Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-09

nal when read from newspapers in North~
ern parlors, but is laughed at In Western
Virginia. In 1851 there was really cause
for alarm. In 1862 the guerrillRs had
complete possession of the country, and q
mars horse was about as safe as the life
of a lamb in a wolf.infested forest. Be.
yond that, however, no danger exists, or
has ever existed. No lives hove ever been
lost by oil hunters, and bat rarely horse
is taken. The people are 30 much attach.
ed to the Union that they give no succor
to bushWhaokers, and our soldiers have o
way of taking no prisoners. Guerrilla
life cannot subsist on this regimen, and q
Journey from Parkersburg to Burning
Springs is as safe as from Philadelphia to
IGermantown. Even beyond that point,
and far on in the rich counties that are
now regarded as neutral but dangerous
ground, the military authorities are busily
making arrangements for securing rebels
and robbers, and in few weeks Northern
capital and enterprise will be permitted to
enter and possess these coveted acres.
BURNING SPRINGS AND THEREABoUTs.
Although 1 began this paper by making
Psrkersburg the centre of the sketch, and,
as it were, the base of operations for my
West Virginia campaign, the town itself
does not lie in what is called the geolog-
ical "oil-belt." That is to say, that no
great oil deposits have been found in the
country Immediately around it. Yet to
the north and the south, the east and the
west, we find many good wells aud sue
cessful enterprises. Why this plateau
should be so barren cannot be accounted
for, except as a freak of nature that we
must submit to when We wander into
these oily mountains and valleys. IT
| ., I, -. ! ak,. 4
in dealing with petroleum we have sci
ence that is entirely new, aud that all of
our Investigations have arrived at no rule
by which to determine it's nature or
origin. 1 fancy, however, there are
very few geogogists or men of science
among the busy crowds that ore seen
around Parkersburg. They cling to the
Burning Spring as the nucleus OF all their
speculations. When land is bought, the
first question is, How far are you from the
Burning SpringP When land is sold, the
seller is impressed with the belief that he
is in the came belt with tho Burning
Spring. "EVery road leads to Rome" and
with the gentlemen in Writ county every
road leads to the Burning Spring. So,
like true traveller, when | came to Par
kersburg, and found all the world was
pushing to Burning Spring, chartered
homely and comfortable Rosinante and
went on my way along the Elizabeth pike,
with the rest of oily mankind. Take the
map of Virginia, and you will find that in
southerly direction from Parkersburgi
in the adjoining county of Writ, small
creek Cmpties into the Ksuawha river,
known as Burning Spring Greek. There
are a number of other streams in the
neighborhood, such as Standing Stone
Run, Nettle Run, Reedy Run, Two Rifles
Run, Chestnut Run, and others that only
make their appearance in the oil company
maps. This point, lying in a southwest4
erly direction from Oil City, is the heart
of the present Virginia oil region, and
around it, for radius of fifty miles, en-
braciog the counties of Tyler, PIeasauts,
Wetzel, Richie, Wood, Writ, Roane and
Calhoun, wa have What is known as the
West Virginia Oil Territory.
The road was very soft and yielding, and
heavy shower of rain was falling as He
rode along the Parkersburg pike. Ny
companion was an old settler, one who
had lived there all his life, and man of
much intelligence. His home was on the
banks of the Kanawha, few miles from
Burning Spring, and he promised to accom-
pany me 10 Elizabeth, help me ford the
river, and send me on my way rejoicing
After leaving the town we pass into low
rolling country, and find for few miles
the leaves and fields to be ss uuostenta-
tious as those in Chester county. Very
quickly the scene begins to change. Hills
that we city people would very gladly call
mountains, that seemed to rise and swell
against each other, as though in anger
venting their auimosity in numerous small
and narrow ravines, through which the
falling rain kissed the mountain wrath.
1.-THE falling rain kissing the mountain
wrath is something very peculiar. We
should like to have witnessed such an at
fectionate and unusual trsnsaction.-EDs.
INTEL I We were constantly ascending or
descending hill, and at every turn of the
road we came to some unaCGOuntable cleft
or abyss, over which the moss WAS grow
ing, and down in whose creViCe dark
streams of greasy water would arise. Oil
men had been here with sticks and diVin-
ing rods, and wherever there was the odor
of gas or mere globule upon the water,
ytraightWay it's value advanced thousand
per cent. AS we approach Elizabeth we
GROSS O very high hill and descend into a
plain formed by the KanaWha river. Here
we have the first indications of oil enter
prise. There is a tradition that many years
ago, when breaking rock and endeavor-
ing to sink q salt spring, a stream OF greasy
water gushed forth, which became lgnited
and burst into a flame, whereupon all the
world for tweaty miles came to see it, and
| those who were religious said their prayers,
for according to the Scripture the world
was to be destroyed by fire, and behold
nothing was necessary to Consummate the
Divine dscree but the application OF a
match. However, that generation passed
away, and still another generation, uutil
people came who cared neither for fire nor
Scriptures, and began to offer the farmers
large sums for their acres and to bore for
oil. Then the old men told the story of
the FIRE, and, although the site was desig.
mated, men have hunted and bored and
even prayed in vain for the burning stream.
In 1850, when the excitement Was at it's
| height, there were at least three thousand