The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1865-10-12
Fountains Of Wealth.

AlHouS tue many sources LOT cOngratU-
lation at the tide of returning prosperity
which now rolls across the country, we
must not forget that wonderful legacy of
nature to which we fell heirs about the
beginning Of the war; We mean tIe Pc
| troleum fields. The sensation which fol-
lowed their discovery and development
has abated, but the oil still flows in undi-
mlnlshed stream, pouring into the Nation
al lap presents far richer than the dia-
monds OF GolcOnda, or the glittering m ct
ais of the Far West. The oil trade has
become fixed institution, and is already
making new currents and new centers Of
trade.
In December, 1852, Major George
Washington, of the Virginia militia, was
sent by Gov. Dinwiddio to the French
commander of that day, who was estab-
fishing line of military ports between
Lake Erie and the Ohio River. In his
route he passed up the Valley of the Al
lcgheny and across the county of Venango,
then the habitation of Indians and wild
animals. A hundred years later, and all
that could be seen among those barreu
hills was couple of sleepy Dutch towns,
with very little to sell to the outer world
| aud still less to buy from it. Within the
past llye years The 'liscoYeT Of an ipqnlit
| mating oil beneath the surEScc of the ebrth
has transformed the face of nature with
magical rapidity. The whole country for
miles is dotted with derricks, steam en-
gines, and shanties new cities have sprung
up, with their hotels, stores, banks. and
thcaters. In a circuit Of so miles around
L
Meadvjlle, the neck of the oil regions,
through which is poured the oil outgoing
and the thousand supplies ingoing, has
risen from population of 5000 in 1860
to $4,000. Places like Franklin, Titus
Vile, Oil City, Pithole, which scarcely
existed, now boast of their daily newspa-
pcrs, their hotels, banks, stores, and thea
ters. In the circuit of 80 miles around
franklin there are not less than 100000
energetic people.
The Pithole discoveries have lately Civ
en- another impetus to the excitement, and
visitors to that interesting spot relate
marvellous stories Of it's wonderful yield of
oil. There are, it appears, on the two or
three farms known as Pithole City, some
ZOO wells sunk or In process. We have
the record OF 80 of these wells which
yield from 80 barrels (pumping) to 1900
barrels (fowiDg) day. The total yield
of 40 Of the wells now reaches nearly TO-
900 gallons per day The oil is worth
SO barrel at the wells, but costs from
s3 to 50 more to haul to the railroad. =
The Government imposes an internal rev.
enue tax Of 81 barrel on the crude, and
20 cents per gallon upon the refined oil,
so that with the least margin of cost for
labor or machinery we have a steady con-
tribu;iOn of 100000 day or S7O,0OO,-
600 year from this vicinity alone.
The fed of the whole of the Pennsyl-
vania oil regions is three times that of the
Pithole region, so that without counting
the product in West Virginia, Kentucky,
or Ohio, we have sum OF. over $500, 0,000,-
900 annually as direct gift from nature,
or sufficient to discharge the National
Debt in fifteen years. Not only so, 5uS
we arc furnished with portable econom-
ical light superior to any other in use
The principal difficulty experienced at
present is the transportation to market
1t is estimated that there are upward of
10000 barrels of oil awaiting shipment,
and the railroads are daily refusing freight
iii both directions.
Oil wells are notoriously uncertain ven
lures, and many curious facts are related |
OF narrow hits and misses of fortune Ga |
the whole, the yield seems to be as great |
or greater than ever, though brought from
many more channels, the current some
times setting from one to another. Leas-
es are now selling at premiums of from
S3, 900 to 5000, and half the oil. The |
territory has risen In places to prices so
fabulous as to be out of the market
Most of the famous flowing wells have
regular pulsation in their flow, an interval |
of from Is to 80 seconds, in which gas es-
capes, again followed by OIL Speculation |
seems to be vague in reference to the ex-
tent or origin OF the source The retorts |
In which the internal fires have been Gis-
tilling this precious fluid may have been
at work for thousands Of years, or may be
still. The supply may be, SO far as hu-
maG demands are concerned, exhaustless |
may, indeed, be the liquid side by side
with the fluid residum Of the side real
heat which originally permcated the mass
we inhabit.
APPRENTICEs.-An interesting decis-
ion was lately made, in relation to an ap-