, 1865-07-07
CoRUs.


SANDY AND FAINT CREEK. o
rAm7su1s, Juhr.on Co., K,., June =, 1865.
Editors chiesgo Tribune:
As the oil regions along the Big Sandy
River, In this State, are attracting coasIder-
able attention, and as large amount of
Chicago capital is Invested here, a few facts
In regard to the country may be Of interest
to the readers Of The TRIBUNE.
1haye travelled almost the whole length
cftfe Big Sandy and have been on its most
prominent tributaries, and can, therefore,
write from personal observation.
On my way up from Catlettsbury I stopped
at the mouth of Big Blatn Creek and visited
the new well belonging to the Merchants
on and Mining Company Of Cincinnati. This
well commenced flowing salt wat:r and oil at
o'clock p. m. on the 18th inst. At regular
intervals Of thirty seconds It throws col
umn Of sa1t water SIX inches In diameter, two
feet higher than the derrick, which Is flfty
feet high Several barrels ot oil are already
thrown out daily with the salt water.
The borers are confident It will prove biz
flowing we'll o*'eil. They claim that the Co.
4ueste. United States and all the other big
wells IN Pennsylvania first commenced by
throwing out immense quantities or salt
water and little oil. Ther also claim that
In every ins:auce where . well has thus
thrown out salt water and oil, it has finally
proved to be big flowing we'll Of OIL, and
that r this Is an exception. i Is the ftst one.
the third sandstone. Tbs Company are now
building tanks. but in the meantime the OIL
Is escaping and flowing of into the river. 1t
can be eeen upon The surface Of the Biz Sandy
all the way to the OHIO.
A few miles further up the river ne come
TO the Tug Fork Branch OF the Biz Sandy.
Ga Tug Fork, about two miles and har
from Its mouth, Is q we'll which Is producing
100 barrels Of oil per day, aud steadily In
cleastDE.
At Peach Orchard, on the Big Sandy, some
f1tteen miles above Louisa, gentleman named
Au1ler Is sinking well.
He Is now down about two hundred feet
and has already pasted teTeral small cseylces
containing heavy oil, but Is going down fur
ther 10 find larger quantities OF lighter
At fa,ntyillc, the county seat OF Johns IN
county, Paint Creek emptles into the Big
Sandy. This creek, AZ ths tributary upon
u Hh:ch are found the richest surfnce indlca-
tfons, and along which perhaps most in the
way Of Development has been done, seems
10 stand highest In the estimation Of practi-
cal oil men, There are springs along Paint
per day, for weeks copsecutiveiy, have been
gathered, and cliffs Of sandstone, black with
oil, percolating through the csevices. On 4
suumer day the stream itself puts on airs,
anu from its mouth 20 i's source, Its surface
is deckek with rainbow hues. So abund ant Is
the surface oil here that it has been in days
past IN article Of .tsallc. Hundreds Of bar.
Itls have been collected from different
springs and stisrings, and sold for medicinal
purposes. and :or use as a luh1lcator by the
s,eame:s navigating the Big Sandy.
There are now twelve wells gong down Oh
Pant C+otk, nn1 III the lsnas mere are IN 1isr-
hands of men Who hare the capital, enter
ri=e and pluck, before the first OF October,
The cifls or Paint will resound with the click
Of . hundred engines.
. AL the wells now going d Iowa on this creek
have fne shows Of oi, and every indication
Of final sucress.
The geological structure Of the earth Is
found to be the came as that Of the famous
oil regions Of Penneyivanis. Some OF the
wells have already passed crer1ces OF sir aud
eight inches in diameter, containing heavy
oil, but the owners arc determined to put
them down to the third sandstone.
The Big ,sandy' IL nayisssbls for light
d1ausht steamers at most seasons Of the year.
Flat boats laden With oil could easily aoat
out from Paint Creek at any tisns q TIE year.
From the Louisville Oemoerstl
We have before noticed the fact that oil
has been found In Barren county, on BoSdfs
ca eek-in ono Instance on the Wilkinson
1tIm, 6no 8t&0 op the lf7EG tarm. but IN both
cares at shallow depth, the former at forty
three aud the hitter at forty fee. deep, both
Of which wells are now being deepentd, e1-
pect'ng to get strouger supply Of oil. In
the we'll referred to In the above letter from
Ir. r B. Evans, the well-known clark OF the
County Court. At Glasgow, on was found In
dec ded quantity st the depth of about one
hundred and filey feet.
This we'll is The property OF the Boyd's
Creek Oil Company, which was organized
about fur months snce, in this o;ty. Tne
company own the oil aud mining privilege on
abonr ], SEQ acres OF lsnd. situated On Doyd's
and 6kege's creek, and we are GLAD that their
good fUltune enures to the benefit Of our own
cftizene. who own the stock.
MI. Evans thinks tie we'll WAS flowing at
the rata Of four barrels per hour when he
saw It, a1d the company's superintendent,
]. o. Smith, reports that it was flowing fully
sixty bane1s In twenty fonr houts. This. VIC
believe, is a better yield than from any we'll
yet bored In Kentucky, aud much larger thau
the best paying wells IN Ohio, and viii doubt
less stimulate the enterprise Of oil seekers.
md VIC hope may lead to the realization OF
the opinion Of practical and scientific men,
thst the great oil basins Of the country will
be found IN this State.