The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-01
our on REGION CORRESPONDENCE.

FRANKLIN, Nenango county, June %.
Ny last, from Oil City, gave little or no idea
about that town, save its general appearance. IL
is the great focus Of the oil trade. Here men
come to chatter, exchange, aud buy, to prospect
and cheat, to swear friendship, hob-nob, and rob
each other. 1t affords better accommodations for
persons engaged in the oil trade, and TO visitors,
than any other point at all contiguous TO the
great wells upon the creek, save Titusville.
Franklin is seven miles further from the oil
centre, though TIE latter is by far the more
pleasant place.
j presume the only things worth noticing
in the town are its three thousand five hundred
population, its immense collection OF oil barrels.
and its six inches depth Of dust. Its people are
extremely uncultivatod, only two classes answer.
ing questions with any degree Of politeness.
VIZ, those wanting to sell oil property at fifty
times its value, and the hotel-keepers. The for.
mer class close their mouths, oyster-ike, IL they
find you do not want to buy the latter are saucy
and pert II they think you do not want TO nav
them fifty cents for every time they look at you.
Indeed, in this connection, 1t may be remarked,
with great justice that everything is enormously
high. They charge one dollar per hour for the
use Of buggy, four dollars for elk hours use OF
a horse, which l did not ride ever ten miles. This
is paying tribute 10 oil with vengeance. These
are the California prices of 1850. Everything
else is in proportion. You have four staple
dishes at every meal, fried ham, fried eggs,
stewed apples, and bad tea or coffee. These
united with sour bread, or stale cakes cost Won
halfa dollar three times per day. Your uniform
dessert consists Of apple pie and rice custard and
these are served along with the meat and tea at
dinner.
Above Oil City, and upon the Allegheny river,
between 1t and Tidinte, there are number OF
pumping oil wells. These produce from six to
ten barrels per day. / heard of one producing
twenty. l did not see IL, and doubt 1t exs
tremely. These pumping wells in the river itself
produce liner, and therefore more valuable, oil
than that found In the great wells upon Oil
creek.
Atthe mouth of the creek, ten days SINCE
there was grand smash-up of iatboats laden
with oil. They are in the habit of getting un-
ladened boats up the creek as far as they can,
and then loading them. Whilst the loading Is
proceeding they dam up the branches of the
creek above until they have stopped a large
amount of water; then, at a concerted time,
these sluices are opened and an artificial flood Is
produced, the ladened boats floating into the
Allegheny with their oily burden. This smash-up
occurred during one Of those freshets.
left Oil City in a stage, TO proceed to Frank
lin. The road lies directly along the river shore
A large number of derricks were visible, when
the dust permitted as TO see, on both sides of
the river. Sometimes above, sometimes below
were gangs Of workmen engaged in grading a
bed for the branch railroad which the Atlantic
and Great Western is running from Franklin TO
Oil City. Much grading has been done, and lust
above Franklin the track is laid for more than a
mile.
l reached Franklin clothed with dust.
stopped at the Kinnear House. There was no
american citizen of African descent to attend
to me; but we had pretty fair dinner, and each
man, at the sound of the bell rushed TO his din
ner as If his fate depended on 1t, for a darkey had
suddenly turned up, who told us, with his face
shining "darkly as through glass;" that If we
did not get dinner then we could not have IL AZ
all. After dinner we succeeded in cleansing aud
purifying ourselves to a limited extent. All the
others rushed off to Cleveland. Iremained to see
the place.
sailed ont to look at the oil wells, and foand
two within the borough limits, towards the river
bank. They have been in operation over three
years, and have produced regularly about four
barrels per day. Below the town came upon a
refinery owned by Ridgway & Co. went and
looked at its tank Of crude oil, where it is FIRST
poured in. II Is in the side of hill; thence it
runs by pipe into another vat, thence by a long
trough, at right angles with the tube, into the
place where the chemicals are applied for its
publication. This is entirely beyond the limits
OF the borough. None can be built within its
boundaries, owing to the number of fires similar
institutions" had brought abont therein. Upon
inquiry found that Jacob E. Ridgway, Senator
from your city, was the principal partner.
Thence passed down to the river, and up its
angle Of which is now indicated by a slight de- |
preston. This fort was built about the year 1850
by the French, as one Of the links of forts they |
were then erecting to connect Lake Erie with the |
Ohio valley, so that Canada might be united |
miliiarily to Louisiana, both being then in their
possession.
The town itself is handsomely situated, with |
French creek girdling IL upon one side and the |
Allegheny upon the other. Both glide along
smoothly and beautifully, with their bright linn |
pid waters playing In the sun as they leap over
their clear beds. At the junction of the TWO
streams found immense quantities of oil being |
landed. They have a pulley, worked by horse |
power, and the work of landing is rapidly effected
The oil barrels lie about In huge heaps, awaiting
transportation over the Atlantic and Great West
ern Railroad, which has branch to carry the
oil up to Its main depot, mile or two from the
river.
Overlooking this busy scene from high bluff
Is the quiet but beautiful residence of Thomas
Hoge State Senator from the district composed
OF Mercer, Venango, and Warren. He is en-
gagged in opening two oil wells. Just above his
property there are two small pumping wells of
four-barrel capacity; they have been pumping
steadily for over a year. Opposite to this oil
wharf lies Hoge Island, belonging TO a Phila-
delpbia company, who paid $4,000 for il. IL
lies IN the middle of the Allegheny, aud embraces
atout fifteen acres. So far the company seem 20
have made no effort to develop its oil capacity.
Round the rear of the town. in a seni-crescent
form, runs IA bold range of hills from French
creek across the peninsula to the Allegheny.
Ihe views from their tops are very picturesque
and fine. Below the town a couple of miles,
on the Allegheny, are also some small pump
ing wells of siX.barrel capacity but away down
ulther, six miles on East Sandy, there have
bean several wells struck which promise TO
} led finely. On the Big Sandy, thirteen miles
below, a pumping wei of ten barrels capacity,
and OF OF six, have recently been struck
On the other SIDE OF the river there are also
few wells of lmi ed capacities. But these slow
wells resemble German--.hey are always sure,
and never give out.
The Court House here looks like a huge, worn
ont aIracks, which soldiers had occupied for
years. Tier principal manufactures are Of
barrels. They have founory of some consider
able Cegree OF produc i've power. Franklin has
of twenty five hundred.
Suicide Of SIR Thomas Fitzgerald.
Sir Thomas Judkiu Fitzgerald, third BAronet