The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-17
GheGntelliqenters
orr TRAVELLING CORREsPON'
DENT.

PARxEn,s, Pa, February IL, 1870.
Editor, 1ntelllgCnccr;
The oil country is again on is feet.
The buycr and seller, the driller and labor
et the pipe men and in fact all the motely
crew that haunt the speculative centers
have been drawn here by the recent rapid
Tise in oil. Immense sums Of money are
flowing into this region and increased
quantities Of oil are flowing ont OF It.
Perhaps a brief account Of IN oil sale
would DO interesting to some Of your
readers. In n room near the MeA1
House" are assembled large number 0,
men. The President takes bis seat ana
says, the report Of the "close Wlll DC IN
order, and the Secretary rcaas 'ne lGP '.,n
Of sales and re.sales for the DAY previous
The President then says, l oner Uhited,
10000 bbls,, how much for option? one
I;,,Io oyc,tsblc man in front cries out
no % 1000, 81 %. Another says spot,
c,.S 81 BOZ, while several shout Feb
r"ory 81 95, and then there is scene not
mike that in the gold room In Wall
street, New York. The buyer cries out
the amount he will take and the price he
will pay, and when they are all done the
Secretary reads:
r1,rk 5000 barrels B.
stSTenI, 1000 barrels cash spot.
C2lumbls, 5000 barrels cash spot
OFF Company, l,00I barrels B. Commonwealth
Cl1tk, 1000 barrels cash.
And the United is closed out and the rec.
ord'is made. So il goes through the whole
li,t. Yesterday there was sold here 1885,
900 bbls at prices ranging from 81 OIL to
81 o.. People are impressed with the
idea that the old times are returning, and
as result everything is sup" trade good
and money plenty. Theatrical entertain
ments Of every description, from the
legitimate drama down to the "Can Can"
form the amusement attractions Of this
region. They are so numerous that all
man has to do is to pay his money and
take his choice.
ltyou have never been at Parkers, just
fancy long line OF frame houses built
on the river bank above the Top Mill,
say half mile in length, then in front OF
each house place an oil derrick, and then
every hundred yards put 40 foot tank
and connect all the tanks with 2! inch
iron pipe, and throw in several small,
dirty shanties between each tank; then
put Steele Miller, Toby Vance, Goose
bury, &C., in them, and II you don't have
Parker City photographed, then am no
artist The town was built evidently
with the intention Of leaving when the
oil gives out. There is not in the whole
town a single good house. The Opera
House even is not an exception. 1t has
pine boards for seats, paper (lace) cur
tainsin the boxes, stage 0 feet wide by "a
feet. The whole affair put me in mind
OF the once famous but now extinct
"Laramie's," only Laramie had more
convenient and respectable looking
place; but enough OF Parker's and oil.
Since leaving Pittsburgh, 1haye passed
through eight or nine counties Of West
ern Pennsylvania, and was most favor
ably impressed with the country and the
people until l got here. All through the
counties Ihave visited there seems to be
healthy trade, although am told that
business is nothing like as good as it was
last year. It is trade that we Wheeling
people might esteem ourselves lucky If We
could acquireit. Speaking Of business, the
little town OF the Cambria Iron Company,
Johnstown,) beats anything | have come
across in my travels. The great Iron
Works are running full time, working s.
500 hands, and still they are increasing
their capacity. The companies store is
an immense establishment. The building
is 1875 feet square, and three stories high,
and ia provided with steam engine which
runs their hoistiUg apparatus, sugar
crushers and other machinery, besides
supplying the heat for the whole build
ing. The upper story is occupied as a
chemical labratory.
This company does an immense mer-
camille business, OF which you will form
some idea when l say that on February
lst the sales OF the grocery department
alone amounted 10 $500, and all the
departments OF the store ran up the sales
to over $1,000, requiring the services Of
IS statesmen, s entry clerks and Z pages.
The pages take the books back and forth
between the salesmen and tho entry
clerks. Each department is under the
supervision Of "chief," who is in turn
responsible to the general superintendent,
Colonel Mcmillan, who has been in
charge for the last ten years. The sales
OF this Johnstown store last year,
amounted to over half million Of dol
lars, and the company have besides four
other stores, the sales OF which no doubt
aggregated as much more. 'Alk their
goods arc bought in large quantities and
at the lowest market rates. They have
their own flour mills, and employ num-
Der Of butchers. Looking over their
printed price list, I conclude they must
sell at large profit, as see they offer
no "bargains"; everything goes of at
"list." The company have recently pur:
chased property near the depot, and
are going to erect building for the
purpose Of manufacturing "steel screws
to use up the ends OF the rails. They
also are preparing to so into the
manufacture Of spring and farm wagons
on an extensive scale, and intend making
their own axles and springs. The coun-
try abounds in the finest timber, and lit
Is not improbable that they can manu-
facture Wagons cheaper than the Western
men. ThcSs works will add to the pay
roll Of the company about 1900 hands,
principally skilled workmen, making an
aggregate Of seven thousand men in their
employ, which to my mind is quite a
number.
NEARLY A TRAGEDY.
Yesterday at Petrolia there was little
romance which nearly ended in tragedy.
It appears that n young man who had
sold al "rise" concluded to embark in
another speculation (matrimony), and
sought and found young lady, "Black"
by name, who was willing to enter the
copArtnership for better or for worse,
share and share alike, and straightway he
led the beautiful "Black" to the altar and
two souls was made one in q very few
minutes, and then came the "Old Lady"
who thought she would have her say, and
when she told said young man to git" he
got away with the young woman) and
went to the depot to take his wedding trip.
When he had Just got comfortably seated
BY the side Of his bluShing bride, the "old
Lady" came upon the scene and commence
edheF role by drawing pistol and firing
at the object OF her wrath (said young
man, unfortunately the pistol was struck
uPby passenger and the deadly missile