The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-02-28
Latter from the Oil Regions.

Oh CRY, Feb. II, 1865.
Mn. EpIToR:-You as well as many of your
readers will no doubt be not little surprised to
read a letter from me dated at this place, yet
am here, but assure you my stay will be short,
for with all the tlolOing and pumping wealth
of this ast city, 1t is of the most disagreea-
Bile places on earth. But having seen tue
sights, l feel it would not be amiss to give you
and you readers some faint idea of the great oil
regions.
met at the St. Nicholas Hotel, in New York,
several Boston friends who were going to look
over the oil country, and soon yielded to Their
solicitations to accompany them We lett new
York at six in the evening, over the Erie raii-
road-Was due at Salamanca at P. M. next Gay,
but did not reach there until seven In the even,
ing. There we changed cars 10 the htianuc ano
Great Western railroad fer Corey, but learning
there would be no accommodations at Corey.
we laid over at jamestown, the residence of Gov,
Fentun "a very fine place.) Next morning we
went to Corey, where We changed cars again,
took the Oil Creek railroad for Titusville where
we arrived at IL A. NJ Found the hotels all
crowded and of the poorest kind. The city has
grown up as if by magic A few years ago there
was nothing but very poor farm; now should
Judge it contained from 1000 to 10000 in
habitants, and is ptill growing in the same
ratio.
Here we begin to see the oil wells in full ope-
ration large numbers are seen even in the city
ltSell, Wuilc Ou OIcch tuu tuo lttuV tuAAS
ing into it are literally covered with them. On
the Watson fats just below the city, you can
stand in one spot and count more than lOO
either producing or those being sunk.
Fabulous stori are told of the fortunes made
in oil and oil lands; many, no doubt, are true,
others slightly colored.
The most significant fact that came under my
own observation was donation party given to
the Methodist minister of TitusvilIe the evening
we were there. His church was small, his num-
bers few, yet he received in cash three thousand
dollars besides other very valuable presents
Certainly men must be making money or they
could not be quite SO liberal. from Iltusvlle
we went down Oil Creek to Shaffer Farm-the
end of the r.iroad. There we took span of
horses and sled and passed down the river a
short distance, then crossed the river on pontoon
bridges, and went over the mountain to the town
Of Plummer, on Cherry Run, the most celehra
ted oil territory in the United States. The der
ricks are to be seen up and going up on each side
of therun for miles. We followed down the run
on the road to louisville three and e-half miles.
| On the road we passed the celebrated Reed and
Yankee Wells as well as many others that are
flowing from 40 to 280 barrels of oil per day,
and many more that are flowing from 20 to 80
| per day.
The Reed wells steady flowing well, and has
not flowed less than $50 barrels of OH per day
! since it began. The Yankee well is q great Gu
riosity and worth many miles travel to see. It's
what is called the intermittent well-howing for
fifteen minutes, then stopping for the same length
| of time. When it begins to flow 1t sputters
and spurts and throws up large volumes OF
| gas, then the oil comes rushing out in great
| force, roaring so you can hear it for long dis
| tanee
Coquette well is a short distance from those,
over the hill on Oil Greek, and is yielding about
600 barrels perday. louisville is near the mouth
| of Cherry Run where it enters Oil Creek. From
the hill in the rear of the village you can count
| 1860 derricks either pumping oil or boring for
OIL louisville and Cherry Run may be called
the centre of the oil territory From louisville to
Oil city, 1-2 miles, the oil wells cover large
portion of the ground on each side the creek,
At Oil city Oil Greek forms q junction with the
Allegheny river and on each side of the creek
and on the banks of the Allegheny is the famous
Oil City itself, much larger, faster, MASTER than
even Titusville. For miles in any direction you
see the teams moving over roads, and places
where there are no roads 1t reminds one more
of an encampment of a vast army than anything
else. The roads are horrible, mud deep and
| sticky, the country very uneven indeed. The
Jones House where l writing has the river
close in the rear-a narrow street in front and a
mountain so high and steep that dog could
scarcely climb it, yet the people are happy, con-
tented and rich.
The FIRST producing wells we saw were at Tt
tusville-the last at Oil City. Between these
places for 20 miles, was told by those who
know, that 99-100s of all the oil now produced
may be found. have very little confidence in
the sinking of wells outside of this section, yet
some oil has been found in other places, and may
still be found, but it is not one well In fifty sunk
in other places that produces, while on this por-
ton of Oil Creek and Cherry Bun failure is
the exception-and the most immense fortunes
are still being made in these places. Another
singular fact: was told by the most reliable
men, that no company organized on the cash
basis, which had ever bored on Cherry Run or
Oil Creek had proved other than successful
But thousands of Companies are formed-on
the purchase of some 10iLd mountain LGnd-pur-
chased for a tew hundred dollars = then some
GeoloQists opinion purchased for few hun
dred more-and put into Company at some
hundreds of thousands still no oil is ever
sought for or bored for. Thus we see the fail
ures in 80 many Oil Companies. have not the
least doubt that Company with a few hundred
thousand dollars cash capital, can 60 to-day and
buy lands or leases, (about the same thing as
the leases run for ninety-nine years, on Cherry
Run--at the enormous prices asked forthen,, and
double their money in one year. For if they
bore ten wells and strike but one, their stock is
worth double its par VAUDEVILLE oil-mep will
tell you and facts prone they will be more likely
to strike six in ten in this locality, than one in
ten; therefore cannot believe with many, that
the time is past for forming sound, reliable COM
panies, or for making great deal of money in
boring for oil.
! designed to give full description OF the
process of boring, with other facts of interest,
but find this letter already too long, SO l will
leave that for the next. Yours, c. F. x.
Is-lArgus. . a4t