316 THE PETROLEUM SPRINGS OF WESTERN CANADA. 
the lands in Enniskillen, on which the superficial deposits of asphalt 
occur, for the purpose of using it as a substitute for coal in the man- 
ufacture of such oils, it being ascertained to contain 80 per cent. of 
yolatile matters. It was soon discovered, however, on penetrating 
below the asphalt, that the material could be obtained in large quan- 
tities in the fluid state, and consequently much nearer the condition re- 
quired in the manufacture. Ultimately the whole adventure devolved 
upon Mr. Williams, to whom alone is due the merit of developing this 
branch of industry in Canada, as well as of pointing out the road to 
success in the same direction in the United States. The capital 
which Mr. Williams and his associates have invested in the works is 
over $42,000. 
At first the distillation was carried on at the wells, but latterly the 
per centage of loss in refining being so small (about 30 or 35 per 
cent.), it was deemed expedient to remove the works to Hamilton, and 
convey the crude oil thither in barrels. The total quantity which has 
been raised by Mr. Williams is about 200,000 gallons. Mr. Williams 
has now five wells in more or less successful operation, yielding on an 
average from 600 to 800 gallons per day; but the amount which the 
wells are capable of yielding has never been thoroughly tested, as the 
difficulty attending the transportation from the wells to the railway 
station—a distance of about sixteen miles—has hitherto restricted the 
yield. At first the oil flowed into the wells unmixed with water, but 
latterly, although the supply is undiminished, large quantities of water 
are associated with it, insomuch as to render it necessary to use steam 
pumps to drain the wells. 
The success which attended Mr. Williams’ operations speedily in- 
duced other adventurers to enter upon the same field; and similar 
oil springs having been found to exist in Pennsylvania, our excitable 
and speculative neighbours rushed with characteristic eagerness into 
the business; and detachments from the main body soon invaded the 
more peaceful and primitive regions of Enniskillen—probing and 
torturing the earth in all directions, and polluting the air and the 
waters with the stench and scum of the oil. The success which has 
attended their operations has been in many instances very fair, and in 
one or two highly favourable; but in the great majority of cases the 
lottery has turned up blanks, though there is certainly no lack of gas 
to buoy up the spirits of the adventurers. Mr. Williams seems to have 
struck the main artery, and indeed the fact of the superficial deposits 
