Solidified Petroleum

The public has already been made acquainted with the most extraordiuary disoovery in West Virginia, excecding in richnesa nnything yet known in the way of petroleum, and to whioh the name oí' ebrystídized rock oil has boon givcn. The name is notbing - the faut is the marvel which is attraeting so niuch atten tion, cuusing muüh excitcaicnt, aod giving a new iin])nlso to West Virginia. A tourist writing for the New York Herad inakes the follovving refereuou to the extraordinary deposit: " Ou the route to Clarksburg, you tnay, if you wish to examine ouc of the seientific wondei'H of this región, stop at. Cairo, county, tu examine what is known :m the vertical bitumeu lode. - Geologists cali it soliii crystalizei] petroleum, of mineral oil. This lode is situati-'d on McFarlaiid's Run, a small' tributary of the snuth tork oí Hughes river, iibout eight miios froui Cairo station, or ábout twunty miles south-eafit from Parkerburg. The mineral has been tracert one anda half miles in a line ruub'utg Miii'h seventy-six degreos e st - The lode is nearly tive feet wido, and lies b'-twi-en two horizontal san'Jstono rockn, It is without the least trace of inpiiri'y, ana ík divilei iuto dtstinct parts by an irregular vertical jbitfi or seam, one portion of it bemg tibrous and the other granulated. The mountaius on tho tvvo Mden of McFarland's run risa with a gradual s'ope about four hunfreo fcet hifjh', and the fisure in whicli the mineral is deposited extends noht throufih them, and within five or eight feet of the top of tho sul face. Of couine tiiere are numerous theoriea broached to aocount for the production of so'roniarkable a mineral depssit, but the most. romarkable ono Eippcnrs to bc that if is tlie resalí of the gradual oxidation of liquid petroleum thut had been forced up and injected into this fiasure by sonlo violwit convulsión of naturo.