Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-11-22
The OIL Fields Of Canada.


The correspondent Of the Detroit Frss
! Press says: was one of three vino mace
hasty trip to Canada last week in order
to be satisfied of the existence of oil .u
paying quantities. Taking the Grand
| Trunk Railroad at five o'clock in the Jt
ternoon, in three hours we were in Cana
da, at Sarnia station, and then, by stage
| to the village three miles distant Here
we remained over night. In the morn
ing we took stage, and were conveyed ov-
er q splendid plank road TO the oil spring :
village-distance eighteen miles. The vii
lage exhibits quickness of growth, with
out any particular regard to order in the
style and character of the buildings. The
people are apparently too intent upon
| the great idea Of oil to give much atten
| tiOn TO the comforts of home. Still
! there are two or three good hotels in the
place, and respectable entertainment
may be had on reasonable terms-and no
| disposition for gOuging-a praisewOrthy
/ fact which all oil seekers viii appreciate
| The oil wells are numerous. They may
with safety be put at sixty or seventy,
and all were said to be producing in pay
ing quantities. ! saw but few spectators
"a lucky thing for those who cOntera-
plate investing in wells or territory. Ia
| regard to sinking wells l heard but one
expression-there had never been G fail
ure. Every one sunk had produced oil,
and almost in every instance had been
profitable.
The surface wells are put down in pre-
cisely the same manner as the common
water wells, and as fast as they are dug
are curbed with wooden cylinders large
enough 10 fill the cavity from which the
earth is taken. This description Of well
scarcely ever exceeds seventy-fve feet in
depth the surface oil is procured geneT-
ally at this or a less depth But latterlv
these shallow wells have been almost
abandoned, and deeper boring substitu-
ted. The rock has been penetrated many
hundred feet in several places, and inva-
riably with success. Oil is found at from
one hundred and fifty feet TO four and
FIVE hundred feet. should judge from
what l saw, and from the evidence Of
others, that there were three or four rock
oil veins at various depths. The amount
of oil raised bears no comparison to the
Pennsylvania region. There are no
flowing wells here. The pump takes it
from the ground, and it is called a good
well which produces twelve barrels per
day; and so it is. One barrel will pay
expenses-eleven are profit; and as the
oil is worth six dollars per barrel in gold
tbarrels furnished), it must be a good
thing. But there are wells at Enniskil-
len that average forty barrels per day. I
saw three or four fully up to this stan
dard, while one was reported at a much
higher figure. The district of country
as mapped indicates about three miles
square as the fully developed oil terrific
ry. 1t was not denied, however that oil
might be found in double the circumfer-
ance laid down in the chart, and this is
probably the case OF course, land Is
held at fabulous rates, and as all tran
sactions are in gold, it mus5 naturally
take a large bundle of greenbaclls to
make much impression on the holders of
real estate.
The country is remarkable in this oil
district. There are no hills, no highland
The whole surface from Sarnia to Ennis
killen is as level as Jefferson avenue.
saw nothing to mark the boundaries of
oil while there, or in going or returning.
There was an even ess in the general ap-
pearance of the country which would set
at defiance all theories raised with regard
to a special deposit in any particular 10
cality.
The Canada oil territory is yet in its
infancy. Much of the machinery now
in use Is rude and primitive. / saw
surface well but recently abandoned, al
most in the centre Of the village, which
had been pumped for over year by
springboard, two men alternately taking
turns upon the board-nOt only tedious
but a tiresOme labor. Horsepower, too.
had been used, and the tracks are vet
fresh where the poor beast had gone his
daily rounds. But steam IS now the
great power. and the advantages of that
great element are seen and appreciated.
American skill and enterprise have usup-
ed the place of the slow Canadians, and
progress is stamped upon every new i'm
provement. Large engines, of eight and
twelve horsepower, have taken the place
of the one horse machines, and a cores
ponding increase is the result. Within
a few miles of Enniskillen new develOpe-
ments have been made, and oil in large
quantities found | had no time 10 visit
the new diggings, but report had given
them q significance which viii not fail Of
attracting public attention 10 the local.
ty. From what / saw myself, and kn0wl-
edge gained from Others, who, by the
way, were generally interested parties, /
am of the opinion that oil will be founG
spread over a larger district Of territory
in Canada than is yet considered oil ter
ritory.