Year: 1865

| .' correspondence OF the Ch1cago Times.


A Visit to the OIL r. Reglons.


| SnArFER's FARM, Pa, Feb. 20.


Skaters farm lies on the right bank OF


Oil creek twelve miles above Oil City and
eighteen miles above Franklin, and may be
said to be the head Of horse navigation on


the stream upon which it lies. A railroad,
called the OIL Creek railroad, reaches down
here from the Atlantic and Great Western
road. thus giving it sort of direct connec.
ton with civilization. 1t is place which
has two or three small hotels, several
clothing shops kept by the Ubiquitous Is-
raelite, and depot, which is small wood.
en- island surrounded by an ocean Of oil in
barrels. ... -.
would not advise the pleasure seektr,
especially if he be at all Sybaritic in his
tastes, to select the route from Gil City to
Shaffer's. If he have money and time
enough to let him 60 to Lake Superior or
the Lake Of Como, or through the Dismal
than here, for anywhere else will he find
fewer discomforts than in the dozen miles
which separate this place from the mouth
Of Oil creek. Without doubt it is jour.
ney full Of novelty, and not wholly bereft
Of beauty. Majestic bluffs rise up on 9th.
er side, almost shutting out the sky and
world. In these, and the narrow, ragged
ribbon Of heaven overhead are much to
awaken admiration. But these aesthetic
qualities, will in no.wise compensate for
being jolted twelve miles in lumber wag-
gon, during which operation the stream
has to be crossed some half dozen times,
either by swimming the horses or ventur-
ing over on ice that seems to possess any
thing but strength. To the oil seeker,
however, the route is what the exclusive
possession Of several thousand Houris
would be to sanctified Mussulman-a
thing of endless delight. 1t is along this
route, between Oil City and Skaters, that
the richest part Of the oil region lies, and
where its wonderful developments may be
seen to the best advantage.


The average width of the valley through
which this portion of Oil creek runs is
about one-fourth Of mile, of which the
stream occupies width Of some seventy
yards. From bluff to bluff, and from Oil
City to Shaffer's the derricks are as thick
as they can possibly stand. They resem
ble close forest, or crowd of masts along
the wharves OF some empire city. A short





east bank Of the creek stream known as
Cherry run, whose valley, for miles above,
is as thickly studded with derIcks as is
the valley of Oil creek. Not far above
Cherry run, another stream, called Cherry
Tree run, empties into the opposite side Of
Oil creek, and its valley presents the same
forest Of derricks that are shown by the
others.


Some of these derrlcks and their eccom-
panying buildings are new, showing them
to be Of recent erection, but majority of
them have weather stained appearance
that marks them as the creation of the
earlier days Of oil mining. In addition to
these numberless derricks, there are engine
and other buildings so thickly built that,
for the entire distance, the appearance is
that nf a rnnnlnns city--


In addition to these objects Of interest.
there are others to be found in the fact
that along here are found the farms of the
celebrated oil millionaires, with whose
humble origin and marvellous leap into un.
told wealth the whole country is already
familiar. Just below the mouth of Cherry
run lines McClintock, next Buchanan, then
tho McClintock, then Rynd, Tarr, Blood,
Funk, DR.. Egbert, and others Of equal
wealth and notoriety.


feel bound, in this connection, to state
that most of the tales told about the
amount of wealth realized by these men
are outrages exagerations. Fer instance,
it is related that old Tarr received two and
q half millions from the sale of half his
farm, and refused little amount for the
other, because, as he said, he did not know
what to do with the money. The truth is
that Tarr got about 100000 for his sales,
and no more; although the same pro.
property could not to-day be bought for
less than fifty times that amount. Tarr
is not the one who was benefited from this
ence between the first cost and present
value, not only of Tarr's place, but all the
others, is deposited somewhere to the credit
of shrewd gentlemen in New York and
Philadelphia,


The men who originally bought these
farms, and not those who originally sold
them, are the ones who have realized these
vast fortunes. m.


Still the fortunes acquired by the first
owners are comparatively colossal. Before
the oil excitement began, their property
was almost valuelcss,-would not, in fact,
through the entire valley Of Oil creek, aver.
age value Of five dollars per acre. They
and their fathers and grandfathers occupied
this country and managed to obtain Just
bare existence from their possessions.-
They were remote from markets, from
schools. and civilization. They grew up
with scarcely more knowledge than was
possessed by the lean horses that dragged
the plow over their sterile lands. They
knew nothing of luxury, Of refinement, OF
the substantial comforts attending the pos
session Of wealth. Hence, when such men
were able to dispose of their almost worth.
less lands for sums which made each the
owner Of fifty or one hundred Thousand dol,
lars, it 10 no exaggeration to say that the
fortune was enormous. Comparatively, then
these men are royalty wealthy; in reality
mon magnitude. While thousand dollars
would be gigantic fortune for beggar
for cold victuals, it would only be pin mon.
ney for single shopping expedition of the
wives Of some Of our men Of substantial
wealth.


1t is noticeable Circumstances, in riding
up the valley Of Oil creek, that not more
than one in fifty of the wells is engaged in
being sunk, and also that not more than
one in ten is pumping oil. Nine Of every
ten are idle. The reason Of this | cannot
tell. inquired Of various individuals the
matter. One was out Of coal; another had
broken his engine; third was waiting for
q new rope; oil, in fact, who were idle, ap-
pearcd, from their own statements, to be
so not because their wells were exhausted,
or because they did not expect TO strike oil,
but for the reason that, just at that parti
cular moment, something had broken. or
the supply of some essential material had
given out. The fact, however, that it is