Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-23
NUMBER 43.

Scarch. III Is thought, however, tnat when
this cruel war is over' to use strictly
original expression-the oil regions of Wes-
tern Virginia will be found to be at least
equal in richness to those OF Pennsylvania.
In Ohio, the oil seems to "lay around loose"
as it is said, with undoubted truthfulness,
that farmers almost fear to go to sleep at
night least before morning the petroleum
beds which they know to exist under their
| farms shall burst their earthly bounds and
inundate the surface with an oleaginous
| food
| The Mecca excitement, as previously
stated, proved decided humbug, but more
stable wells have been struck in other
parts of the State. In Southeastern Ohio
there is every indication of boundless Pc
troleum deposits In Washington county,
also, the borings have proven highly sue
cessful, and III the vicinity of GAINESVILLE,
| Marietta, New Lisbon and Waynesbury, oil
has already been found. Columbia, Preble,
Muskingum and many other counties have
also reached the height of the oil fever and
the bowels Of the earth are being effectual-
! ly stirred up. The contagion Of the oil
excitement has also broken out in Indiana
and the "Hoosiers" are industriously trying
/ to bore themselves rich, with apparently
| good success. But to particularize the oil
! localities would take too much space
Suffice it to say that Petroleum has already
| been discovered in addition to the above
mentioned localities, in Kentucky, Illinois,
! Missouri, Michigan, Kansas, California, Col
orado, New York and elsewhere in the
country, and yet the discoveries are appar-
emily only in their infancy. In foreign
countries, too, the old oil wells which have
existed for ages have been hunted up, and
in many instances by Yankees, and petro-
! leum (the word, not the substances is in
the mouth of the whole world As a case
| in point, one of the Boston papers states
that Col. Gowan, of that city (the Yankee
who took the contract to raise the sunken
vessels i'll harbor of Sebastapol, if mis-
take not was lately en- route from St Pc
tersburg, Russia, through Georgia and Cir
cassia. In the neighborhood of the sea of
Azof, he stumbled upon some old oil wells
bought them for song, and now delights
the gaping natives by drawing grease out
OF the earth with steam
The question is solely theoretical, and
can be demonstrated only by time The
best opinions are, however, that Petroleum
is inexhaustible, that the Transformation
which the earth is constantly undergoing
causes a perpetual deposit of vegetation
beneath the surface of the earth, and the
distllation of this vegetable matter form
ing constituents of Petroleum, the eeoIo-
gists argue that the supply is boundess.
Oil men are quite willing to leave the sub
Ject to the savans. 1t is quite enough for
the disciples of petrOlia to know that the
oil now exists IN vast quantities, and they
are determined that while geogolsts theo- |
rize, they will pump.
The Petroleum interest is, of course, only |
III It's infancy, but the product of last year
shows the commercial interest which the |
oil Is rapidly attaining. There are no
means OF estimating, even approximately, |
the quantity Of oil consumed in this country !
during 1864, and the only way in which !
an idea of the gross production can be |
formed is by referring to the expectation
TRUE TEST OF CHR1srIAN.-The test of |
of the Eternal Spirit is, that man regards |
his life as pilgrimage to worlds unseen,
and estimates events and appliances ac-
cordlng to their bearings on the success of
his journey toward that Invisible Home.
Those who have not the Spirit of God,
ana who consequently believe in no home |
in God beyond, necessarily look upon the
present as the only real world, and do their
uttermostto settle themselves on the earth's |
foundations. They are constantly dream
ing of rest at the end of earthly labor. |
But rest there is none for sinful men All |
here is quicksand, uncertainty, and rapid !
decay. There is no rest for the soul in the |
world of sense. He only who has made |
the Most High his habitation" is superior
to the chances Of time. He only who
thinks of his dwelling as tent" NAV
look forward to building of GoD eternal
in the heavens" He only who has been
cured of leprosy and blindness and mortal
lty, by washing in the fountain of living
waters" can set foot within the shades Of
death with firmness, or know in himself
that he has in heaven better and enduring
substance" And when he has achieved
this independence of the visible creation.
he sees around him a world walking in a
vain show" ''disquieted in vain" and ceas-
es to desire any longer to form part of the
gay phantom procession to the grave
If poor, he knows that he yet possesses
all things :" and if rich in this world he
"reioices as though he rejoiced not" be-
cause the fashion of it passed away.-I