The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-05-30
FROM PENNSYLVANIA.
NEWSr LETTER To THE MANCHES-
7ERDEpARTMENTOF THE TINES.
Oh wills (o,l Bed, Customs. scenery
Round About the southwe-tern
Corner of That State.

When asked 10 contribute a letter TO
your WOmans Edition Of The Times [
hesitated. wondering II anything from
this part OF the country would Interest,"
your readers.
But everything here is so totally diff
forent from southern Virginia that n
short description may not be uninter-
estlng There are few parts @. our coun-
try richer than this southwestern corner
OF Pennsylvania. With a rich loamcy
soil. it yields heavy crops OF wheat
and corn, and It's apples. like lts wool.
are world famous. The scenery Is fine.
being "a succession OF hills dotted with
groves OF chestnut walnut and oak
trees, and still more thlckly with oil
derrcks.
OIL DTRRIcKs.
You, who have never rc6n an cil der
rick san scarcely imagine how they
add TO the picturesquenoss OF the cOun-
try. At a distance thcy look Ike endless
church steeples. They are eighty feet
high IN this section, where they drll
twenty-five hundred feet for the oil 1
was fortunate enough to see what they
call 'gusher'; that Is a well that pro-
duces some seycnty-iive barrels Of oil In
an hour when first struck. The oil
came rushing out and before they got
1t under control sent up jet over a
hundred feet high.
The oil is Of rich. green color and
the fumes. or rather the gas. as YOU
breathe IL OF 4 tank, produces a species
of ntoxication.
The most OF the oil from this section
is plped by the Standard oil Company
70 the eastern seaports. The whole c0un-
try IS threaded by these pipes. which are
about an inch in diameter. Pumping
stations give II the impetus that car
ries II over the mountains
However, an OIL well is not as exciting
as when gas Is struck. A large gas well
before it Is under control Is something
TO remember Tor a life time. For three
days we had a roar tn II could be heard
for miles. Near. 10 sounded Ike the
rumble OF some sixty trains OF cars all
pressed into one.
ITs coAI-DfDs.
In addition TO all this wealth above
and below ground. from nearly every
hillside we dig the soft coal. Ibis coal IS
so like the coal Of the Glover Hin mines,
in Chesterfield county. that wonder
sometimes that II we bored FOR gas and
oil down there II we would not md them.
How would IL be for this WOman's Eci-
ton OF The Times 10 advocate IL?
The lie Moyne Crcmat0ry Is another
Interesting place on one OF our hill sides.
IL Is the first built IN this country. ana
can now only be used by people OF the
county, although formerly people were
brought from all over the country. The
use OF gas IN II has enabled more sue
cessful cremations possible In less time
and with more certainty as 10 results.
This is quite an educational centre, and
Washington and Jefferson College has
graduated some OF the brightest men IN
our country, notably James @. Balm.
whose birthplace is In this county.
The people are OF Sc0tch-Irish descent
and Il is a strong Presbyterian settle
ment. The United rresbyterlans are es-
peclally prominent Every one says.
sabbath for Sunday and they observe
Il as though II hal something more In
II than Is usually found-the extra let
ter makes difference.
This may account for their great ma
;erial prosperity. and II we fail In dis
covering oil and gas In the neishborhood
Of Richmond We might try the Puritan
Sabbath. although l suspect some people
would rather be poor and happy.
MARTHA c. DAAPNAN.
Washington, Pa. May 18Th