New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-04-21

| NEW OIL.
In the Baltimore Patriot of the llth inst. we find
| quite lengthy account Of new Illuminating and
lubricating OIL from the manufacture Of which great
results anticipated by that Journal The material
from which the oil is made is thus described BY our
contemporary:
The oil is made from pure camel coal; fonnd in IN,
exhaustible quantities in the States OF Virginia and
Kentucky and all through the West. II is now sold
at one dollar per gallon, but in course OF time may
be produced for probably one-half That price. us
light is almost equal to that OF gas certainly superior
to either camphene ethereal fluid, and wholly free
from the slightest possibility Of explosion II Is not
| only valuable for It's Illuminating, but also for its
Intoxicating qualities. Enough, however, that this
valuable material has been fortunately applied to
the great purpose of giving light, and is likely to
supercede other materials fluids almost Of necessi-
ty used though prolific In lamentabe accidents aud
always exceedingly dangerous.
The tremendous progress of railways on both the
old and the new continents, the mighty increase OF
late years in the number Of steam water craft, and
the multiplication of machineryof every description
combined with the almost total failure of the whale
fisheries have all conspired to render first class lubr
eating and barning oils difficult to obtain, and then
only at exhorbitant prices Various substitutes have
been invented to supply the deficiency in an inds-
pensable article which was yearly growing more and
more alarming as the demand grew more and more
urgent aad extended. Camphene was, we believe,
the first substitute in the way Of a Illuminating fluid
that passed into somewhat general use. But its ex
posive qualities rendered ii dangerous and prevented
it from obtaining anything like universal popularity
To say that half thousand persons have been killed
by camphene lamp explosions in the United States,
since the first invention of the article, would be
under rather than over a correct estimate The
ETHEREAL oils, about which so much has been said at
different times, are not calculated to ill up the oil
vacuum in the general world. Lard oil is most
widely used. and is generally preferred, we under
stand by machinists. Very good oil has been made
from cotton seed, aud great hopes are entertained by
the manufacturers thereof
Manufacturing oil from coal is no new thing. On
the contrary, It is rather old. But whether the bust
be rendered profitable is still mooted point
Many practical and scientific men hold to the con-
trary. For own part we trust that 1t may prove
richly remunerative to all who have engaged or may
engage in it. The field is as boundless as it is in.
ving and the Southern States possess the finest and
largest coal deposits earth. But II the sanguine
anticipations of our Baltimore contemporary are not
reazed-and we doubt very much whether they ever
viii be, far coal oil is concerned--and il whale
lubricating fluids, fail to supply the great want
which is constantly pressing upon the civilized ma
tons Of the earth, and which is continually aug
menting and must continue to augment, it is fortu
nate we have material in the South, inexhaustibIe
in its abundance, which will furnish the much.de-
sired desideratum.
We allude TO the manufacture of oil from rosn
both for burning and machinery purposes to which
II is admirably adapted, we have taken frequent
occasion to demonstrate in these columns. The best
machinsts and engineers in the country have testified
that it is fully equal to lard oil as lubreator and
that it viii burn well and brilliantly, even in lamp
not adapted to it, we know from personal observa.
ton. The pine States Of the South furnish the raw
material rosin-in quantities so vast that il the
whole world should go to using rosin oils, and none
other there would be danger OF exhaustion in the
supply. provided a sufficient number OF manufac.
tories could be established It can be sold lower than
any other oil in use, for the good and palpabIe
reason that ii be manufactured cheaper while at
the same time it will yield to the stockholders mund-
cent dividends, if a moety of what is claimed for
the invention by its friends be true.
The Southern Oil Company hold, under the pa.
tents Of Mr. Louis S. Robbins, five Of the finest pine
Rtates in the South-M Mississippi Alabama, Georgia,
South Carolina and Florida. The works Of the Com
pany are located in Mobile, and are now almost com.
pleted. They are unquestiouably the most extensive
works in the country and will be enabled easily to
turn out one thousand gallons per day. In very
short time they will be in operaton--"in the full
tide of successful experiment then we shall an
cipate that the crying and oppressive evil of lack
Of good and cheap oil will be, right speedily, OBJ
waited.
We most sincerely wish all those engaged in the
manufacture of other oils the most prosperous sue
cess but we are much mistaken il the Rosin OIL en-
terprse does not prove itself the mightiest success
of the age, and that too within very brief period
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