The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-02-12
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Coal Oil.

Experimental analysis showing that the Coal OF lHe
Breckenridge Company contains a large amount OF
oil suitable for Illuminating and lubrieating purposes,
we have watched with great interest the progress OF
these experiments as Of truly national Importance, as
giving q new impulse to the Development of the min
eral resources of the country, and as establishing the
fact that we have within ourselves an lnexhaustlble
supplv of light, to be obtained with tar less the ex-
pense, and labor, and danger, than the animal OIL
ovr IN The whale. upon which we now depend
for oil, is rapidly being driven by the energy OF our
fishermen into inaccessible seas, and VIII pe1ore many
years, at the present rate of destruction, entre'y aus
appear. By the discovery of the presence OF & true
Illuminating and lubricating fluid residing III certain
descriptions of coal, we have become independent OF
such n misfortune, and the whole whaling fleet might
be laid up to rot, and we should still have light.
The production of oil from coal is not n new dis
covery, but the discovery of coal beds in this country
of a character to yield a sufficient amount OF OH To
nav the expense of extraction, has but recently been
made, In Scotland the Boghead Coal has for several
wears been solely used for distillatiOn, being far too
valuable for fuel. The oil from this coal Is uSeo
upon the English and French Railroads, and the de,
mand is always in excess Of the supply. halIroau
managers prefer it to the best sperm oil. In Nova
Scotia there is another deposit Of coal at the Prince
Albert Mine which also yields a good quality OF OIL
and these, with the exception of the Brecklnrldge,
are the only localities yet known where the coal yields
a sufficient quantity of oil to pay the expense of man
ufncturing. Since the experiments of the breckenridge
Co. where made with such a successful result tne
whole country has been explored for oil-bearlng Goals,
but thus far the experiments have resulted IN dlsaP-
pointment. No coal has been yet found which could
be made to Weld much more than one-halft the results
of the Breckenridge, and of course could not come
into competition with it.
When the announcement was first made OF the de-
velopments in regard to the value OF this coal 1or aus
tillation, the statements were ridiculed as lncredlplei
but the practical working result has, II anythlhg' e3-
ceeded the anticipations excited by the preliminary
experiments. The products of the oil are purer' and
the quantity larger. The purposes to which they
can be applied are also more numerous.
We have taken up this matter at this time to show
the public what has been the progress of this Com
pany during the last six months, and what may De
expected for the future. These results are OF manifest
public Importance, as marking the advance OF q new
branch of industry, and an entirely new Development
of the mineral wealth Of our country. When the e-
periments with this coal had fully satisfied the parties
engaged in them Of its great value as an OIL producer
a. Company was at once formed, under the manage
ment of the Messrs. Cairns, who made a contract for
a series of years with the Breckenridge Coal Com
pany for a supply Of their coal, and commenced put
ting up works for manufacturing oil at Cloveport,
KY, the shipping port on the Ohio River of the Coal
Company. As the works approached completlon, ana
as the great value Of the Breckenridge Coal for oil
purposes became more thoroughly established, 1t was
, thought to be the best policy for both parties to con-
e solidate the Coal and Oil Companies, which were
u accordingly done. Extensive firc-proof works have
been erected at an expenditure OF $6O,OOO, capable
of containing thirty retorts, with the necessary tanks,
stills, &c., for refining the crude oil. OF these,
twelve retorts have been in operation for some months,
and the remaining eighteen are ready. Inc opera
tons of the Company have been very much en-
barrassed by the unusually low stage of water In the
Ohio River, which, by entirely suspending navlga-
ton, has detained the additional stills Of the Com
pany at Louisville, and prevented the shipments OF
oil. The Company have now on hand 40,0OO gallons
crude oil and 5,O0Ogallons of refined, and are manu-
featuring at the rate of 1000 gallons per week. The
accumulation of crude oil is occasioned by the want
of the stills detained at Louisville by low water.
When these stills arrive, and the remaining eighteen
retorts are brought into use, the product OF the Com
pany viii be 10 900 gallons crude or l3,O0o gallons
refined oil per week. This would give 100000 gal
Ions or 10, 800 barrels per annum. The substances
obtained by the distillation of each tun OF this coal
are, burning and lubricating oils, benzole, naphtha,
parafne and a residium of asphaltum. The coke left
after the operation is used for fuel under the retorts
and stills, and is ample for that purpose: Every tun
of coal produces 80 gallons of crude, or 40 gallons oil
refined oil. The burning oil is used III lamps for all
illuminating purposes. Its merits are cheapness,
brilliancy and entire absence Of danger OF explosion,
which makes the use Of e%amphene so hazardous. Its
illuminating power and duration OF COMBUSTION arc
equal to the best sperm, while it costs only half as
much. The lubricating product has been tested upon
machinery and found to be equal to sperm for that
purpose. As it can be sold at about one-half the
price, the saving to railroads, machine shops, &C.,
must be very great. The benzole is used for the
manufacture of gas in portable gas machines. These
are much used in isolated buildings and in the coun-
try where gas companies are not yet an institution.
The naphtha is used for various purposes, and Is val
m liable as a solvent for India-rubbcr and gutta percha.
re The parafne is a product exactly resembling wax,
a. and is used for making candles. The amount OBJ
tanned of this product is some 2,OOO lbs from lOU tuns
of coal. This substance has been found very valuable
sc in the dressing of tanned ~skins-putting on the fine
face aud ~softness which characterize the French
dressed skins.
At present, on account of the impossibllty Of ship
ping the products on the Ohio River, the Company
are not prepared to supply the public, excepting in
al small quantities but as soon as the river is at q
boating stage-and the water is now rising-they
nr will be receiving 5000 or 5000 gallons per week.
he Specimens of all the products can be seen at the office
of the Company, No. 90 Broadway.
AS an exploitation of the national Importance Of this
no enterprise, we have made 4 computation of its COM
,e parative results with those of the whaling feet, by
y which it will be seen that the product is enormous i'll
r. view of the capital, number of men and time employed
n In 1856 there were engaged in the whale fishery 635
vessels, Of all sizes, with an aggregate of about 200,
= 600 tuns, and employing in alldepartments some To-,
)! 900 men and $4,000 900 capital. The product Of
the fishery was 72,649 barrels sperm and 184,0
barrels right whale oil. The average time employed
to produce this result was AZ months for the Sperm
whalers, and 80 months for the right whalers, making
K a general average OF So months. The sperm oil sclc
at an average of 81 II 2-10 per gallon, and the whal
at II $40. AT these prices the aggregate sales Q
the entire product realized in round numbers ten anC
a half millions of dollars. The present product c
the Breckenridge works is, with 90 men, say SIS, 90
gallons annually. The same number Of men and tn
same amount Of capital as the whale fishery requires
employed in the production Of oil from Breckinridg
coal, would produce in twelve months the enormou
$1,000 e co.. nna n 70 <-1n. IN ~ -