The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-12-26
RAVENNA, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 26, 1860.
in wsnting(in many cases at least) the con.
dition Of high temperature, but including the
perhaps no less potent elements of time and
nPnsrupa sN+f


dition Of high temperature, but including the
perhaps no less potent elements Of time and
pressure.
THE DIsTRIBUTIoN OF PETROLEUM.
A knowledge of where and how rock oil
occurs in nature, will be a useful guide to
the repositories Of it, which, without doubt,
exist, though still unknown, within our State
limits. / hovs sires briefly alluded to it's
general distribotion Jer the esrth's surface,
and to the great Qsntties Of it obtained
from the. shorsst3of8h 8he Caspisn sea, the
banks Of the Irrawsd7, sc. 1t is also found
in various parts Of Europe, where it has
been long made an siihle Of commerce.
The New World f6enishes itcin still greater
abundance, and the Inost remarkable sccu.
mutations OF petroleum and aspbaItum known
are those OF the Island of Trinidad, West
Indies, and the sou,her2 coast of California.
In Canada West are sprngs from which
enormous quantities Of petroleum issue, OF
Whlch, however the Valee IS impaired Oy lie
almost unsupportable odor. Within the
limits OF the Uuied Ststes, it occurs on the
shores Of Seneca Lake. N. Y.,-whence the
name, "Seneca OIL" which hss been given
it, in Albany, Coyuga, and several other
counties in the same State-n many local..
ties in north. western Pennsylvania, western
Virginia, 10 Kentucky, Illinois, &c., &c
In Ohio, it has already bean found in Noble,
Adams, franklin, Medina, Lorain, Cuysho.
ga, Trumbul, Mahoping, and other counties,
and will doubtless bs hereafter discovered
in many places where it isnot now known
to exist,
Petroleum occurs in the sedemeDtary
rocks Of all ages, from the DRIFT deposits to
the base OF the tossiiierous8 series; where
YER, indeed, there is carbonacsous matter
from which it could be iormed. In Gness
and Mica slate it is also sometimes discover
ed, but oaly 10 such as are evidently of met.
amorphic character. The great bitumoous
springs OF California and the West Indies
issue from Tertiary rocks, which also con-
tain beds OF Ignite! Here volcanic ogan-
cies have, at a recent period, been in intense
action, and the bitunen is apparently dislill
ed lrom tho ligni;es by subterranean fires.
In our more immediate viGiaity, the oil
springs are mostly roufioed 10 the upper
Deyonian rocks;vchd in Ohio t1fs is elnphat,
caIIy lhJ. OF hotiz IN, !
THE OIL Rosks aE so.
.--IL-.hEa haze I'D Ata.lAs I've
the Chemu1g ana Ps,age rocks-@are III
oil rocks OF Ohio. BY this l mean thai
they sre the Principal repositories of oil
the source from which we dre msinly to de.
rive tho niiions Of gallons which will be
annually used in or exported from the State
the geological level ulohs which we mus,
look for new discoveries of petroleum..
That tho oil origina!es in this group OF
strata, is, however, by no means certsn.-
Oa the contrary, it seems more probable
that it merely accumulutes in them, ia Il
convenient reservoir, when living from an
other source. These rocks are mechanical
sediments. which are in Ohic, generally
destitute OF organic remains, whether ami
mails or plants. They are, however, often
quite porous, and strong currents Of water
flow through them. The Hamilton ShaIes,
ON which they rest, contain an amount ol
carboaaceous matter probably eqaal to al
that included in the coal measures. Here
suspect, most OF the oil originates. From
this bltumiGous mass, as distiled by nature's
process, it would rise through every fissurt
by the pressure OF the incumbent rocks, q
water, which is, specifically, heavier. A
few layers OF the Waverly series are highly
charged with the debris of vegetable ant
marine shells. and these may generate SOM
oil; but for the most part what they contain
is OF foreign origin. The source to which
have referred it is SO entirely sufficient, bot
as regards it's position and character. that
seems unnecessary to look farther. Owe
nearly all the northern part of the State
where the Portage and Cnemung rocks ar
exposed, petroleum may be found exudin
them in greater or less abundance; but it
only at comparatively few points that it
found in a paying" quantity.
The Oil Creek region in Pennsylvania
ono OF thess series of oil centres. Their
the wells are sunk from ~ to over 800 fee
often to and sometimes apparently throug
the Portage group. The oil occurs at a
depths. IL is frequently found saturating th
srrface deposits, and the deepest bore ha
not reached beyond it. 1t flows in fssure
with water, and that from neighboring we'll
differs much in quality; all Of which fact
seem to indicate that it is derived from
d some what remote source below. The oi
of TtusviIle is very thin, varying shades .
brown in color, and has specific gravity O
35e to 400 Beaume.
Not very far distant from the Oil Creel
region is that of Mecca, Trumbull county
OHIO. Here some 200 wells are bein
bored, and dozen or more have been sue
cessiully pumped. The geological level q
the Mecca wells is the same as that Of Titus
;lI, h,,, h av N re oauarnIiv la 20 daar. ,,a,,
ing from 30 to 200 feet, while most are abou
so. The rock is a soft, blush white san
stone, with purtings Of clay shSle, sometime
quite saturated with oil. The yield Of tn
wells is from s to 20 barrels each per day
/ !. -a..ah 4hic L tka.. n