The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-03-08

"swish," the oil pours at the rate of $40
barrels per day. Estimating each barrel
at $50, the reader may easily arrive at the
value Of months or years production.
The "Coquettc" is rightly named in one
respect, for she extends her smiles to all
who will pay for them, and gives her sub
stantial fayors to none. Companies about
to organize purchase one-hundreth inter.
est in tho yield, in order that their pros.
pectuses may announce the gratifying fact
that the land owned by this company has
one flowing we'll OF 900 barrels. A few in
finitesimal portions of the "Coquette" are
used as bate for gudgeons, but her major
value accrues exclusively to the interest Of
her owners .>. ..... aae 'u sl-
Gazing at the operations Of this well,
seeing an unvarying stream as large as
ones wrist pouring out days and nights,
and Sundays, without cessation. the thing
becomes really marvellous. Hers some
body has punched hole in the ground,
thrust in an iron tube with spout, erec.
ted enormous reservoirs, and straitway up
the tube, through the spout, and into tho
tanks, there flow $l1 900 every day. BE
does nothing; he need not stay there lie
may go to Europe or to Halifax, but the
work goes on just the same. Was there
ever a similar case in the production Of
wealth Gold seeking has its charms and
its votaries. But the gold miner must 60
up into the gulches Of the wintry noun
tans and delve necessarily to be remuner-
ated. Every ounce Of gold.dust comes to
him only with labor. When he ceases to
use the pick, the drill, the crusher, the
washer, the flow of gold ceases. Can he
drill hole, plant q pipe in the rocks, and
induce the glittering dust, of its own accord.
to rush upwards and outwards into pre-.
pared rcceptacles
Hence charm about petroleum. mining
possessed BY no other industrial pursuit.
1t involves no great laLor or expensive ma.
chinery: it does not necessitate the cross
ing of oceans or frontier deserts to reach
its place of deposit. 1t lies in the centre
Of civilization. One may engage in it and
spend his evenings in New York, and vary
the hardships of the day by attending
Niblo's or the Academy Of Music at night.
If his drill penetrate an oil reservoir, his
fortune is sure to be ample possibly
princely. If be be not successful, the out
lay is not so great as to cncroach largely
upon even a moderate fortune. Perhaps
a flowing we'll may be struck then with
what gift in the possession Of fortune would
he exchange that stream which pours un.
tiringly into capacions reservoirs
That many men have become oil-fevered
in the contemplation Of these things, do
not wonder; the only matter of astonish-
ment is, that more do not become afflicted
with the same disease. The wonder is, not
that thousands Of eager, expectant men
rush here upon every train, but that the
number, instead Of being thousands, is not
tens, hundreds of thousands. There 10
land enough yet untouched in the oil re.
gions, upon which may be erected as many
derricks as there are people in half the ma
ton. 1t stretches away down the banks
of the Allegheny; it spread away from Oil
lake it reaches over into the Empire state,
laps the borders of Ohio, and spreads its
prismatc surface colorings over the rugged
counties tnat join Ohio, Virginia and
Let some one think that am raving in
the delirum Of the oil fever, l will say no
more in this connection than merely to add
that the oil product Of 1854, from the mar
row region now worked in Venango and
Crawford counties, amounted to two mill
ions Of barrels, or, in cash, q sum exceed
ing $40,O00,0O0. Regarding this fact, and
listening to the rush Il the Coquette we'll
as it pours out its oleaginous dollars at the
rate Of nearly four millions per annum, ono
Sc hs I'll nsftsst ss R
any worse disorder than an attack of com.
mon sense. ......... -.,.
There are other wells of interest in this
section. Among others is one which
ceases flowing at midnight of Saturday and
resumes punctually at midnight of Sunday.
This we'll may be liable to the suspicion of
being moral well-a well we'll versed in
the decalogue, and member in good stand
ing OF somc orthodox church. Such .
suspicion, however, would be incorrect, it
would be giving the well a morality, q
sanctinoniousness, which it does not truly
possess. Like many another, it observes
the Sabbath, not as all act of religious faith,
but simply because it is custom. To
drop metaphor. tie case is simple. The
pious state Of Pennsylvania provides for a
strict observance Of the Sabbath, and, con-
all pumping in the mines ceases
at IL o'clock Saturday. This well has
some connection with some neighboring
wells, and it can only flow when they are
being pumped; consequently it ceases
when work upon the Others ceases, and
resumes operations when they begin.
There is another we'll that is as immoral
as the other is moral. While that, upon
the approach of Sunday, subsidies into
christianity quiet, this red0ubles its labor
On week days it flows forty barrels, but on
Sundays it doubles this quantity. This
well must have its origin in wicked China,
and not in God fearing, Sabbath observing
Pennsylvania. 1t is wicked well, or, at
least, much of its contents become wicked
in time, which fact may be traced to the
ba3 examples set ty the Sabbath breaking
parent.
The explanation here is not difficult
When the other wells cease, the hydrosta.
tic pressure on the flowing well is increased
SO that it gives forth double lis usual quaE-
tity.
There are also three wells near each
other that seem to possess bond Of sym.
pathy. They appear to have the human
quality Of affection, and have combined to
resent any slight to any one Of them.-
Pump one welt and neglect the other two,
and no oil will come pump all three at
once, and the r, ,sponse is hearty and remu-
neratiye. A lesson here against division Of
action. ., .- s .-a aeA-f
have .ingertd so long about a few wells
that the reader is only midway between
Oil City and Shaff.rs farm. The remain
der OF the distance may be hurried over,
for there are only everlasting derricks,
greasy tanks, aud an omnipresent odor of
petroleum. Three dollars to the driver,
and we are discharged in front of the
Pearson hotel, small new two story
house, which has sitting room that smells
fearfully "horsey," and bar-room odor-
Gus Of the fumes Of whisky and Of tobacco.