.

CREEK.
Leaving Meadville for Franklin, Venan-
90 county, at eight A. NJ, you reach Frank
In. only twenty-seven miles, little before |
noon, and dine at the United States Hotel,
which is as good a house as you will find |
in the place. The town looks old, and fur
nishes but few signs of recent improve
nept. The derricks ofoil wells strike your |
eye at every turn 1t was IN this town |
that the third oil well was struck-the first |
by Colonel Drake, near Titusvlile, IN the |
fall of 1859. on Oil Greek; the second by |
Hamilton McClintOck, three miles above |
the mouth of the creek; and the third in |
Franklin, by a worthy blacksmith, named |
Evans. now deceased 1t was on the latter |
discovery that the anecdote is based which |
reputes a daughter of the discoverer to have |
rejected q suitor because dad had struck
lie" We visited this well in company
with coupleof Philadelphians, and found
it to have originally been a water well, that
the water had become undrinkable on ac-
count ofthe presence Of oil, and the disoOv-
erv of the presence of oil in large qusnti-
ties was the natural consequence. The oil
from the Evans well commands a higher
price than from any other, being like most
of the wells sunk in French creek, valua-
BILE for lubricating purposes, having moro
gravity. Other wells are sunk near the
Evans well-viz: two by Halingen, and
two by Mann, both of Philadelphia; Simp-
son & West, of Philadelphin, with several
others, producing more or less lubricating
oil. An interest in a well on French creek
recently sold in New York for $4,000. We
had the pleasure of seeing the young lady
whose independence was secured by Dad
striking lie" and can assure our readers
that from Appearances the unlucky suitor
not only lost fortune in oil, but treas
ure in herself, in being rejected by the lady
for she seems to be sweet tempered and
obliging, blue-eyed village belle-an oil
princess-paT excellence.
NPoRTANT TO LAND BUYERS.
As Franklin is the county town of We
mango there is of course always consider
able business stirring, especially among
old spectators and those having an inter-
est in searching after titles to lands, &c.
Many of the titles to these oil wells are
quite complicated, ana require g person
thoroughly conversant with the business
to unravel them. The lawyers in this re-
gicn, with but few exceptions, are too much
Interested in the prevailing excitement to
devote that attention to the subject which
It requires, so that New York and Phila-
delphia parties are frequently obliged to
send counsel here to investigate the title
to land ana leases. We recently met a
lawyer from New York, of considerable
experience IN such matters Mr.. ". j.
Osborne), on tour Of investigation OF IL
tie, and the one which he had then in hand
covering large tract on a well-known
farm, he found to be utterly worthless in
its present condition. Bogus companies,
are formed, and the unwsry feeced to an
unmerciful extent. We know of one case
where man came up from Philadelphia
with fifty thousand shares of the stock of
some fabulous Oil Creek Company in his
pocket, and devoted several days, on foot
and horseback, in endeavoring to ascer-
tain where it was located. but without
success 1t is reported that the Auditor
General of Pennsylvania has recently writ
ten to the Recorder in Franklin, inquir-
ing into certain matters which may affect
the legality of oil companies formed in
New York and other, States and operating
here.
OIL CITY AND ITS HOTELS.
The three principal hotels are the Crap
House, kept by a New Bedford Mass.)
youth, who, like others from the same
quandam, oily city, now follow oil where
ever they can smell it the Sheriff House,
and the Petroleum Hotel. These houses
are all crowded to overhowing. and many
persons are crowded together in one room.
The accommodations, says an old Califor-
nian, are worse than any he ever saw in
Rr1t aopncf no halnad
People will come, people will buy, people
will make money, people will lose it, peo-
pie will get crazy-and the consequences
are, discomfort, ill-temper, bad beds, worse
meals, and worser whisky. The town
hardly looks as if it was built to stay, and
yet it may eventually become tidy, steady,
pleasant place. There is certainly money
enough in it, and enterprlsing people
enough, if they could only be induced to
think there was something to live for be-
sides trading in petroleum and making
money. There is no petroleum sristocrscy
here. They have no time to become aris-
tocrats, or hardly to air their beds. Those
who obtain riches in oil city, go elsewhere
to spend them. There is no way OF spend
ing their money here for luxuries, although
there are some elegantly dressed ladies oc-
casionally to be seen, as they are to be seen
everywhere where man goes and money
flows.
A few pretty residences are going up at
Latonia, opposite, and they present a
pleasant appearance in contrast with the
wretehed aspect of the city proper.
CoRKY CITY-THE OIL CIRCUIT COMPLETED.
Down to Gerry city, by the Oil Creek
Railroad, we have completed the circuit,
and penetrated the heart of the Western
Pennsylvania oil region. Cory contains
a population of between three and four
thousand. Three years ago it was a how
ling wilderness In building up the city
the people have not taken time, even up to
this date, TO remove from the front part of
the place the stumps which they were
obliged to dig out in order to clear space
for building. Three railroads centre here
the Philadelphia and Erie, Atlantic and
Great Western, and the Oil Creek road.
SO fast have the people been to accumulate
wealth, that as yet no churches have been
completed. But there Is a Catholic
church, also a Baptist and Methodist un-
der way. Eligible building lots command
$500 70 $500 Five years ago the whole
site of the town might have been bought
for the lowest sum or less.
Mr.. Bennett the burgess, came here
three years ago, and paid 81 to $3.50 per
acre for land that now commands 500 to
$500 per acre. Samuel Downer, of Boston,
owns the extensive oil factory located in
Cory, and rents it to the company that
now carries it on. 1t is valued at $500, 900.
The works cost Sl75OOO Employs I75
men, and pays Sl-75 to SO per day. Has
refined 100 hundred barrels per day for the
last month, consuming 24O barrels crude.