Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-04-06
The OF springs.

The Pit.sburg lost has been looking
up the book. on the sabject of natural
oils. We make the following extract
from its article on the subject.
We have had some little examination
o. such authorities as we could readily
reach which treated on this subject, and
find that this oil 10 included in the va.
nous ipflammablc mineral substance,
which are termed Btumsn. These
substances d fer in consistency from =
fluid to solid. Naptha IS the first on
the list Of these substances, and !: de-
scIibel as fine, white, thin, fragrant,
colofle oil, which issues ont OF white,
yellow. or black clays, in Persia or Me
da. 1t is highly inflamnable. In Par
m. there is a spring of it, which far
nj hes enough to illuminate the city o.
Genoa, or which purpo Sc It is used. l,
s~ims on water, lis spec,fi: gravity be
IN from OIL 10 O.84. 1t consists OF
carbon 1920 and hydrogen 1870, aud
IS 'he On fluid destitute of oxygen.
The second on the list is Petroleum.
tue Seneca or Gennesscc oil of com
meree. Petroleum is much thicker than
Naphiha, and resembles common tea
1t has dlsagrecable odor, and ,edd sh
brown color. Ia short it answers tie
description of the oil now being TAX n
from the wells in Venango county in
such large quantities. la the Eirtnan
empire rs hill confirming coal, into
which five hunlicd and twenty pts
have been sunk for the collection Of Pc
troieun', the yearly produce Of the Hill
be ng about 100000 hogsheads. 1t is
used as lamp oil, and, vhen mingled
with e.rth or ashes, as fuel. 1t j. also
obtained from wells in the island of
ZAntc. Herodotus, who was bonn iS4
years Is. c., describes thee wells. Mod
ern travellers state the yearly product OF
Petroleum from them to be about one
hundred barrels. Petroleum, somewhat
differing IN appearance from that found
in this country, is very abundant in Per-
STA. Many Of the wells seem to be quite
luexhaustiblc, being no sooner cmptiea
than they again begin to fill "Kinner' .
Persian Empire says: "Some ofthem
have been found to yield from 1000 TO
1900 barrels day y
From this brief synopsis of facts about
Petroleum, it would seem that it has
been long time in use, with no presert
symptoms of its giving out. The wells
in the island OF Zante, it would seem.
have been worked for $500 years, and
of the age Of those in Persia and the
Birman empire, there seems to be nc
record. Ii these dates are to be OF any
value i'll determining whether the wells
in Venango and elsewhere will hold out,
it would seem probable that they will
have the gift of continuance. We sup
pose that no Spectator in oil site:
would care about having the yield in
sured for longer period than $500
years.
We are well assured that the inflam
able qualities of the Petroleum are of &
very superior value-and it is also al
legged to be cfgreat value in rheumatism
chllblains, &c, but we shall not hear o
it again as medical remedy, no matter
what its virtues may be, for it will bt
entirely too cheap. Medicines of all sort.
are, by common consent, agreed to be
expensive Injuries, and nothing that i.
cheap in that department can be good
Whether this oil is Of any use for lu.
bricating purposes, we have no means
of knowing. But it is now undergoing
all manner of tests, and by the time The
machinery for its proper distillatior
shall be prepared, we will, no doubt, b,
duly advised of all the uses that it can be
put to.