The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1866-04-13
The oil Regions of Canada.

drop YOU letter on my flying trip west.
Your readers are mostly aware that Gale
donia county in general and st. Johnsbury
in particular, has a pecunlary interest IN
the oil regions Of Canada West. The
quickest route is via Springfield and the
y. Y. Central, although it is - cheaper
by the way OF Bellows Falls and Rutland.
by the former route one can leave your
place at O. Is A. NJ. and reach Boutwell, at
S.3Or. NJ the next 'lay-if connections
are made, as they generally are. Most,
however want to stop over at that ever
wonderful place. Niagara Falls. We
were not exceptions to the general rule,
and spent half a day viewing the mighty
cataract. and wandering up and down the
fearful chasm for mile or 50 below Sus-
pension Bridge.
Boutwell,. the ''head centre OF the oil
district, is on the Great Western railway,
some seventy miles west of Detroit Eight
months ago it was a small flag station
now every train stops there, often leaving
and taking as many as fifty passengers on
each train. OF course, in place that has
80 suddenly come into notice, everything
is inflated buildings are going up rapidly
and corner lots are held at fabulous prices.
The ''Pepper farm where oil was first
discovered, lies about two miles south of
the station, and line of buses constant
Iy run there. conveying the pilgrims to
and from the wells. The Pepper farm Is
now covered with engine houses and der
rickS. and beneath each Shanty there Is 4
well, either pumping oil or in process of
construction - though there are many
more of the latter than the former. There
ae so many wells being put down Uhe
number being estimated at 30O) not a week
passes, nor hardly day. but what some
new ''strike'' is made Among the new
wells the '.Calcdonia. owned in your
town. is one of the best 1t Is pumping
easily but slowly, at 4 rate varlouslv estl-
mated at from twenty TO Thirty barrels 4
day The Caledonia Is called good
well. and but few are now doing better
And here let me give my opinion (Which
Is but an individual opinion. and subject
to critic>m) tina! there is not Il well on
the Pepper farm that averages thirty bar
rcls OF oil per day, week i'll and out. The
! Pepper we'll. which Is the oldest and con-
~i,ler,d the best. the owEerS do not pretend
ayriiucs more than from fifteen 10 twenty
five barrels per ,lav Yet with oil al : o
in cold. a it was three months since, a
Twenty-Five barrel we'll is 4 fortune t" its
owners IL the expense of pumping cannot
exceed SO per day, and may not exceed
-.
! Here let Inc say, lest discrepancy nr-
pear between this and some previous ac-
counts from this section. that do not de
nv OF doubt but what certain wells have
and can pump al the maximum rate
claimed for them but for several reasons
it Is tot deemed best to run wells ut their
greatest capacity all the time.
An oil we'll Is Il tickle thing 1t * FIRE
uurntly like 4 balkv horSc-it may be 90
inc ali right to-day. and tomorrow it NAV
be at Il dead Set or doing very poorly.
~ deacon HALL said to lis This bust
ness can not be reduced to science: a
course of treatment that will work admir-
ably with some wells is good for nothing
when applied to Others. And indeed the
same wells will not act the same on differ
cnt DAYS. or even different hours. under
the same mode of OPERATION
The oil business Just now is much de-
pressed. Owing to the great fall in crude
petroleum none Is being sold, but all are
holding on for an advance in prices. which
some are expecting soon, and others not
until fall. Boutwell, is full of spectators
and land sharks, ready to fleece the guilt |
bic, and judging from appearances the
victims are not few. And Just here
Will Indicate my private opinion oftlis oil
business. Remember it is but an indiyid /
ual estimate and NAV be wide oft,e mark :
| CONSIDER leasing oil lands, and boring
tor and selling FetrQleim, e legitimate,
honorable business; as much so as anv /
other branch Of industry Notwithstand-
ING the risks. and the fact that a good we'll
Is not as sure tim. as crop ofpotatoes,
If land could be bought at $50 an :.clc,
or at what it was bringing one year ago,
and il everything else was not inflated to
a fictitious value 10y Spectators. should
have more confidence that all those who
invest will see their money again. As it
Is now, | honestly believe that the specu-
atorS are taking most of the money. and
that the MASSES will not find their invest
nents to average any better than govern