Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1866-03-07
Fur the Newsdeafvf-

daily visited or inquired off by persons
who are anxious. to obtain information
concerning the oil business; and. after
repeated and urgent solicitations to give s
the public the scattered fragments of in
formation which | was able to gather
during my short stay there, | will en-
deavor to give a brief description of the
place. and the oil wells, aud the manner
of obtaining the oil therefrom, &c &c
The most noted and important oil land
is near Boutwell,. Canada West. Both
we'll is q station on the Great Western
Rail Road leading from Suspension Bridge
to Detroit, Mich. 1t is 20 miles east Of
Detroit and fl miles west from London
C. W., and about 20 miles north of Lake
Erie. .-. ..-e... tt.-..
Until the last year it was quite unim'
portant station-the trains stopping only
semi occasionally, or as they CHANGED tc
have passengers to leave or take on.
The place contained scarce enough
buildings to be called village. No"
it ia a thriving business place, containing
five hotels. two churches, several board
ing house, fine school-house and proba.
bly, twice as many stores, Offices, &c. as
any village in Lamoilln County. But Of
the lumber of inhabitants mo man
knoweth." for one might as we'll attempt
to count colony of bees while actively
employed as to attempt to take the census
of Boutwell,, for they are going and COM
ing continually. The place is filled to
OVERLOOKING, and as one leaves two will
take his place.
Strangers visiting Boutwell, should en-
deavor to take such trains as will arrive
there in the early part of the day, that
they may be in season to engage lodgings
&C. for the night otherwise, they might
be under the disagrecble necessity of
standing in some muddy bar room, or of
taking the cars to some adjacent village
to seek shelter and rcpose; for. notw,th-
standing the surprising rapidity with
which buildings are erected, yet, the de-
mand is greater than can at present 10
supplied.
The country around Boutwell, is quite
level, and the soil is Of fine yellowish
loan, we'll adapted TO the production of
grain, grass and fruit; while the climate
is much more genial than in this locality.
being nearly two degrees farther south.
aud in the immediate vicinity of the great
lakes.
The oil wells are situate on either side
of the Thames river. which, at this point.
flows in westerly direction, emrtyiug
into Lake St. Clair The distance from
Boutwell, Station to the River is about
2 IL miles.
Uil was first discovered several years
ago on what is known rs the ALLEN Farm
about 40 rods from the river where il
oozed out from under the bank and hoated
upon the surface Of the water. 1t was
dug out" and ''bvxed up" similar to o
tan vat,-the oil collecting on the surface
of the water, from which it IS dipped of
aud barrelled. The old well. or 'vat. u
is still used at a profit Still later an
oil spring was discovered in the bed Of
the river, nearly opposite the one just
mentioned. In summer oil may be seen
floating on the river. and in winter it pen
etrates the ice and covers an area of seve-
raj feet with dark. oleaglnous substance
much resembling in appearance thin tar.
The first successful oil we'll was inst
down some three or four years ago, and
is called the "Old Company we'll. The
vein of oil stsuck was very small--sm all
or than that Of any other well in opera.
ton, yielding only from to barrels Of
oil per day, yet the books If this compa-
ny show shipment Of over 5000 bar.
rels Of crude oil at price ranging fro III
$500 to $1,000 per barrel in gold, which
after deducting the cost Of we'll aud fix
lures, and the expense Of running the
the same, must have given net profit to
the company Of at least $4,000; esti-
mating the cost and expenses even at the
present high rates, And yet, the reader
will bear in mind. that this is much the
smallest we'll in operation while many
yield net profit of $3.50 900 per annum.
Since the sinking Of the "old company"
we'll. and especially during the past year,
numerous other wells have been put down