The Volcano lubricator. (Volcano, W. Va.) 1871-1879, 1873-08-26
= new Oil Hsld-west virgin'a's
Future.

Upon a recent visit to Preston and
Tuckc- conn;ies, in the eastern part OF
This State, visit which we had been
long contemplating with /. q view to get
ting better acquaintance with the
general resources OF that locality, as
.onnected viii: the deposits of mine
rol, We found the widest estimates
we had ever formed Of that district,
lying, as it were, along the base of the
Allegheny mountains, more prolific i"
its promises to reward capital than
even we had anticipated, knowing. as
we did, of tile immense deposits OF ore
which existed there. These are not
PROMISES on Wall street; not promises
written BY hands, but by Nature her
self. and here she shows,too, convlnces
the most skeptical beyond the per-
adventure of a doubt, that the earth,
.. depth OF not exceeding seven hun
dred feet in the valleys, is permeateo
bv bslts OF petroleum; with the same
unerring finger she points you to the
f0clhound hills, where deep black
veins of coal, one vein piled upoa an
other, lie out TO the sun, and within
sound of the locomotives whistle, un-
touched BY the hands Of commerce;
10 the right Of the oil belt, and at
lizzie higher altitude, is bank upon
bank and vein upon vein of iron ore,
some of it so pure that it must yield
at least eighty-five per cent. OF metal.
md still above it the finest DUALITY Of
limestone may be had with which to
smelt the ore; and last, but not least
recent Investigations have proven the
existence of lead ore in quantities
which i, is thought will Justly opera
lions, vein eighteen inches in depth
having been recently discovered, spec
linens of which will soon be sent for
yard to the Smithsonian Institute for
the purpose OF determining the per
cent. which it will yield per ton, and
some of which may be seen at this Of
!ys. L., -,
Drawing line due, south. from Ii
tusville, in Pennsylvania, through to
West Virginia, it will strike near the
center OF Preston county. Them If
our reader will take the trcuble of in
curing into the subject, and draw a
line from Forest county, in Pennsyl-
yania, which is still further to the east
than the county Of Preston, in the
STATE of West Virginia, and continue
that line through the great oil bearing
counties OF Clarion and Armstrong,
he will find that the oil development
of Pennsylvania is only two counties
removed from Preston county, the
names Of those counties being West
:norcland and Fayette; and the oil Of
thai district is found yet farther to the
cast than on the line of the oil belt
which IS sostrongly marked in the coun-
lies of Preston and Tucker. Clarion
coanty,in Pennsylvania, excepting only
Butler, is the heaviest producing oil
region now known, and the most GER
tain to pay dividends to the operator
who riSas his money in developing the
oleaginous resources of the country,
saving and excepting always the shall
low territory and. heavy oil of West
Virginia, which is surer and always
better than any other like interest on
the face Of the globe that We have any
knowledge OF. In Butler county the
depth Of wells is from thirteen to six
teef hundred feet; in Clarion county
from one thousand to thirteen hundred
feet is Tic average, and he wells are
enough longer lived than those OF But
Ter county to more than make the diff.
ference in the Immediate greater pro-
duction Of the wells in the latter named
county.
Forty-five years ago party Of gen;
tlemen, at point on the Cheat river,
embracing the farmers who resided
there, and near little town which has
sitce, arisen, called AlbrightSviile,
which is about fifteen miles from the
Pennsylvania line, entered into co
partnership for the purpose of putting
down a salt we'll. The hole was to be
two inches in diameter, and narrowed
at the bottom as the contractor put
ting down TIE well should deem expe-
dent. After the natural delays and
er.b&trasSme as usually Attending such
oDeratiSns in a thinly DoDulated conn