The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-11-29
miscellaneous.
A MARYLANDER's OPINION OF OHIO.

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LIMA, ONO, Nov. II, 1882
came into the "Hustlng West" last April
and ever since then have been looking for an
opportunity 10 give your readers some ac-
count Of what is going on in Northwest Ohio.
In the first place the "OhiO idea" is very prev
aent. These people labor under the false i'm
preston that there is nothing good outside
of Ohio. They are, so to speak, a country
population, of small, narrow views, and the
bulk Of them have never been away from
home since the war. During the war they
engaged largely in Southern excursions, and
many of them have relics of that period in the
shape of wooden legs, &c, and suspect re.
ioice in the possession of pieces of furniture
from looted Southern homes, but that was all
right from their stand point, and war is
war. But to return to the present
have seen in the Baltimore papers lately,
various accounts of the enormous progress OF
the West, aud the inclination is shown by
Maryland people TO run down their own
State. All this "husting' business is very
pretty on paper, but TO one who has lived in
a thoroughly civilized country like the East
ern States, all these claims are superficial
when you come to examine them. The whole
line of Improvements that seem to astonish
us so are II mere outside shell, with nothing
in it.
New countries can never have the comforts
of old ones, but the people out here have the
cOnCeit to think that they have more than we
have. The town of Lima, for instance, is
about so years old. 1t will advertise itself as
having electric lights, electric cars, city water
works, and all sorts of modern Things, that
some of our old towns have never reached, and
may never reach, but all the same our old
towns have all the solid comforts of life. The
electric lights are strung so far apart that you
break your neck at night. in the dark places
between them. The electric cars are delu-
sion and snare. Sometimes they run and
sometimes they don't. They are so far apart
and break down so often that they are only
used by strangers who happen to catch them.
The water from the water works is so bud
that every house must have cslern. The
streets are supposed to be macadamized, but
are mass Of mud in wet weather. The town
10000 people in ii. No such thing as gar
bage system is known. You must keep your
pig or burn the stuff in the back yard. The
stores on the main streets get up bonfres
every night in front of their places to con-
sumo the sweepings and old boxes.
The whole thing is so crude that you look
on it with astOnishmt yet if a Lima man
went East he would turn up his nose at old
she was slow, and would
dilate on his town to such an extent that you
would think the place paradise. 1t to him,
as he knows nothing better. He would tell
you that the markets were all that could be
needed, while for II fact the only markets are
some provision stores, that all put together
do not have as many vegetables MS one vege-
table stall in the Lexington market. From
his stand point it's all right, because he has
never seen anything else.
N IL. l. l,,.. 4 II
this progressive talk. The average OHIO man
don't seem TO want anything but "side" and
potatoes.
You will find in this part of Ohio that most
of tue big enterprises are in the hands of peo-
pie who have lately come from the East. The
"nalives" are awtully slow, and they dote on
what they call Il hustler and point to him
with pride. My experience is that it is II
good plan to keep as tar as possible from the
native "hustler," as lie soon gets tired and
don't work unless you watch him He starts
off with dash but his "sde" and potatoes
don't hold out.
Having roasted Ohio, so to speak, will
endeavor to tell you ome;hing interesting
This place is in the heart of one OF the oil
fields, about 10 miles long by 2 miles
wide Z; the oil line runsN. L. and
s. w. Get out of this line and the
chances of finding oil are slim. The Stand |
ard Oil Company have control of about 80
per cent. of this field and before long will con-
troll almost all OF it. They have in this field
about 500 iron tanks, placed about 800 feet
apart, each tank holding 10000 barrels. The
tanks are about 100 feet in diameter Such
tanks cost about $1,000 and group of these
is call called tank farm. An the tanks
are connected by system of pipe lines. The
tanks are kept full. Tue wells are about 200
feet deep and 5 inches in diameter, lined
with 5 inch pipe; inside the Inch pipe is
dropped inch pipe reaching to the bottom
of the well ; inside the 2 inch pipe runs
wooden sucker rod, made in joints. There
is valve and sucker at the bottom of the
inch pipe, 1900 feet down. The sucker rod
is fastened to walking beam driven by 10
horse engine and the oil is pumped to the
surface in this way and delivered into small
wooden tanks of about 200 barresand from
them pumped to the iron lanks The average
well yields in this field about 40 barrels per
day. There are few wells that flow naturally.
this case the 2 inch pipe and sucker rods
are done away with. The oil is driven up by
the gas; most wells whether pumped or
flowing furnish enough gas to run the boiler |
and with the necessary machinery. Some of
them in this field are 3 years old and still
pumping well.
One well to acres is considered about the
right thing. The derricks are about rs feet
high, about 90 feet square at the bottom,
tapering 10 about 4 feet at the top. They are
made of 2 by 6 inch stuff. The derricks are
used to bore the well and likewise to do the
pumping and also the cleaning out when
necessary. When well is finished it is Shot"
About 100 quarts of glycerine is let down In
long tin cases, and when 1t is all down piece
of steel about ~ inches long and inch in
called go devil, is dropped down
and falls on tho lin cans OF the explosive The
man who drops the go devil, runs like the
Gevil Gf may be allowed to use the express
sion,) until he gets off about 500 feet when
the explosion occurs You hear dull thud
and roar the oil, water and pieces of rock |
spout up in the air 200 feet and cover the der
rick and surrounding ground. The flow of
oil is sometimes enormous. There are APP
planes ready and men rush in the flowing
oil and shut in the well, ill sufficient tan ks are
provided to hold the oil, and il the well con-
times to flow the oil is piped off to the tanks
The oil is found in what they call "the sand"
aporu Us n ok. Il will send you pece) The |
object in shooting is TO enlarge the cavity at |
the bottom of the well so as to give free |
flow to the oil; no one knows how big |
cavity is made. Finishing well is "a deli |
cate job, as the sand" is very thin and If they
go through it they strike salt water and water
drives all the oil away. This whole country
is underlaid with salt water. Gas wells are |
similar to oil wells, producing gas instead of
OIL and no pumping is required, the gas
rushes TO the top of the WELL is caught in
pipes and carried where it is to be used. Gas
is not found ordinarily where the most oil is
good oil territory is not good gas territory,
but both are equally valuable. The gas is
now carried in pipe lines several hundred
miles.
Natural gas for household purposes is big
thing My house in Toledo would require
about $120 worth of coal in year. 1 pay
about 500 per year for the gas you pay by
til Aear, according to the size of your house, d
OF Rber of fires, and no matter whether
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