The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1870-09-22
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
MARIETTA, ONO, Sept. Is, 1870

]Yr MARIETTA, ONO, Sept. 16, 1870.
| DEAR JouRNA1.-This pleasan:
Ohio river town is a seven-hours' ride
from Cincinnati ia time which by nc
means seems long or wearisome with
tho beautiful and ever-varying scenery
presented on the line Of tho Marietta
and Cincinnati raifroad.. Hills and
valleys, streams, large and small, hand.
somely located and neatly built towns
are seen and passed BY 10 rapid sue
cession, 50 that the eye is always greet
cd ~ something new and fresh. The
main line Of the road continues to
Petersburg, Va, connecting With the
Baltimore and Ohio road for Balti-
more, Washington City and Eastern
points. A connection at Athens, lead.
ing eastward, ola Columbus, has recent
" been opened to travel, and is very
popular.
Mariettiaps claim, with some pride,
that theirs is the oldest town in the
State, antedating even Cincinnati. Its
college has long been established, hav:
ing, as stated in a previous letter, re-
ceived many valuable tavors from the
unfortunate Marie Autoinette (from
whom the town took its name) and
from Louis PHILIPPE. The reputation
Of tho institution is excellent, in every
particular. There is, as might very
naturally be expected, a pleasant and
cultivated society, with more than a
usual degree Of musical ability. At
ono evenings social gathering this
week. Kunkel, Of St. Louis, noted as a
composer and performer, was present,
and played several brilliant pieces. Al
though rather a slow.growiug place, as
most ancient towns are apt t. be, con-
siderable manufacturing is done here
several rolling mills, wagon factories,
tanueries and oil refineries being in sue
cessful operation.
Oae Of the special features Of this
locality are the oil wells at what is
olassically known as "Cow Rum" niue
miles from tcwn. Joining a pleasant
party yesterday, I made visit to the
little valley which bears this name. The
way led over the Observation-Disclosures i'm.
asinable. At one moment the carriage
and horses formed straight string up
the perpendicular side of a hill, and a,
the next dashed recklesslJ down the
other side; then We were jsrked
through half:dozen bitches; after
which the wheels mounted succession
of boulders, rafting about the poor
mortals inside the carriage in the most
fearful manner. This was the pro.
gramme Of few rods, repeated With
slight variations during the entire nine
miles; the dust meanwhile rolling up
in almost impenetrable clouds, until
ono was so completely enveloped that
be was moved to PROFOUND the inquiry
Of the perplexed Rip Van Wrinkle,
"Who the devil am ?" After while
We came in sight Of the smoke from
the engines working the pumps at the
wells, then of q collection of high
"derricks" for the boring Of machinery,
and were soon watching the crude oil
being brought from the bowels of The
the earth and emptied into large tanks
| Most Of the readers of The JOURNAL
have. doubtless ;read descriptions of how
these wells are bored and the oil pump
ed to the surtace, 90 that anything Of thai
kind now would be a "twice-told tale.'
1 should judge that there were at least
fifty wells at "Cow Run" but only feu
we're being worked, and these not near
" to their full capacity, owing to thu
shortened demand for oil, caused BY
the German war. A pipe has been
laid from these wells directly to the
Ohio river, six miles distant, through
which the crude oil is run and emptieG
in bulk into flat-boats, after which it il
taken to the re6ncries at Marietta, aue
then barreled for shipping. Most o.
the wells here are from six hundred t
eight, hundred feet deep, but one wa.
sunk to a: depth Of sixteen hundred
foet,s striking then q magnificent weir
of-salt water! It is an interesting
sight to watch the stream cf oil as it i!
pumped up, but "Cow Run" is any
thing but an enticins place. You see
smell and taste nothing but oil. 70,
get oil on your hands, your face ant
your clothes. You slip around in oil
and find yourself covered with oil,
spots and finger marks in the most pro
voklng and inexplicable manner. I
you want to, you can come back Il
town by different road from that b,
which you went we debut, dabiou
IS the tale may SEEM, you will find
even worse than the first: Yet, despit
the horrid roads, there is much on th
fdri9e to BE enjoyed. These great hills
tthat Chamber up to each other, are a
Ways grand 2:their sides and tops cover
lea and Drowned ~ dark grr.eu,,, Wit
here and there spot Of sunshine drop
ped down through rift III the cloud,
The ravines that run at random, loo
like the wrinkles Of ripe old age. Tw
narrow valleys wind IN and around Ii
feet Of these lofty guardians, y.llo
9TH tha;r fioIdaa ~ atifl. atcn l;non 'crr