The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1865-03-03
Petroleum-Where it ls-What it is
From the Pittsburg Gazette.

From the Plttsburg Gazette.
North Of Cambria county. IN this state
the AlIgheuey mountains cease 10 be a
weI-defned range; ye. thence, 10 The,
southern or southwestern part of New
York, there exteDds broad belt of eeyat
ed land having all the features Of noun
tsins except definite limits. In this re-,
gon the TWO grea: branches OF the us
Quehanua and The Genesee on the one side,
and the Allegheny, with all the large east
stn tributaries, on the other, have their
sources. This range Of elevated land sx>
tends North and west 10 within few miles
Of the shore OF Lake Erie, east of Duukirk
Here it abruptly turns southHard or,
perhaps, it would be more correct to say
that another broad belt Of elevated ground,
with quite different features, commences
there and runs first soulhwes,erly, and
then gradually turning southwardly, ex.
tending nearly PARALLEL with and near to
the line dividing Pennsylvania and
Ohio, crosses the Ohio river, or rather the
Ohio cuts through i! between Beaver and
Steubenvills, and thence onward until it
10 lOSb III SIC LiOhhtatbs) vi W CO.. ' II ihte1
which separate the waters Of the Monon-
gahela from those Of the Kanawha
These elevated ranges OF ridges we have
attempted to describe from the northeast
ern, northern, northwestern, western, and
southwestern border of an oblong basin.
OF which Pitisburg is nearly the centre
while the better defined mountain ranges
on the east aud southeast constitute its
outer border or rim. Bu, for the ridge
which runs soulhwardly from southwestern
New York, already spoken of, tie Ala
gheny river would have made its way TO
Lake Erie, as directly as the Gsnesee
does to Lake Outsro, and but for tie
same range OF elevated land the Allegheny
aud Monongahela would not have met
where they do, coming from almost op-
posite points Of :he compass,
GeologlcalIy this basin is much deeper
than it is geographically. This is obVi-
ous to any ore who will observe that the
strata suceessive!y crop out as we travel
from the centre to The border. Thus we
find the same formations cropping cut on
the Clarion that we hnd on the Little
Beaver aud on the Conomaugh east CT The
Chestnut Ridge, ard on the ! ougniog
and Monongahela; whiia all these are
known to be fhl below the surface Of The
rivers here at Titisturg. The difference
between The geological and Typographical
levels iand the latter is very considerable
cannot be less than four or five hundred
feet.
We know that beneath the reach oftLe
surface or fresh water, throughout. large
eyten, Of this basin, and in the lowest
part there is deposit OF salt water, from
which salt has been largely and success
fully manufactured for !ilty years and we
know that oil is found all arouD1 The bcr
der bv the sane process by which salt
wafer is Obtained here at the Gentle.
4 little oil, il is true, is obtained by MIR
Harms above Tareuruiu bu. that may
be accounted for from the fact that rib
or ridge runs across this basin from north
to south, crossing the Allegheny river
between Buffalo aud Bull creeks. VIM.
II. Ross, Eco of Manchester, which is one
of the suburbs OF this city, bored well
7G0 feet deep in that borough out, in
stead of striking oil" he struck 4 tirst>
rate salt spring or reservoir, and made
very good thing OF it-mahing some 70
barrels Of excellent sal. daily. This fact
affords strong evidence that oil does not
exis, lear the centre Of this basin. Mr.
Ross found no :" show Of Oil. Some
suppose that oil might be found bc'olc the
salt water; but such hypothesis is con
uary 10 sound philosophy, and IS altogelh-
er Improbable.
The facts educed by The drill seem to
prove the correctness Of the theory which
was put forth by US in 1861, that the salt
wa.er-,he heavier tlu-a-o occupies the
central ard lower potion Of the previous
strata in which it is found, while the oil,
being lighter, is held back in the outer
and higher portions. Hence it is found
only around the borders The presence
Of salt water, in strata underlying a re-
giou SO abuudantly supplied with surfsce
water as this, proves that some OF the su
perlor strata are impervlous TO both water
and OIL Were it not SO, that salt water
would long since have been piluted TO
freshness, and the pent,up oil and gas
would not have required the diill TO set
them free. II. is probable, therefore, ,ba,
the sal. water aud oil both occupy the
same pervious curved strata which under>
lie this basin, ths, the volume Of the form
er is fixed and limited; and that, as it is
plunged out, the oil descends, following
the recedius water, nearer aud nearer to
The centre Of the basin. Fifty.,y years ago
sal, wafer was found IN great abundance
on the Conemaugh river, above The mouth
of the Loyolhannah. |, was there that
the frat salt was manufactured in western
Penusyyania, in 1913, by VIM. Johnston,
ESQ. Numerous wells were soon after
wards bored, aud the manufacture wa,
prosecuted on the Conemaugh With great
sucte. for number Of years. But al
length the wel.s farthes. up the river be
gan 10 fail then others lower down, IN
til finally the salt business ceased to be
prosecuted on the Coneinaugh, and Deafly
so on the Kiskimine:as (Which is only
another name for the same river below the
mouth Of the Loyalhannab), and now 1t is
carried on successfully only on the banks
of the Allegheny.
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