Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-02-20

so55z7 5zI5Yo: :;::: - 8
P.ersasam.-Whsss q is.-whas
- - -- -
-Yrr~r7rr rpsD ~ Pittshesoh 0esssse. d
N5fA 4 tknSslk toamtS, IN shis state.
~ KnoS61ay 0eoalains ssesose -. ..rsrr
49,. r. :;,S = s All r. r. re-, sss.s
extso6s BOD bit g ssssssss 49,. 49, -
WUGNxt15e6 = neas.'' ~. -. 49,.
@ 49, Isthis ~ "A n. ~:
- ~ ~. II - A1s1hohv,
81 ~ eoSSsen tfsbutasie6, en he
~. 49, ~. mn sources. T6i6 sango e.
s,asss.S M extend north end west %
NSs"Sse - Unos - ~ ah61Vso Lok4
- Of Dunkirk. Hao Il ahruotly
eI - ward; -, pestopa Il wous1 6s
Ssf sIsvsssd ground, With quite different
features. oocmen - thew. end runs first
soutknD1es1y, ~ TIM gradually t1sn,ns
southwasdlys extonding nearly parallel with
and nsas ~ ~ nns 6avidisg psansylvsnis
an1 On egpesesel Olio llssf, - rather
The O. ~ cuta though Il between
Beaver end SteubsnviIls, and thence on
ward until y 10 lsst y the mountsius Of
West Virginia. which sspasates The waters
q the Me0ongahsls from these Of the ka-
nawha. These elevated ranges or ridges Ne
M6 lEtQoc1od = dsoes1he Jun tAe north.
eastern, northern. Southwestern, western.
OdoDathheesessn beeder eean ebloag b.
Mn. Of which Pittsburg il nearly the CEN
0a.sNtfle 1hetett6t dslinod lhountain ran.
0aaa II ST and aeufhGast constituts it,
60toe border Of rim. But for the ridge
which runs sout6taftat 2uGb southeastern
New York, alrsady spoken Of, the Alleeha-
ny river would have made it. way to Lake
Erie. = dicactly = the 0eneses does to Lake
OntasieI and bat for Ne SANE ranee Of els
vstea1a tho A)leghany ana l9ononsahela
would not have met where thsy DO, coming
from almest opposite points Of the com.
pssa.
0eolcgically this basin i much deeper
than It b geographically. This Is obvious
70 any ono who will observe that the strata
successfully crop out - We travel faom the
centre to the bors or Thus We lind the
same formations cropping out on the Clari
n tl,at Ne tlnai On The Little Beaver and on
the Conomaush east Of the Chestnut Ridge
and On the Youehiogheny and Mon0ncahe''
ID while Ill these are known to be far be
low the surface Of the rivses here ct Pites-.
burgh. The difference between the geoloe.
ical and typographical levels (and the Il ter
is very considerable cannot be less than
four or Eve hundred feet.
We know that beneath the reach of the
surface or fresh water, throughout large
extent of this basin, and in the lowest part.
= Aov>Mask r~f cell
salt has been largely and successfully man.
ufsssursd for fifty yeass; and we know that
oil il found all ar0u I'd the border BY the
saips process BY which salt water 10 obtain.
, ed here At the centre. A little oil, it is true,
IL obtained BY Mr.. Harms above Tarentum
but that may 30 accounted for from the fact
that : rib or ridge runs across shis basin
from north to south, crossing the Alleghvna
rivsr bstween Buffalo and Bull creeks. VIM.
ID. Ross, Esq, Of Manchester, which il one
Of the suburbs Of this city, bored a well 76,,
feet deep in that borough; but, instead of
''striking OIL" he struck firstra,e salt
spring or reservoir, and made very good
thing Of if-making some % barrels Of cx
cellent salt daily. This fact affords strong
evidence that oil does not exist near the cen.
TIRE of this basin. Mr.. Ross saw no s,how' Of
oil. Some suppose that oil might be found
betoU the salt water hut such hypothesis
u contrary to sound philosophy, and is a.
together improbable.
The facts educcd BY the dri'l seem to
tts T., Is 81 Ss Of the theory which
wster-the heavier 1uid-occupes the cen.
usl and portion Of the previous strsta in
which it Is found, while the oil, being light
er, 10 held back in the outer and higher nor
tons. Hence it is found only around the
borders. The presence of salt water. in
strata underlying region SO abundantly
supplied with surface water Is this, proves
that some Of the superior strata are imper-
vious to both water aud OIL Were it not so.
that salt water would long since have been
diluted to freshness, and the pent-up oil and
gas would not have required the drill to set
them from free. It is probable, therefore,
that the salt water aud oil both occupy the
= same previous curved strata which undsrl,e
this BIZ sin, that the volume Of the former Is
fixed and limited and that o. il is pluedcd
out, the oil descends, following the recediuo
water, nearer and nearer to the centre of the
basin. Fifty years ago salt water was found
in great abundance on the Conemaugh riy.
e., above the mouth Of the Loyahannah.
II was there that the first salt was manu-.
hctured in western Pennsylvania, in 1913.
BY WIN. Johnston, Esq. Numerous wells
were soon Afterwards bored, and the manu-
lecture was prosecuted on the Conemaurh
with great success for number of years.
Nut ~ length the wells farthest up the riv
% began to fail then others lower down
until finally the salt business ceased to be
prosecuted ON the Conemaugh, and nearly
% on the kiskinlnetas (which is only nm.
4thetS name for the same river below the
month Of the L"yalhannah), and now it is
carried on successfully only on the banks of
the Allegheny.
The rocks in which this water is found are
hundreds Of feet i a thickness. They are
not in themselves porous, but abound in
chtnks and assures, in which 4 lies. and
through which it perculates. In boring the
dEtn sometimes drops foot OF more. in,li.
catiNe . assure Of that extent at least. or
the nature Or cause Of these chinks or in.
terstices We know nothing; but doubtless
they are continuous throughout the nire
extent OF the basin. That petroleum occu.
p1eo theee Same ehinks in tho more elevated
portion Of the strata, arou~d the border.
there cannot be doubt; and that it follows
the rcreding de Of salt water is more han
probable indeed. it appears to be certain
}6r oil companies are buying up the old ex,
hausted salt wells on the Conemauch. win
The obje* Of w"rk'ng them Is oil wells.-
There = o.! IN them now. il il said. although
when first bored there was none.
Ne think W have succeeded, BY facts,
and by pretty plausible theory, based
aeon those facts, In indicating wherv petro-