Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1859-10-03
!. KANAWHA VALLEY STAR

anu also IpE nre purposes. Hlpes are
laid underground through every portion
Of the seven acres covered with buildings,
having hydrants attached, SO that in case
of fire these pumps can be set in motion
and water conveyed TO any portion Of the
grounds. They are capable ofRthrowing
four inch and quarter streams. After
distillation the oil IS pumped ~ means Of
pipes across the railroad TO other build
iBgs, where it nndergoes different pro-
cesses Of publication. On another part
of The ground between the railroad and
the creek, the Company are engaged in
putting upa large "meerschaum, " ca
pable Of containing ore hundred tons 81
coal. It's twenty feet in diameter and
seventeen feet high.
On the grounds back OF the railroad
are several buildings, where the oil I'm
dergoes 4 process of publication aud dis.
tillation to purify it and it it for market
1t ii then pure white in color, and free
from smell OF oily feeling. Que ofthese
buildings contains thirteen stills. An
other buildingis being constructed, and
will be fnishde BY the first of October,
one hundred feet By fifty. TO contain eighI
finishing stills. Still another building,
now nearly finished, which Is one hun
dren feet square, and divided into nine
rooms, will contain a large number 81
stills; andatwo six thousand gallon tanks
from which the oil will be drawn of. and
barreled ready for shipment. Qthel
buildings near these are each used fol-
the purpose ofpurifying the oil.
a large engine house, twenty by fifty
feet, and Two stories in height, has recent
ay been erected. In this is placed a one
hundred horse power steam engine, built a.
West Point foundry. LISA low pressure
beam engine; the fly wheel is twenty fee
in diameter; the driving pully fourteen fee
in diameter and forty-six inch face. The
largest leathern belt in the United States
is used here; it is forty-four inches wids
and eighty feet, long. Attached ITO thi!
building is a large boiler room with
chimney one hundred and thirty fee
high here are placed two steam boilers
forty-two inches in diameter and six
ny feet long. Each Of these buildings i
freproof and covered with slate, Twh
largeiron cisterns are being built for thi;
part Of the grounds. capable of contain
ing thirty-fve thousand gallons each
The company are also about constructing
a rail track from this part Of the grounds
10 the docks to facilitate theu carrying o
oil from the refneriss to the lighters
The track viii be eight hundred feet long
These works are more extensive thar
any in this country. The company use
thirty thousand tons Of coal per apnum
this is unloaded at Greenpoint into cana
boats and lighters and thence conveyed
By meansof the Newtewn creek to The
dock. The amount Of Oil manufactured
will average five thousand gallons q day
for three hundred days in the year. Thu
oil is4sold for about one dollar and fifteen
cents per gallon. About twelve Thousand
tons Of coal are now ON storage On .th,
premises. There are about two hundred
men constantly employed in the factories
About twenty five men find constant EN-
ployment in erecting buildings and put
ting upAnachinery. A cooper's shop j.
on the premises, where the barrels, arr
made and repaired. About one and ,
quarter millions Of dollars are invested il
this manufacture. The works were frs
put inzoperation in. March, 1864, and th,
whole process Of manufacture were cor
Quoted in the building between theArail
road traekand the creek "a.
The manufacture Of Kerosene is Tin
measure yelled in secrecy. The oil, af
ter it is distilled, undergoes various chem
ical operations at it's various stages. The
nice adjustment of these chemical opera
tons has been obtained only at the outlay
of immense sums of money and much la
Dor, and therefore the different processes
are kept secret for the benefit OF the dis
eoverers. 1t shows what science and
study can accomplish, when we see
beautiful fcolored fluid extracted from l
mass of black coal. Another matter thai
is astonishing also, is the profile yield
one hundred and ten gallons ofIoil from 4
ton Of this coal, is the greatest yield tia
can be obtained. Other GOALS will yield
an Oil, but there is so little oil in them
that the cost Of manufacture makes tan.
profitable. Another objection is tina
there are various impurities in the othel
coal which would greatly impede the pro
cess of manufacture EN5
Kerosene, when ready for market, IS |
nearly colorless fluid. with a scarcel,
peroeptible smell Of naptha, Of no oil
feel and non-explosive. II cannot BID ex
ploded any more than sperm oil. An
other article OF this oil called !. hiinacl,
oil = is manufactured for ships use. L.
Probably the use Of Kerosene has lid
creased of late years more rapidly from
the many improvements which have bee
made in lamps which have particularly
been fitted for its use.
Id addition to the Kerosene and & bin
-aele koil,"..i q beautiful material callet
:. Paraffine. !" This is crystalline sub
stance closely resembling spermaceti, ami
is derived from one Of the products Of on
Of the processes Of publication. Il ha
been applied TO the manufacture of can
dies, and makes candle much superio
to the spermaceti. 10 its crude state
is yellow. and By being refined, II become
white. Nd
Another material which is manufac
tured from Kerosene is used for extract