The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-04-06
gantastrr Gasttts,
-APTrn PRrRnLEusF.

Petroleum .(ITSetfe, Is very readable
1t will be read with interest by OIL
seekers generally;
FRANKLIN, Pa, Feb 20, 1865.
The old Quaker woman wondered
very much at threc things That
children SHOULD be so foolish as to club
trees, when, if the frnit was left alone,
it woald fan of itself That folks
should be.so foolish as to go to war
and kill each other, when, if left alone
they would die Of themselves. That
young men should be so unwse as to
go after young women when, if they
would stay at home, the young women
woald come after thom. /, too, Won
der ut three things: That men should
90 from Meadville to Franklin by rail,
when they can 90 faster afoot. That
anybody should make rush for ho-
tells in oildom, when they can get bet
ter accommodations in any well ven
tilated barn. That men will go up
the creek for oil, when, if they remain
Gown the creek, oil viii come to them.
l was led to these wonders by series
of foircuRstances. The A. and G. W.
almighty and Great Windy Raj iIroad
advertise to run a train to Franklin
The train that | came down on con-
sisted Of about ten freight cars, ten
coal cars, and yellow box that had
seats without cushions, n stove with
out fire, and lamps without Light
This was one Of the "patent spacious
well-ventilated and comfortable cars !"
saw the crowd pitching for it, SO ]
'wcnt in" too, 1t is the first time !
was ever packed for market We
moved toward Franklin at about the
rate that any properly conducted
funeral procession should movo My
second wonder arose from the inside
appearance of the hotels at Franklin
On the outside they look very much
like old tanneries Inside they look
like Il provost marshals Office the day
before the draft, From floor to ceiling
there is q general heap Of men, carpet
sacks and agony There isn't room
10 cut, sleep nor'breathe. AT the di-
Iiingtable every man reminded me of
Panks in Dickens. He steams up to
the table, "coals up" and then steams
back again with all possible speed. In
. sleeping point of view, thorc is II
gross violation Of the hdbeds corpus -
They get men to sleep by magic and
stand them up in rows. On rainy
day q mans only comfort is TO got
within rod Of the inn, for which he
is charged only half price, anda smell
OF the dinner, for which he pays on
thefablc principle. On the floor there
are several lormations--companies
would do well to lease for boring pur.
poses, for they would be sure to
"strike lie" short Of tho third sand
rock. 1t looks as If oil fountains had
been playing all over it and got mix
Cd up with snow and sand. wonder
thirdly, that men will have the bad
sense to 90 up the creek after oil
when, if they remained down the
creek, oil will como to them, This
thought was suggested to me by hoar-
ing friend relate his experience
'Ic was about to get into bed ono night
Il had been perfectly innocent ofget-
ting into any bed for two nights be-
fora, and as misery likes company, !
appreciated the joke,) when he discov-
Grad that the sheets looked as if they
they had been annoinlod with the
heaviest lubricatng. He went down
stairs and told tho landlord that he
wasn't in the habit of sleeping IN q
tank. That suggested tho man | saw
taking an oil bath, Coming past the
Reed Well, on my way down the creek
/ saw large crowd near by, and ap
preaching noticed the oil shooting uE
abore the derrick Somebody had
Just struck and the gas was forcing it
out. They were trying 10 tube it, and
one poor fellow was Obliged to work
right under this fountain, llc wa,
dripping from brim to toe. They say
tho more man gets imbucd with ,
thing, the more successful he will be
| predict n fortune for tho man.
Franklin was probably named aite>
the philosopher 1t is n anng little
right little, tight little town. II ha
n very good, substantial, homcspur
look. The people are cordul and po
lite. They have systematic way o
getting on the right side OF II fellow
ifa man must bo taken in, let il bC
done by one of the nabobs Of Frank
lin, Thoy do itso gracefully that iii
pretty near as good as gain. OF the
relations Of Franklin to the great pc
troloum trade, it would be well to say
thatshe is great among the prophcts
Being the county scat of Venango, sh,
becomes the center OF very impor
tant community. 1t was only thro,
or four years ago that the town wa
old, dingy, dreNry and downward
Now, it looks brisk and commercial
Then, its people seemed to have set
tied back on matter of fact. Now
they are looking forward with matter
ottact. Merchants, mechanics, inn
Keepers and drivers seem to vie will
each other in high rates, They
charge iuriousIy. But their race (
altogether too rapid, Tho goal is fl,
ahead and they will tire in the course
Their activity will prove spasmodic
and be governed us were tho move
mants of tho renowned Dutch tumble
ofantiquitY, who took start of three
miles for the purpose Of jumping owe
hill, but having run himself out o
breath by the timc no reached tho foo
sat himsolf nuioilY down for n EnM