Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-01-19

from the earth, others were stable and
remain to this day as memorials to the
rise of this great industry. In time
great oil fields were opened up close to
Plttsburg. Then the Washington and
Greene county iIelds in Southwestern
Pennsylvania were broguht in and lat
er the West Virginia fields were open
ed up. The Lima field of Ohio and
the fields of Indiana in thier turn were
opened up, and other States Joined in
the procession.
For over a quarter of century from
the time of. its opening the New York
achlan field stood alone in the produc-
tion of petroluem, and there was not a
producing well outside the Appal-
achian field until the opening of the
Lima field, begun in 1856. In 1S49
about 1000 barrels of oilwere produced
about Titusville, Pennsylvania. The
production of that region in the year
1860 was 5O00 900 barrels, and ten years
later Pennsylvania was producing up
wards OF 100000 barrels annually.
Ae production of the New York and
Pennsylvania region in the year 1880
was 26,027,631 barrels, and in 1882,
when this region produced 30,O53, 500
barrels the climax was reached. The
production of this region in 1890 was
28, ASS, ,20S barrels and in 1896, 20,4S4,-
421 barrels were produced. Titusville,
Oil City, Franklin, Pithole, and other
towns have successively'beent the center
of this oil country, and ever since the
first well was put down there has been
4 constant shifting of the center of the
industry. Within the last decade the,
oil territory developed about Pittsburg
and in Southwestern Pennsylvania has
virtually made Pittsburg the center of
the oil business, and the development
of the West Virginia region has assist
ed Pittsburg in retaining her mastery
While oil in considerable quantities
was produced in West Virginia as ear
ly as 1875, it was until the year 1885
that the oil business in that mountain
state was really begun in earnest.
West Virginia's production in that
year was 1900 barrels. In 1890 that
state produced 492,57S barrels, and the
next year the Sistersville region was
brought in, and the production OF that
state was increased to 2,406,21S barrels,
and the production for 1896 was 1O,-
J19,770 barrels The Southern Ohio re-
gion, included in the Appalachian
field, was an early producing section.
In 1880 it produced 3S,49O barrels, and
in 1885, when the Lima field was de-
veloped, Ohio produced 661 $50 barrels.
In 1890 Ohio produced 1924, ,656 bar
rels, and in 1896 she led all other states
having a production in that year of
23,941, 169 barrels. California pro-
duced oil as early as 1875. The Cali
| fornia field is located in the southern
part of that state. Its production in
1880 was 40,552 barrels. In 1890 Cali
fornia produced 307,36O barrels and in
1896 its production was 1,252,777 bar
rels. The first recorded production of
the Colorado field was in 1891, when
the production was76,295 barrels. In
1890 that mountain state produced
}6S,S42 barrels. Its production in1S92
was $4,000 barrels, and in 1896 this
| bad duyindlad oe1 IEn harrale rNba
| production of Kentucky and Tennessee
never was large, and very little oil is
| now produced in these states The
Indiana part of the Lima field was de-
veloped in 1889, and that year Indiana
produced 1895 barrels. New regions
we're developed in 1898, and Indiana's
production in that year was 1886, 1893
barrels and in 1896 it produced 1885,
| 1872 barrels.
Thus we have given in detail the op-
ening and production of the oil fields
| Of our country and the production of
the different states at different periods
in the growth and development of the
industry. 1t will be seen that the Lima
and Indiana fields now lead all others,
having in 1896 produced 1890, ,222 bar
rels, against the 25,255, $40 barrels pro-
duced in the Appalachian field. 1t, is
only when we pause to consider the
magnitude of the work required to ex-
tract from the bowels of the earth the
great latent store of Natures contribu-
ton to modern industry that the mag
nitude OF the oil trade becomes fully
settled in the mind. There are today
not less than -0,000 producing wells in
this country, and every year thousands
are being added to these. The dry
holes" 1t must be remembered,far out
number the producing wells, and in
these millions of dollars are lost every
year
America led in the opening of her oil
fields. Since the development of the
industry IN this country oil-producing
fields have been developed in foreign
countries. More than two thousand
years ago petroluem in its crude state
was known to the Greeks and Romans,
and for centuries the springs and wells
of the Rangoon district, on the IRA
waddy, have supplied the entire popu-
lation of British India .BaEu, now the
center Of the great Russian oil fields,
mas supplied Persia with artificial light
and for more than two centuries Par