The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-03
BALTIMORE.
West Virginia Enterprise-Thn Mag
nitude of Her OIL Interesi-west
Virginians Controlling 1.-THE
Camden Consolidated OIL Com
pany"-Its Organization, IFS OIL
GERS and Business - Furnishing
Light for the World.
Correspondence of the Register.
BALTIMORE, May g.

l propose now to fulfill promise,
somewhat delayed, Of giving you the de-
tails Of what may properly be termed a
West Virginia enterprise, having its
headquarters in Baltimore. l refer TO
the enterprise conducted under the name
of the Camden Consolidated Oil Com
pany." JILL
There are many West Virginians who
are wont to bosst of the "hidden wealth"
Of their mountain State, who are
entirely ignorant of how much of
their boasting is verified in the
one item-oil. There are many
also, who are accustomed to regard this
young State as lingering in the lap of
rural simplicity, who do not dream OF the
fact that it Is furnishing light for the
world. l am not dealing IN trOpes or
fsncies in making this statement, but in
acts and figures, as l shall presently
| show If l had access to the statistics
showing the value of the exports of cot
ton from the Southern States prior to the
war, think it probable that l could
show by actual figures that the OK ports Of
oil now being made to Europe from this
country are in excess of the value Of the
cotton exports in the most pslmy days
OF the slsve-holding States.
1t might produce a sensation among
West ETginisns if they learned as sud-
denly and unexpectedly as | did, that for
this immense trade at tho port of Bslti-
more the "rural State of West Virginia"
is principally furnishing the material,
and company named and made up Of
West Virginisns is quietly controlling
the bulk OF the business; that about nine
| tenths Of the exports are made by the
! Camden Consolidated Oil Company
alone; or, to be more specific, of the nine
hundred and eighteen thousand barrels
exported last year, the camden Consol-
idated Oil Company" exported seven
hundred thousand.
The principal part of these shipments
are made to Germany, but as l have a.
ready said, the West Virginia oil fur.
nishes light for the world. The
Camden company has rehneries at both
Parkersburg and Wheeling, of which the
Parksrsburg refnerles alone produce
from one thousand 10 fifteen hundred bar
reis per day. The two refnerIes a.
Wheeling are, as you know, under the
management Of Isaiah Warren " Go.
Now, rs an Indication Of the immense
revenue derived from this business, it
will be seen that At the market parice OF
the shipments made last year, viz: ten
dollars per barrel, the gross sum realized
was nearly ten millions Of dollara, while
the share of the Camden Consoli-
dIted Company was over seven
millions This estimate, 1t must
be remembered, only refers TO
the refined oil, IL. does not include the
several products of the OIL such as ben
zine, &c, which are business IN them
selves,
The Hon. johnson Il. Camden OF
Psrkersburg. IS at the head of the Cam
den Consolidated Oil Company" rs its
name indicates 1t is further ottiCered by
Col. z. Thompson, of Psrkersburg, Vice
President; W. T. Pool, Treasurer, w. n.
Chancellor, Secretary. You will recoE-
nIze all. these as West Virginisus. The
headquarters of the company are at 5S
Exchange Place, Baltimore. The busi-
ness here is under the general manage
ment OF the Treasurer, W. I. Pool, Esq.
who is a clever, business like gentleman.
The president and vice-presIdent, who,
doubtless, have their hands full al the
other end of the line are frequently on
hand here, and full Of business.
This company and the Baltimore
United Oil Company" have swallowed
up all the individual oil enterprises in
Baltimore, and new have complete con-
troll Of the business. | mentioned IN a
! former letter the fact that considerable
excitement was occssloned here among
the oil interests while the negotiations
were pending which resulted in these
com mbinstions. 1t was the purpose OF the
large interests to so consolidate the busl-
ness az that il might be brought under
intelligent and harmonious management,
and thus AVOID the 'cutLing under
policy of small dealers, which brought
| down the price Of oil to ruinous rates.
To accomplish tins, Mr.. Camden,
after hard struggle and the use
of 8 good deal of diplomacy, sue
ceeded in purchasing these smaller inter
ests, and inviting them all under one
company. The Camden interest was a.
ready . company in itself, and stllI re.
mains separate and distinct from the Bal
timore United Oil Company. But Mr..
! Camden is likewise st the head Of the lst-
| ter-lts chosen President and the whole
! interest may, therefore, be said to be un-
der one management They either own
or control all the warehouses, and, l
think, all, or quite all of the refneries
here. They have lately made large Pur-
! chases of real estate IN this connection,
| and the business is assuming a magnitude
and Importance that is highly comPli-
meutsry to the spirit of enterprise OF the
men who have it IN hand.
This is but q brief and imperfect state
ment of some of the features oftheir en-
terprise, designed to give your readers sn
| idea OF its proportions so tsr as can be
done in the limited space Of single let
ter. 1t is an enterprise Of which West
Virginia has reason to be proud. BsltI-
more is proud of even her share in It, and
was wstchful that the late company or
ganizations should not deprive her OF the
benefit of being the shipping point Of
this commodity.
If West Virginia could organize few
more companies, Of the stamina and
pluck snd euergv of the men who have
her oil interest IN hand, for the develop
ment of her minerals and coal and tim
Der, it would not be long till lines OF
railway would traverse her hill sides acd
valleys like great arterie. Cf system OF
industry, that would give life and devel-
opmsnt and meaning to her hidden
wealth" surprising the pictures OF the
most prophetic orator The present gen
Grafton might IS well realize it IS tu-
/ ture one. FUR b. Low