North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-11-30

or, in some instances, it rushes up with such
force and volume as to send the stream as
high as the derrick some forty feet, and car
rying with it all the heavy boring apparatus
A well like this produces sometimes as high
as fourteen hundred barrels per day, when it
will suddenly subsde or cease flowing all to-
gether. Then the pump is resorted to and
the oil pumped up at the rate, generally, of
five to twenty barrels per day. In the mean
time other wells are being sunk, and in pro-
ducing flats or bluffs, will yield from forty to
fifty barrels per day, and in other localities
be entirely unproductive. 1t frequently hap.
pens that veins of salt water Of the highest
saline gravtation are hit, Gas at Franklin, J
from which the very best quality of salt
could be produced by applying some of the
| apparatus in use at the salt works at Syra
cuse, n, Y. But peopl boring for oil think
Of nothing bul oil, and if their wells should
force up golden nuggets they would probably
feel disappointed.
The Sewicklcy well, on French creek was
sunk six hundred and ten feet, and flowed
for four months one hundred barrels pee day;
but stopped, and has not been abandoned
with other, in that ocality. But so conf
dent are the owners of the land that oil is to
be obtained here, that speculation has re-
viTed, and eighty wells are now going down
on what is known as the Tall-man farm, be
| tween Meadvle and Franklin. This farm
has front Of one mile and third on French
creek. Although the oil produced here is in
! small quantities, the quantity is superior
equal to the celebrated Mecca" oil Of Ohio
The investigations on Oil Greek prove the
| supply to be large, and that the results of
boring are almost as favorable as year ago !;
and the fact that we'll has been sunk at so
great distance Eric, Pa, indicates thai
the process of b ring over the whole interme.
date region may be continued with results
not disslnar from the above.
OIL CITY.
Oil City is built on Oil creek at its conAu-
ence with the Allegheny river. at the base of
mountain, with nothing 70 spare Cor fat
- unless it be the victim OF some bagus oil
company. 1t has but one ssreet and the
rocks, boards, boxes and debris generally ARE
thrown into the middle of it. Thr buildings
upon one side Of the street all rest upon
stills or spiles aud occasionally one caves in
as the post office did the other evening. On
the other side man begins to build with
depth Of first floor Of twelve feet, the next
twenty, the next thirty, according to the
" perpendicularity" of the mounta in.
The population are all busy making money
but they ge to church and Gloss their grog
shops on Sunday. The town is all wealth
and mud-the creek all scows and scowling
boatmen. 1t is well "pond freshet" does
not occur every day. Ii ke the one last May,
when thousands of boats piled pell nell over
each other, crashing and smashing, the OIL
bursting from barrels and casks, and waist
ing by mil lions of gallons, and the boatmen
swearing and hallooing like SO many Chock
taws.
Titusvlle, MeaGville, Franklin. and Cory,
the latter bowling wilderness when this
war broke out, and still rough and full of
stumps, but having three railroads, centering
there-the Philadelphia and Erie, the Allan.
ia and Great Western, and the Oil Greek
railroad. Land has risen from 50 to $3.50
on acre. Samuel Do@ner Of Boston, owns
the extensive oil factory located in Cory,
and rents il to the company that now carries
it on. 1t is valued at S500,000. The works
cost $175, ZOO, employs IT'S men, and pays
them $l.75 to $3 per day. Have refined
100 barrels per day for the last month, using
240 barrels crude. The products of dstill-
ing are-1, still gas; l, gasoline, or naptla /;
8, water separated 4, burning oil 5, ucri-
eating oil, BY chilling or pressing with ice
similar to the process of making linseed oil,
Fifteen tons of ice are daily consumed IN this
way, The product of the oil region, from
data obtained at this refinery, has been
about 1000 barrels per day for the past
year.
THE MILLIoNAIREs.
Many Of the richest oil princes were labor
efs, tnTee years ago, WiIhouI uoiiai now
theysown millions. James Tarr, by sales Of
leases and shares has made out Of his seem
ingly poor farm a fortune like Croesus say
four millions. Mr.. E. 0lmstcad, another Very
rich man, from Meadvlle. went two or three
years ago into the oil region, and had to Dor
row fifty dollars to enable him to secure a
lease for himself and sons. The wealthiest
is youth by the name Of John Steele, not