The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-23
WEST VIRGINlAO OH
ATTRACTING GENERAL ATTENTION
And ProaResrs Bscurlus Territory 10 this State II
View Of the Inability Of the Rekions Al.
ready Dsutlopsa 10 Keep Up tbs
SappiJ-PAt and Future or Oh. ...

A timely letter, OF more thna usual local
Interest In West Virginia, appears in The
Philadelphia Pres, from which tho follow:
Ing Is taken:
When the excitement over tho discovery
OF petroleum trst broke out In this country
some OF the Richest yields OF the crude ma.
tsral wers foundIn West Virginia, along The
valley OF the little Kanawha, ana In many
other places. The difficulty OF reaching the
product, the meagre facilities for transpo,ta.
ton, mud, at that time, the distance Of the
helu from civilization, prevented its deyel.
opment. II was entirely overshsdowed by
tue Pennsylvania region, where the veins OF
petroleum Stem 10 be mora concentrated and
us area more distinctly marked. 0..,.
| WHAT lsluRIo WRIST vlIoISiA.
Then again the West Virginia region was
disturbed by Confederate raids aud other
military. operations, 80 that capital and
energy stunned 1t for the Raier territories In
Pennsylvania. Those and the other circum.
stancea already mentioned barred tbe invest
msnt OF capital in tho West Virginia oil
region, until its rich indications wer9 almost
forgotten Hut the creation OF pipe liues, The
organization Of great oil companies and the
concentration, OF capital and wells In the
limited tisid oil Pennsylvania have made II
evident, within the last year, that new deye!.
opments must DO made 10 meet tho constant
~ increasing demand for oil products.
The bold which the Standard Compsuy.
with its 10000 miles Of pipes. has SECURED
upon the Penney lyania oil territory Is forcing
large producers, WHO wish relief from dlc,E.
ton and chance for individual enterprise,
10 LOOK for new fields. Moreover, the pro.
uuotion hes now, for tho first time In ten
years. fallen below tho demand, and, for tho
last Biz months, there has been constant
drain upon the tanks.
| OLD rRgHITosIE9 OVER TAXED.
For the last nine years the production of
oil 80 far exceeded the shipments that the
stock stored IN tunka reacned, during the
summer Of 1883, SG.372 600 barrels. This
vast surplus Is now being levied upon, for
the YIELD will no longer meet the daily de.
nsand. This statement OF the oil operators Is
further borne out by the fact that the re-.
ported daily production oil the Pennsylvania
wells has fallen from liz. 600 to 65 900 bar.
rels day. Then the new territory capable OF
deveiopnentinP Pennsylvania Is not large ant
1t Is 81 held within tho grip OF the Standard
monopoly as to otter little encouragement
LOT Individual operators. Indeed, the crush.
ing po"e. Of tho grsat corporation that has
paIa!yzsd SO much individual enterprise,
, e.
Ing now mon and new combinations Of CAP
ltal 10 saek for fields outside its Influence.
Ihe recent alliance between the Stand
ard and It's old enemy the Tidswa!er has has
tened this step, and, perhaps, more than any
other one thing Is driving personal cspitaI
from Pennsylvania coil.
THE ENTERPRISE IN WET VIRGINIA,
Toward the inviting fsld In West Virpin;a
y 10 INIT etb ,
Many obstaclesin the way OF s1ccst sful opers.
tons III this new state hsye been removed
since the var. Several new railroads have
been hnlltand Tho Government has made the
G!tat kanawha navigablo at all seasons
The Little kanawha ha, also been opened for
small boats for sons distance. Remembering
the great yields 1t Burnt. z SPRING. In We.l
Virginia, whsro Senator Camden, now a
director OF the Steudard OH Company, fsjd.
even during the war, the foundation Of his
fortunes, and remembering the alluring indi-
cations OF years ago, not only along the Lii.
tle ksnaWna, but IN ell that belt OF country
following the Western foothills Of
Inc Appalachian range, the interests
crowded out in Pennsylvania sre now max.
Ing an organ'z.d effort to devslope these nc
elected fields. For months sssats have hem
busy buying land and securing leases MI The
way from the headwaters OF the Little Ks.
nawha 10 below Charleston. Tho CHARLESTON
region has never been thoroughly tested for
oil, out In boring salt wells in this saline bal,
crude petroleum hus proved such q nuisance
10 the operations that time ind time again
the most valuable Ralt wells baye been SHAN
doned to the greasy oveitloT. Instances have
been known where the flow OF oil was SO ex-
uherant that tho wells have been plugged IN
by order Of Court. These are only retarded
as surface indications. The general opiniuu
OF geolog!sls Is tina! the richest oil sand has
never yet been struck in the valley skirtiug
the Great kanawha.
PENNSYLVANIA SYNDICATE,