The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1865-11-09


tritrious grasses spring naturally where
ever the surface is denuded of TIMBER
Its proportion of improved to unimpro-
we'd land is 2o,11f acres to 217 ,543; its
average valuation, by the census of 1860,
81 II.
Rltchle county, next east of Jackson,
upon the railroad, has a variety OF sur
lace, Which is broken into very abrupt
ridges in places, exhibiting in dislocated
strata the effects of violent upheaval
the soil, too, is variable, but generally
productive. 1t was named in honor of
Thomas Ritchie, editor OF the Richmond
Enquirer. 1t is drained by the Hughes
river. But a small portion of farm lands
are yet improved. 1t is in the midst of
the oil formation, which extends south
straight line to the Kanawha. The IA
NOUS Iubricating oil, used by the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad, is pumped from
shallow wells near Petroleum., % miles
from Parkersburg.
Upon Oil Run, a little valley winding
through rocky hills, whose disarranged
Strata dip in every direction, at every
angle OF inclination, may be seen mar
vel of nature and curiosity of industry
the Virginia oil works-owned by a
company Of which John Handlan, q
prominent business man of Wheeling,
Is managing agent and one of the pro-
prietors. The works are located two
miles north of the Northwestern Nir-
ginia railroad, very nearly in Il direct
north and south line with the oil springs
of Writ county and of western Penusyl-
vania.
The oil is the heaviest known in the
country, almost destitute of benzole and
naptha, and a superior lubricator. The
Baltimore and Ohio railroad uses, as the
best lubricating oil attainable, about one
hundred barrels per month.
Eleven wells were working at the date
of the writer's visit, all operated by a
rude but effective as we'll as novel sys-
tenn of mechanism, driven by single
engine Of fifteen horsepower, with am
pie power to spare for the working of
many more wells. 1t is called a "tele-
graph" its continuous line of rough
scantling, suspended by iron hangers
between duplicate telegraph-lilSe poles,
being somewhat suggestive of such a
name.
The entire system, connecting the diff
ferent wells throughout the narrow val
hey and the ravines that make into it,
requires more than half a mile in length
of this telegraphing, and is operated by
an alternating horizontal motion-for-
ward perhaps twenty inches and back
the same-which keeps in continuous
action all of the pumps at the same time.
a dirty, greenish stream flows forth,
and is borne in troughs to large wooden
reservoirs, with stop-cocks near the top
i for drawing off the Oil, and at the bot
tom for discharging the water. Nearly
all the labor required is in running the
engine and obtaining fuel for it, boring
IL l,,1,
the oil. The oil is brought from the re-
cesses of the earth, separated from the
water, and conveyed to the barrellcrs,
absolutely without manual labor.
The wells are from 20 to 200 feet deep,
the shallowest producing the heaviest
and best lubricating oil but Mr.. Hand
Ian is now engaged in boring deep wells,
thus far with very good success.
Writ county, south and west Of Ritch-
lie, is in the second tier of couties from
the Ohio, upon the Little KanaWha. 1t
is also declivitous and oil-yielding, and
is the location of the oldest and most eX-
tensive system of oil wells to be found
in the State. Their discovery was at
tended with much excitement, and the
proprietors of the soil are deriving inn
mense revenues as rental, and the oper-
ators are variolsly meeting with returns
most decided failure. Some wells are
improving, others failing, and after tenn
porary suspension are again worked.
\ singular geological phenomenon of
the oil region has attracted attention in
this vicinity. a soft black substance,
resembling coal, inflammable and solu-
Bile, kind of soliditied petroleum, fills
chasm between vertical strata, from
four to six feet in width. How far it
extends vertically it is impossible to say.
The business of extracting Oil from it
would long since have been undertaken,
but that the pure oil, in immense guam
titles, possibly resulting from precisely
similar assures, has spouted forth by
thousands of barrels, almost without the
aid of man, in immediate vicinity.
A large portion Of its land is unim-
proved, but naturally productive; its
assessed value averages IS II. Its crop
statistics show an average yield OF farm
products.
Calhoun is IL small county, also inter-
sected by the Little KanaWha, contain.
ing farms of average fertility, assessed
at nearly the same value as those of Writ,
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