Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1866-08-09
WEST VIRGINIA.
PARKERsDUnG. w. VA,
I1rIY OR 1SGR.

July 2S, 1866.
Editors Of the Old Family Journal & Free Press:
Thinking that the interest of your general
readers might be enhanced, and having to write
YOU on business matters, / have concluded to
write vou a communication for publication, II
You think proper to publish my ScridCl'ng,
It NAV not be generally known to the citi-
zens of Jefferson and adjoining counties that
Parkersburg is situated in the great Oil region
of West Virginia, and that from small city
she has grown to be one of the cities of the
Great West, and is making rapid strides to-
wards being the greatest of West Virginia
towns The Oil wells are within circuit OF
thirty miles of Parkersburg Burning Spring
region is thirty-two miles up the Little Kama
wha. from which point immense quantities oi
crude oil of n light or burning quality is re-
crived-hcng hauled by wagons over wretched
mountain roads to Parkcrsbnrg, or brought
down the Little Kanawha in fiat boats or bar
qcs or what arc termed Bulk Boats. The
Bulk Boat is quite an institution-the oll be-
ing pumped directly from large tanks near the
wells into the body of the boat, many ot which
contain three to four hundred barrels 1t Is
pumped from these boats into barrels at FAR
kersburg. or received at the various refineries
along the river in large tanks.
The other and more interesting point iscall-
cd White Oak region. Immediately on the line
of Railroad. about 20 miles East of Parkers-
huro The oil from this region is of very
heavy lubrcatng quality, and must eventually
prove valuable 1t is now being generally IN
troduced as lubricator by Railroads. Ihe
oil from the White Oak region is transported
- 1artIa nqsfrp
Our GREAT Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, having
now the entire contrul of this road, formerly
known as the North Western Va Road, Is us
ing every means to facilitate the development
of this interest, and give the oil interest OF West
Virginia its proper place in the commerce oil
the country.
This is comparatively an undeveloped Sec
ton Its mountains contain acres OF every
character and value and its valleys abound
with lie" which, when struck, yield fortunes
al once
The great value in oil is not its production,
| find bv examination and enquiry that all for
tunes which have been made by parties out OF
lie" s" have been made by sale Of Territory, and
not by the working Of wells. 1t is interesting
to hear the result Of some enterprises: Some
thing over year ago Mr.. Jones purchased
some oil territory at Burning Spring, and com
menced boring. After spending all he was
worth or could raise, he abandoned the wolK,
having the well over nine hundred feet deep,
and was really a broken oil man. lie arrang-
ed. however. with one of his employees, by CIV
ing him an interest in the well, to bore three
hundred feet more. The result of which was,
at the depth ola little over eleven hundredieet
oil commenced flowing, and continued at the
rate of nine hundred and eighteen barrels Per
day, giving him the reputation OF wealthy
man at once. | understand he has since SOFA
( this we'll or his interest in it for One hundred
Thousand Dollars. Many wells which had
been abandoned as he had done his, have since
/ been bored to the depth of eleven and twelve
hundred feet, producing flowing wells; as IS the
case with the Orbison and other wells whose
names forget. The great interest u farkers-
( burg is this fact. The oil interest brings large
numbers of strangers here who are developing
oil territory, and, as ganeral thing, as soon as
they are successful, they locate themselves mere,
and by the purchase of property, become iaen-
! titled with the interests of the place: nave
never had the opportunity OF personally exam
| lining the working Of the wells, as my business
| keeps me constantly confined, but, from my
/ immediate business contact with OIL men and
their interests. have become pretty well ac.
quainted with the general production OF oil and
/ their works
This communication has heightened more
than l anticipated Iwould like to have gwen
YOU an inside view of the Rehneries located
here. and the extent of works now in course of
construction or projected. 1t would be of in
terest 10 yourself or any Of your readers who
contemplate visit or tour Of interest, 20 make
this one of the points in their general trip.
Wishing success to the Old Family Journal,
and health and happiness to all its patrons,
remain yours, &c.
NATIVE OF OLD BERKELEY