Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-11-23
lFrom the New York Herald.

From the New York Ierald.l
WHERE PETROLEUM CONES FRoM-fHE BOW
, Els OF THE EARIH SCIENTIFICALLY OVER.
HAULED
The subject of explaining the phcnom
ena Of the production of petroleum has at
tracted the attention Of scientific and prac.
, teal men ever since its disco er, and
adoption to the use o! society Several
theories have been advanced. but the most
} rcasonabl, which we have remarked, and
which has been fortified by personal in
vesti@ation in the oil region Of PennSvlvs-
nia may be ascertained from the follow
ing summary O. the views Of the most en-
li.htened investigators in The m Steries Of
this wonderful production Of the earth
] 1t seems certain that the principal sup
| plies of petroleum are not dif'used between
/ the planes of stratifcation, but are collect
t ed IN ca, tiles more or less sunken in the
strata. whence 1T is less lab to be carr
ried away by running water 1t is com
mon to fad arge quantities in places
/ where there are marks Of disturbance and
displacement Of the rocks. and those who
have professionally ''prospected' for oil
nearly always select such spots for sinking
shafts or vel $ These aIities are not
unusual of great hon izontal extent 1t
| is sc dom that two neighhorins wells strike
/ oil at the same depth, whether the strata
be horizontal or dipping. 1t is one chance
out Of many to strike oil ut all, en- in
neighborhoods where it exists in abun-
dance-except in certain localities in the
Oi creek region, where the average chan
ces Of striking oil are superior to those of
| other districts, with the exception, possI-
bly,, of some of the newly discovered dis
tricts in Western Virginia But there
arc facts connected with oil wells, partic-
ulnrly their intermittent action and their
! interference with che another, which ser e
/ TO show the existence, in many cases. oi
systems of these cavities connected togeth
or by channels f communion ton, more or
less FREE, running sometimes along the
strata and some lines across them
On Oil creek the greatest quantities of
.nm of sand stone 1t would seem thai
this rock is very porous, and perforated
/ ike honey comb with numerous cells
and assures, confirming petroleum The
| history of many of the wells is as follows
/ When OF is entered, the Gas beg rs to raise
! it M O er the top "f the boring. Increasing
/ sradutllv in force until it projects it in-o
1 the air often a height of thirty to forty
/ feet. then alternately diminishin" and in
/ creasinc in force ut regular inter ais, but
without any cessation in the flow for
| long time. These variations in the force
! of the gas-the breathing Of the earth,
- thew are termed-are to lie explained on
the princip of Suppnsin. that, as the ten
sion of the @as is relaxed Icy the removal
/ of the oil, the gas and oil form other cavi-
I ties around. rash in throu9h the pores and
shit assures till certain maximum ten
/ sion is reached and the influx cases
! then. bv the expansion of the gas already
in the chamber: the oil continues To come
up Iut with n diminishing flow, until a
relative vacuum IL again created after
which the influx is renewed and gradually
increases, as at the beginning. IT csc
regular terations arv in different wells
from two to three times a day to rs many
times an hour the intervals, however.
Gradual increasing in length rs the sup
nv of oil is diminished, unless as some
times happier :. new communications are
cnrred and the wells deriving new sup
plies, start off again with 4 new period
1t i no uncommon thing for intermittent
wells to throw out ut first three hundred
or four hundred barrels day. or TO yield
. in all as much rs twenty thousand barrels.
The activity of some wells is increased
hv rains: others, with less gas, are rem
dcred unproductive until the water can he
I reduced There is no reason 10 suppose.
, according to the theory Of Professor Ev-
ans. of Marietta College, that this oil l.
. raised to the $ rface by the direct pres
sure Of a stream of water whose head Is
birher than the issue, rs the Jets of arte
sian wei are said TO be produced. In
spou ting wells the presence OF gas, as the
immediate agent. comes known, not only
from their variable action. but a 80 from
the actual escape of gas, Gnd consequent
! cessation of flow wherever the OIL Is re-
, duced to a certain ,erel If col ections o
oil had direct and free connection witt
p strong currents Of watel, the mechanIea
1 agency of these currents would bear then
:, away rapidly The show Of oil lncreas
IT es in value as a sign with the depth a
d which it is found. Especially is the find
ing of large quantities of imprisoned gas
though oil may be present, regarded as
good indication that oil is near. y learne
\ writer on the subject is inclined to attrit
:. uts netroleum and its associated hydrose
a neous gases to q fermentation ana dls
tillation by subterranean heat ofthe hydro
A carbon elements resident in al the car
<h,r n