Miscellaneous. 325 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



THE OIL WELLS OP MECCA. 

 by Dr. J. S Newberry. 



Within the past week I have made a pilgrimage to Mecca, 

 somewhat to my edification, and now perhaps you would be in- 

 terrested in a very brief description of this newly found " city of 

 the profit.^'' 



This modern Mecca is, as you are perhaps aware, situated near 

 the centre of Trumbull countv, ten miles north-east of "Warren. 

 Till recently — like so many towns on the Reserve, and their pro- 

 totypes, the farming towns of New England — simply the pleasant 

 and very quiet home of a peaceful and thrifty rural population, 

 ' In March last, however, the Oil Springs, which had been well 

 known to the inhabitants for fifty years, and from their contami- 

 nating influence on the water, regarded as anything but a bless- 

 ing — attracted the attention of some Pennsylvanians, whose eyes 

 had been opened by the wonders of Oil Creek. These parties 

 leased from the proprietors most of the lands in the vicinity of 

 the springs and wells containing oil. In the face of general in- 

 credulity and much ridicule, a well was bored at Powers' Corners 

 by Messrs. Burnell, Jordan & Woods, and a pump set in it some 

 six weeks since. This has continued to discharge three or four 

 barrels of oil daily, from that time to the present, silencing ridi- 

 cule but producing little excitement. 



Many were encouraged to bore on their lots, and two weeks 

 ago to-day the second pump was put in operation. This was 

 owned by two Germans who were quite poor, and who had strug- 

 gled on, nearly discouraged, until their somewhat rude machinery 

 could be put in motion. With the first stroke of the pump the 

 oil began to flow, as it has done steadily since, at the rate of about 

 twenty -five gallons per hour, or from 12 to 16 barrels per day. 

 The proprietors are raised from their poverty and despondence to a 

 point far above their^wildest hopes. After seeing the oil flowing 

 in a copious and steady stream, and the triumphant success of the 

 experiment demonstrated, one of them turned to the crowd, and 

 carried away by his feelings, said, "I tell you now, gentlemen, if 



