488 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 



burgh, and Cleveland Railroad was constructed, and the expense to 

 wagon it over bad roads caused the business to languish. Now the rail- 

 road is finished, the excessive product in Pennsylvania, and the ex- 

 tremely low price, render, for the time being, operations of this kind 

 uninviting. 



But I have no doubt that there are large quantities of excellent oil 

 in the subterranean fissures in Aurelius awaiting the drill and the 

 pump, and it will be a source of wealth to those who will conduct their 

 business wisely and economically. A well has recently been bored by 

 Mr. Rice, a little east of the Buell well, which yields one hundred and 

 fifty barrels a day, and another larger well has still more recently been 

 obtained in the same neighborhood. During the great oil excitement 

 the speculation in oil lands was the principal thing, and the production 

 of oil was of secondary consequence ; and quite too often the superin- 

 tendence was intrusted to persons of no knowledge or experience, who 

 sometimes wasted in a most extravagant manner the funds of their com- 

 panies. Duck Creek valley was a theater of the wildest speculation. 

 But wells like the Buell well, although small, have been managed in a 

 prudent wa} T , and have yielded handsome returns upon the investment. 



A deep well was bored near Macksburg by Mr. J. C. Blauvelt, agent, 

 who has kindly sent me the following record of the strata passed through : 



Feet. 



1. Soil to the bed rock 17 



2. Sandrock containing heavy oil (28° gravity) 96 



3. Interval not reported 89 



4. Soapstone (clay shale) 185 



5. Coal, 2 feet thick 188 



6. Soapstone 190 



7. Limestone and bastard rock 260 



8. Sandrock 340 



9. In this sandrock struck salt water at 420 feet, a gas vein at 436 



feet, and oil at 460 



10. Smut rock containing black carbonaceous matter 480 



11. Oil show 732 



12. Black sand 786 



13. Oil show 796 



14. Gray rock 828 



15. Black sand 840 



16. White sand 855 



17. Gray sand 870 



18. Saltwater 874 



19. Fine white sand 906 



20. Coarse blue sand 1,010 



