Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-05-16
COAL OIL AND GAS

The coal oil and gas indication
testimony multiplies in Licking
creek valley. Emery McCahan
was in town on Saturday and he
took occasion to say that he has all
his life known of salt licks and
burning gas in Licking creek val
ley. He was born in that valley.
His grand fathers brother Paul
McCahan had settled in the Wy
oming Valley and fell a victim to
the Indian massacre. He said he
thought it would have been a good
thing if the Indians had come into
Licking creek valley and massacr-
ed all the McCahans for having
settled in such a place and yet the
valley is not such dreadfully bar
rem valley and something good may
yet come out of Nazereth when the
region is properly developed. His
grand mother was sister of Cen
eral Nathaniel Green of RevOlu
tionary fame and she had often
told the McCabans of people in her
day, who made salt at a number of
the licks. He can locate the place
of some of the licks though the cut
ting of the timber and the clearing
of the land on the banks of the
creek has changed the course Ofthe
stream considerably. When he
was about II years old an aged In
dian accompanied by his son came
into the valley. They were from
the Ohio reservation. The older
Indian had lived in Licking creek
valley. They remained at his
fathers house and at Mr.. Augh-
ey's house quite awhile The In
dian and his son spent most Of
their time in the woods and after
being there some time exhibited
pieces of silver bearing rock. The
settlers then began to watch and
follow the Indian to find out where
the silver rock might be, but the
red man was too wiley for the pale
face and they had their pains for
their trouble. The two left the
valley expressing the purpose to
return to Ohio.
The gas manifestations have
been known to him since his earl
lest boyhOod days. He does not
claim to have geological knowledge
sufficient to classify the rocks and
tell in which rocks oil and gas
have been found, but many times
he has seen gas afiame on the wat
ers of Licking creek. A number
of times when fishing with others,
wading in the water in certain
places when fire dropped from
their torches the bubbles took fire.
The bubbles were gas bubbles He
recounted the occasion of a great
fright that was given couple OF
friends one night. The friends
had no knowledge what could be
produced on the water and at a
certain place on the creek the Wis
iting fishers were placed and then
he and several others agitated the
waters behind their friends and
set the gas coming out of the
water afire. Their friends wert
frightened almost into fits. HI
mentioned the occasion of he and
another young man cleaning a
spring that is not far from thu
present Lutheran church in Lick
ing creek valley. By some means
some of the fire they had on thu
bank fell into the spring and il
took flame and the blaze produced
heat. At this point in Mr.. Nc
Cahan's narrative an interruption
took place and the subject wa
dropped. Mr.. McCahan's state
ment confirms that of others Of thu
coal oil and gas indications, in tn
salt and burning gas, and the fac
that geOlogically the valley is 10
Gated high above the Trenton
limestone in which rocks some o
the greatest oil and gas wells hav'
been found, greatly strengthen