The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-02-01
Virginia Oil Regions.
Correspondence of the TELEGRAP.I
81 LANCASTER. ONO,

tionabe whether it is the spirit of i$ptrdtio or not
Il win briefly favor your readers witht. few items
trust of interest from this part of the vineyard Of
our common heritage. The. winter thus far, has
been very mild and open, with but few cold days,
when the thermometer fell to 1t was very dry
in the fall and we have had but little rain since
seouenty there is scarcity of water in the higher
latitudes We have had only about three inches OF
snow which scarcely lasted night, but was suf
fcient as dissolving elements favor one with the
'hoeivp properties of the surface of mother earth,
when slightly mixed with water, The old adage,
''how great fire little strife kndleth is intend
ed here to mean, how great mud little water
maketh.
The Legislature of this State went into session on
the 1st inst since which they have been busily en-
gagged in smoking twenty cent cigars, and enjoying
other necessary adjuncts. There is considerable fig
uring for the s. Senatorship, but 1 believe II to
be the wish of the people that Hon. j. Sherman be
reelected. One thing is evident, they might rake
down the whole political stock of aspirants for the
Office with fne-tooth comb and better man could
not be found. The Governors Message is rather a
| singular document, containing an enlargement OF
every thing but that which was the most important
The most that can be said in its favor, is, that 1t
like infnity or space having neither beginning end
or middle.
| 1t was.1ny good fortune or misfortune, perhaps
no fortune at ALL (asI may tell you some tme) to
| spend New Years in Parkersburg, West Virginia
and to visit the celebrated oil regions of that State
in which like the immortal A. Ward, ''struck ile >
not after the manner of that excentric individual
however, but in a horizontalpositio into puddle
of few barrels of the lpbricating substance But
few thoughts on the way; .p.
| Took the train from lancaster Friday evening 30
Dec for Circleville, twenty miles distant 1t proved
to be the accommodation train and was the slowes
/ ever saw, making six miles an hour, probably ow
ing to the fact that we had to climb hills thar thu
grades on the Kenosha & Rockford division of thu
n w. r. r., are molehills in comparison. Stopped
over night at the Rockaway House, everything wa
as should be- but the water for washing, and tina
Ihad the appearance of having washed the coal dus
from every rough in the city.
Hearing church bell ring after supper, 1 ascer
tanned its location, and entering the house fount
it well filed as supposed, for church service bu
1 soon discovered that it was the meeting Of tn
Temperance Union" After discussing variou
Questions and passing series of resolutions, an ad
dress was delivered upon temperance which wa
one of the best ever heard The temperance move
ment is spreading all over the State every city an
tONu IL It's temperance vi
rummes are the most prominent actors; while tn
vendors Of strichnine whiskey are growing despei
ate, and ascribing the movement to the fact of tn
expected visitation of the cholera, the coming sun
mer, it having been demonstrated by the needles
fraternity that those who indulge in frequent liba
tons, generally come off second best, from a comba
with this king of terrors. Be this as it may, it
better to be temprate for the social civil and
ton the physical aspect, which of itself should b
sufficient to induce any thinking man to abstai
from that which he has ample evidence is fraugt
with ruin and death.
Took the coach next morning for Chilcothe. TIL
road ran down the Sciota river valley, one of tn
finest farming portions of Ohio. Here were exter
sive fields of corn, still ungathered; large herds
swine and droves of cattle being fed for Cincinns
market. Chilcothe contains about ten thousan
inhabitants, and is very beautiful place, being on
of the Oldest settled in the State. A ride of fy
hours on the Cincinnati & Marietta r. r., and Wa
at my destination. The railroad passes through tn
toughest country ever saw. There six tunnel
from Chillieothe to the Ohio river the longest bein
little over one quarter of a mile in length. TIL
road has many fine bridges and is in most exceller
order. Along the line of the road are many prett
tains large car mandatory. The R. r. Co. hay
fine large powerful ferry boat on the river whic
? runs only to convey passengers and freight to- Pa
/: kersburg. The latter city before the war was in
thriving condition. but it bears the mark of ''war
in everything, as is seen in its impaired streets
filthy walks and general wretched appearance
everything The heights on the south side of ii
+ city during the war were mounted with cannon
pointing on TO the town, which was threatened
the rebels but in case of an attack it ques tonab
which would have suffered most, the Town, or IL
i rebels. a ride of twenty-five miles on the Bait
more and Ohio r. r., and was at Petroleum, IL
seat of the great oil regions of Virginia
The principal wells are at White Oak Fork, fol
miles from Petroleum, over hills and rocks with DO
tomless mud. and the only conveyance to be ha
the one that nature gave White Oak contains thrt
producing wells. The most productive is the Harl
ness, eight hundred and sixty-eight feet deep, an
/ yields two hundred and fifty barrels per day. II
! LonzmOre yields seventy-fye TO a hundred and Il
Sterling about fifty per day. All these produce Il
lubricating oil.
Five or six more wells are being bored with goC
prospects, and engines and derricks are on Il
, ground and and on the way to bore about for
( more.
There are also the oil Regions of the Calaforn
House, containing three producing wells, avera
ing about fifty barrels per day of illuminating Of
= There are five more wells being bored in the san
place. The wells of Burning Spring on the Kanav
river produce eight hundred and forty barrels
. illuminating oil per day. .a. .#
!, Lubricating oil is worth s35 copper barrel and
s Illuminating 5000 to 900, at the wells The engin
: principally in from twelve to fifteen hor
10 wiz O 49, all
two hundred feet in depth Others range from tn
to over eight hundred. Leases two acre lots sc
for $50OO0 90 and one quarter 'royalty,n or intere
in all all the wells sunk upon the lot. ID ~
Engineers and Augermen receive from $500
$500 per day. Laborers, $2,OO per day; pay ST.
per cord for chopping wood At the present tin
there are plenty of hands.
The hills are abont five hundred feet above Il
level ofthe creek, and the bottom of the valley
: which the wells are, is scarcely one hundred fe
wide The oil is hauled by four horse teams, an
such are the roads, that four barrels often make
load Price for hauling, 125 per barrel; teams r
turning with empty barrels, for which they receiy
: % cents each for delivering.
\ The Hardness well is said to be the best payin
well in the United States one barrel of its oil bein
1 worth eight of the Illuminating. Everything in tn
section OF country is twenty-five per cent high,
trough and uninytlng places ever saw, and the Iii
and labor in the oil regions is only equaed by SOM
thing similar to the siege of Vicksburg.
Along the line of the Cincinnati and Marietta r. |
: many oil wells are being bored, though as yet ii
result is not very desirable. There is some excit
ment in lie in this section of country. and in di
ferent places wells are being bored an experime1
which may yet demonstrate that the range of hill
through southern Ohio, as rich in oil as the rock
of Virginia or Pennsylvania CTS
--ss.----s -
SAYINGS OF JOSH BILLINGS -''Early in
preshuns are the most lasting" The fus
: ks and the fust licking cum under thi
he'd.
Things that are writ for bread, are az
few taste Of emptings. -r-
Reputashuu is good deal like bonfire
. you have got tew keep piing on the shav
= iu0S,