The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-04-26
LIQUID GOLD FEVER.
RAPID ADVANCE IN OIL HAS RENEWED
EXCITEMENT IN WEST VIRGINIA.


Camden Made His Fortune.
Among the natural resources Of West
Virginia petroleum has always been
rated as third in Importance, coal and
timber taking precedence, but just at
this time superficial observer would
conclude that there is nothing but oil in
the state. This is the result of the liq-
uid gold fever that has been occasioned
by the sudden and rapid rise in the oil
market
Parkersburg being the center and
distributing point Of the West Virginia
oilfeld, it is the place to get the ben
eft Of all the excitement. 1t reminds
one of the days "before the war, when
oil was first struck, and it almost equals
the excitement in California over the
discovery of gold.
Oil was first discovered in West Vir-
ginia and not in Pennsylvania. The
Pennsylvania fields were the first to be
developed, but the discovery belongs to
West Virginia, and the largest oilfield
now in the world is at Sisterville,
about 80 miles above Parkersburg. In
fact, the existence of natural gas, which
is the twin sister of petroleum, was
known to George Washington before the
Revolution.
In 1775, in one Of his surveying expe-
ditions to the Kanawha valley, General
Washington discovered the Burning
spring" He did not understand the
phenomena, but so well assured was he
that it was some rich gift of nature de-
signed for the use Of man that he set
apart and decided to the public forever
an acre of land near the Kanawha river,
about eight miles above Charleston, on
which was the great national wonder.
1t was simply hole in the ground,
which filled with water when it rained
and up through which issued a jet of
gas, giving the water the appearance Of
boiling, and when lighted burned with
bright flame till blown out by the
wind.
In 1915 Captain James Wilson struck
gas well while boring for salt water
in the Kanawha valley.
The coal oil fever broke forth in all
its fury early in 1861, when oil was
discovered at the Burning springs above
Parkersburg It was then that fortunes
were made and lost in a single day.
In that field oil was found at depth
OF from 30 to 800 feet, and in a few
weeks tho whole field was punctured
like a pepper box.
1t was in the oil excitement of 1861
that Senator Camden, who is now class
ed among the wealthiest Of Americas
mjllionaires, got his start. At that time
he was comparatively young man,
with a small law practice in country
town up in the interior Of the state.
Sitting in his room one evening looking
over the daily papers, he suddenly turn
ed to his wife with the remark, "Ann,
my fortune is made"
When she looked for an explanation,
he said: II see here in the paper that
oil has been discovered ON the Little
Kanawha. I am going up there to try
my hand at developing the field The
next morning he borrowed all the mon
ey that his collaterals and the influence
Of friends could scrape together for him
and then struck out for the Burning
spring. In two weeks he had made
enough to pay back his borrowed CAPT.
tai, and from that day to this there has
not been check in the progress Of his
marvellous business career.
The improvement in the method of
refining has advanced with the progress
of the industry, and discoveries have
been made whereby all the refuse mat
ter that was formerly thrown away is
now converted into useful articles of
commerce. It is in this way that the re-
fined oil has been reduced in price from
40 cents a gallon to 10 cents and still
leaves a good profit to the refiners.
Most of the wells that have been late
ly shot in the area of the oil basin have
been good producers, and there is now
q daily output of from 10, 900 to 10, 900
barrels.
Yet experienced oil spectators say