Year: 1864

Via wheeling to Parkersburg.
burning Springs, and Other Places
Some eight columns of the Philadelphia
Press of last Monday are devoted to the
wordy account of person who has just
returned to that city from an exploration
of the oil regions of West Virginia, East
ern Ohio, and Western Pennsylvania
The most of his very long account is taken
up with his experiences in this State
Parts OF his notes are quite readable, but
as whole, his story might have been
compressed into half the space occupied,
and been much better told at that. He passed
through Wheeling on his way to PHrkers-
burg, and took boat here for that city,
What he says of this part of his trip may
have sort of local interest for some of
our readers along the shore, bat it is not
otherwise interesting. 1t is as follows
Our Patkersburg friends will not thank
him for his ill-natured and unjust remarks
about matters and things down there:


1t was a cold November day, but We
managed to coax enough sunshine out of
the leaden skies to make our trip rather
pleasant. 1t was in the morning when we
left Wheeling, and the night was far ad-
yanced when we reached ParkersOurg. A re-
cOnnoitering party reported that there was
neither room or entertainment for man in
the town, and we were content to pass
the night in our little cubby hOled state
rooms. As the boat returned before sun
rise, we were driven on shore by q pertin-
-ln rt1ll nd h,1F1
and disposed to be resentful towards the
falling rain. l should certainly recon-
mend Parkersburg to any gentleman


whose propensities are amphibious. The
delightful uncertainty as to whether we
| were on land or water, and the ingenuity
with which every deceptive pool was scan


ned, would have been charming to philo-


sophie men. We were not philosophers,
who had huddled around the stove in the
bar room OF the Swami House and looked
at the bar keeper deprecatinglY, as men
who had neither house nor home, and,
therefore, were in the condition of uninVi-
ted guests or poor relations. We were
nothing but poor oil-hunters, who came
merely to get rich. We had heard of the
many feasts and the great good things
that Petroleum was giving his subjects,
and We came as crumb hunters. Where
so much was given there might be some
thing To spare, and what is the use of
working tor living when we can prosper
by our wits l believe this was the feel
ing of a majority of all who sPlashed
through the mud and CROPPED their way to
the hotel. One OF them was a eight-seeing
gentleman all the way from England, who
carried with him number of old fashioned
trunks, and, not being in the oil business,
felt disposed to be Cross. We became
friends-for had neither oil stocks nor
oil lands, and no interest in King Petrole-
um beyond the bright, golden, dazzling
light that bTightens up this page as |
write. So VIC felt the sympathy of petu


lance, and the vengeance bestowed upon
ill-natured domestics and tardy waiting
men was sublime. My English friend
gave us q dissertation upon coffee that as
tonished the breakfast table, and when,
after rejecting four cups, he expressed q
profane Willingness to go down into the
kitchen and make it himself, the money
changers and speculators of Parkersburg
began to feel that there was one of the
number who could not be tempted into an
accomplishing allegiance to the new re-
Rime. ! gave that Englishmau my love,
and when he told me, through two weary
hours, about the hounds of Yorkshire aud
the many virtues possessed by his cousin,
the Lord OF Roastueef, felt that my self
denial and long suffering found slight
return for his trankness and energy.


PARKERsRURG-


Parkersburg is the oil metropolis of tho
West Virginia district. At the junction of
the Ohio and Kanawha rivers and con-
nected with the north and west by branch
of the Baltimore and Ohio railway, it COM
mands all the trade of the West Virginia
valley. 1t is within easy distance of Ma
rietta the metropolis of the Ohio district;
of all the rilway connections OF the coun-
try, ,and thirty-six hours from New York or
Chicago 1t is struggling, imperfect, un-
| finished town, which had in earlier days
been prosperous, bat upon which the blight
of war had fallen and dried up the sap and
vigor. Many rich men live here. How
rich men could content themselves to dwell
| in a place of this kind is a mystery OF
money getting that cannot explain. The
oil princes-to use common phrase-dO
not spend all their wealth here, however.


They make their money and hurry away


with il regarding this as kind OF oily


Rialto, where good money is to be gath
cred up and carried to other markets. The
class OF men who live here are, therefore,
unlike the men that ploughed up Calltor-
mia and are now ploughing up Colorado


There is very. little gambling, no bowie
knives, and little of that primatiVe civill'
zation which disgraced the Pacific coast
and made a vigilance committee necessary
We are SO near New York and Phlladel'


Phia that capitalists may come and see for
themselves and relarn in ten days.-The


only difficulty is with the .guerrillas. If 6


man is NERVOUS and not belieYer in pre-