Year: 1871

phur, as they are termed. The white
sulphur flows bountitully from several
springs about two miles from town, and
here baths, and bowling and ample shade
invite hosts of people from the sur
rounding country. The black waters are
not popular with humans, but il is a
fact, here as everywhere else where the
black and white sulphur waters are each
accessible to stock, that the animals
seem instinctively to prefer the black,
and men of observation have remarked
that horses and cattle accustomed to
drink this water, which is so repulsive
to human beings, are seldom if ever sick,
and thrive much better than animals con-
fined to what is usually termed pure
water.


After traversing this region pretty
thoroughly with view to an accurate
knowledge of its geographical structure,
and becoming convinced, as was init.
mated in our last communication, that
gas was accessible here, we intimated as
much to several parties, and among
them Mr.. Fields of the Fisk House, who
owns farm about two miles from town,
and between the railway and the lake.
This conversation drew ont several facts
in this connection. On the farm of Mr..
Fields, many years ago, well was sunk
fifty feet TO the rock, without striking
water, and four inch hole was then
sunk into the rock to the depth of forty
feet, thus attaining a total depth OF
ninety feet, when volume of water and
gas was reached. The gas was then
new and useless commodity, no one
knowing anything about it, and super-
stitious people even feared it, as well
they might from the results in this in.
stance. As the story goes, an employee
upon the farm wishing to examine the
well, approached it with lantern, when
an explosion of very great force took
place, throwing the man twenty or more
feet, burning his hair about all off and
otherwise injuring him, while the lantern
was never atterward seen. | am also in
'ormed that in the bottom of the creek,
which has worn deep cbasm along the
eastern border OF the village, are several
places where people have amused them
selves by setting fire to small jets of gas
which are constantly escaping from the
shale. In swamp not far away from
town the gas rises through the water in
such quantities as, when lighted, to burn
Tor a considerable time, or until puff
of wind extinguishes it. II is also fire.
quently developed in sinking wells of
only ordinary depth, in most all parts OF
town. From these facts, for regard
these statements as perfectly reliable, We
can deduce the conclusion not ouly that
there is an abundance of gas in this Vi
cinity, but what is more important than
all else, it is developed at point several
hundred feet nearer the surface of the
earth than at Erie, and is, consequently,
all the more valuable. hazard the
opinion: that Ashtabula will evenly
realize many times as much material
wealth from the carboniterous gases now
lying idle within a few hundred feet OF
the surface, aud accessible to every man
who owns land enough TO inclose his re-
mains after death, than it would bn
possible Tor it TO realize from the anited
railways of christendom could they
all be tracked through the town.
1t is of itself point where outside
business now centralizes. 1t may be-
come, like other manufacturing places, a
centre for certain branches of trade, but
these must he built up within the town,
as they undoubtedly will eventually be.
Were il possible to create in the ravine
near the town hydraulic power sufficient
to propel mills and factories which would
require many thousands of people TO
operate them, can any one suppose the
people here would 'rest upon their oars"
until such power was secured and put to
use? And yet, unquestionably, there
exists here power for propelling ma
chinery infinitely safer and cheaper than
water, and to an almost unlimited ex-
tent, to which few give attention and
none put forth hand to develope it. 1t
may be thought that am too sanguine
and devote far too much space to the
gaseous products of this region. But my
excuse is that regard this product OF
nature as of no secondary Importance.
1t is the cheapest source of power on
earth, infinitely cheaper than water or
coal, or even wood where wood costs
nothing hut the trouble of showing u,l-
der O. boiler, as in lumber mills and man
ufatcories of wooden ware. And this is
not far from the centre where this pro-
duct will ultimately be found in greatest
abundance. Were il newly developed
water power or coal bed, there would be
a worldwide excitement over it's dscov-
cry, and spectators would rush from far
and near TO secure it. At the East the
price of mill-power is $l3,333. In my
opinion a mill-power can be developed
here for less than one-tenth that sum-
How then can the Importance of this
product be over-estimated 4? No one can
monopolize it. Even the labor reform
ers ought to be satisfied with Its perva-
siveness. Like the air around us every
where. Shall it not be utilized? q?


Did you ever visit cheese factory p
If you have never done let me advise
you never to pass one without calling, il
it is tor no other purpose than to see
with what SURPRISING neatness it is kept
in every department. An establishment
Of this kind is in successful operation
near this town, and to this we have paid
a visit 1t is joint stock concern, un
, Aa. tho tonhanna of Mr. Rriuns