Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-02-17
BOARD OF MEDICAL ExAMrNERs
Wonders of the OIL Regions.

\ remarkable phenomena has appeared in the oil
regions, at PithOle city, Pennsylvania. A fire broke
out there on the 7th instant, ia one of the wells,
which has since been constantly burning. To
0nench it all the wells in the neighbOrh0od were
laid under contribution. These were quickly pump
ed out, and about eight o'clock, next morning, II
man went TO his pulnp for water, but imagine his
surprise when he pumped up pure petroleum. The
news quickly spread, and crowds collected, and all
day long the process was kept up, the pump lifting
out pure oil uf Il specific gravity OF forty
two degrees. An engineer who visited the
spot. thought the oil came from 4 leak in the
Miller Farm pipes, which pass but Il few hundred
feet from it, but this theory has been ~dsproved by
later developments. All the wells in the ~ncighbOr-
hood were Immediately pumped dry, when the pre-
cious liquid began TO How in each, which was
carried away in bottles, buckets, and all sorts OF
articles, by the people. The first well struck
belongs to a Mrs. Ricketts,, a widow woman, who
has heretofore earned her living by washing
1t is at the depth of sixteen feet, and
was only pumped at intervals, but the oil
came freely in answer 10 the pumping, and
would fill u barrel in ten minutes. 1t was not
worked more OH account of a difficulty in getting
barrels to put the oil in. Mrs. Rickets was offered
at first one thousand dollars for it, and then two
thousand dollars, until at last a gentleman
secured the refusal at $1,000. Meanwhile the well,
which is on fire, can be seen at 4 great distance, the
flames rising GO feet high, and the cracking of it can
be distinctly heard 4 mile OFF. At times it burns
mercer Lliin Hsuili OCdhllB iilu TOIEluB duu lbleul-
ening to burst the earth and enguIf all within its
reach, and forming a scene beautifully grand and
sublime. The ground around the well for nearly 5OO
feet, in every direction, has been thoroughly baked
by the heat, and at alittle distance the trees are
budding, and some have actually put forth leaves. Ia
some places the grass has grown two inches high,
forcibly reminding one of summer on a small scale.
The well is owned by parties in Rochester, New
York, and was struck some four weeks ago. II
commenced flowing oil and water, with a very
strong force of gas, and so continued until the fire.
A SHOCKING CALAMfrY-TwENTY SEVEN CHI.
DREN DRowNED.-We can hardly credit the follow,
ing, which we take from the Dayton (0hio) Journal
Of the 9th instant. If true, 1t seems to us that We
should have received a despatch conveying this sad
intelligence: b.
The engineer on the Dayton and Michigan rail
road yesterday learned at Wepakoneta that twenty
seven children were drowned in the reservoir ut Cell
ma on Wednesday. They were attending school II
the vicinity of the reservoir, and mt noon all the
scholars but twO-twenty.seven in n~umbcr-wenlo Oh
the ice to slide, when it broke with them, the whole
party drowning before help could reach them; oui
informant says his information is reliable, and therS
is little doubt that this terrible calamity occuiieu'