Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-13
CORRESPONDENCE.

NEW On Town, March H. 1865
| Mr.. EDITOR OIL Flows. To the dream
er, language can not express the sweet
ness of these words sweeter than happi-
ness and life these give them that which
will secure happiness and can render life
sweet The excitement is great Stocks
rise as spring torrents marshy, worthless
lands are worth millions, and the holders
are mad with realization of dreamy desires
Formerly the sleepers waited, yearning :;
now, sure of all they saw, they blindly fol-.
low any scheme. Over confident, they are
ready and eager to stake their all on the
chance of grasping fabed fortunes.
Among the most eager most needless,
most grasping, is the victim. He has no
remembrance of being a farmer OIL flows
and all other things vanish from his thougts
And the fever has passed to the
IRRITABLE STAGE.
The prominent symptom is headache
Not the mere throbbing of the nerves of
the head caused by diseased stomach
not the many-formed nervous headache :;
but the headache, a burning of gas, burst
| ing, throbbing, which increases as the
victim approaches OIL yet urges him to
seek it, to smell of it. You notice him with
one of his headaches he writes in the ex-
treme of agony, comforting his countenance.
Yet he wanders off in diseased Dreams for
gets all but his desire. A word on the
theme calls him and his agonies back. And
again he sleeps.
Daily you will find him when they had an
explosion, looking at the charred timbers of
the derrick where the gas had been, turn
ing every stone and chip to see if any grease
spot or trace of one can be found, smelling
of the fresh mud and sand to know if there
be any prospect of a trace of grease. He
will tell you he found thin scum on the
pools of water, a strong scent of gas on
the stones and chips, and that the sand felt
real oily. He often visits his swamp. One
day he saw bubbles rise and he thinks there
is OIL You will see him trudging through
the mud and water, seeking for the bub-
bling. Miry bogs are no trouble to him :;
they seem like soft velvet carpet. And,
after vain search till darkness, or famish-
| ing, drives him home, he still knows he saw
the bubbles and smellcd the gas he re-
turns cheered, confident, dressed in purple,
not desponding, muddy.
And he loves to sit on iutting crags.
Back to the chaotic time when earth was
sundered and the rocks yawned to receive
the liquid, back he wanders and gazes down
upon the tempting deposit of the region
around To his keener sense of smell, there
are gases rising, thin, subtitle gases, yet
gases from the hidden store house. Dream
leads to longer dreams, sitting, gazing from
the crags.
| Old salt wells attract. One of his chief
enjoyments is to visit them, to smell the
gas, to watch the fast following bubbles
rise then he is carried off by sleepy fan
cy. He penetrates to the lakes Of fluid
hidden deep down below the rocks, liberates
the golden liquid, and it rises higher, gaz.
ing on it's graceful curves and showers of
spray, drinking in the searching, irritating
gases, his soul loses itself in the realms OF
forgetfulness. But how keen is his delight
while viewing the real .foacing oil. He
SINE lis of it, tasts to see if salt be there
feels, and is happy. How nicely it gushes
fo-th !! Gold, happiness, and ease, and al
most life itself, gushes forth with the new
found stream.
Tired of seeing the princely treasure Sc
freely wasted, he follows the winding
stream, stops at each little eddy where the
liquid strives to tarry, examines every
stone on which may be found trace of tht
blood of earth, wanders on till all is ab
sorbed again, and wishes all, and more
were his Gazing on this golden stream
thought is followed by big thought, and th'
brain faints under the weary load. Fancy
free, carries him into unseen realms, a re
gion yet more airy, where faint sounds o
sirens touching golden shells, lulls the sou
to slumber. When his headaches begin, h'
wanders off to one of these new haunts
And the deep thrill of delight keeps hin
till darkness or hunger worn.
, This is the sober man. Bnt how trans
, formed. Once steady farmer, now all tn