The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-03-13
Essay on Rock. Oil.

Essay on Rock Oil.
We extract the following from an arti.
Gle written to the Marietta LntelKgencer,
by Prof. Andrews, of Marietta College.
At this time The subject is one in which
the greatest interest is felt. As to the
origin, he says:
I'VE are warranted in the belief that
the oil is the product of dis:illation
at very low temperatures, from coal and
bituminous States" - 60
We quote oil that partfn regard to the
signs, locality, &C.. of the oil:
Tho oil in the Wayerly (Pa. sand
rocks is without doubt produced from un-
derlying biluminous shales, which are
very thick This process of dist ization,
or vaporizstion. is doubtless going on
at the present time, though slowly. The
vapor rising from :he bituminous strata
enters every possible ereyice, and bubbling
up through the water in those crevices is
partly condensed into oil, which floats
upon the water, and partly remains uncon.
densed in the form of in6amable gas. As
the process goes on, more and more oil
is formed, and more and more gas is pent
up in the space over the oil. If the 6s-
sure has an outlet the gas will escape, and
the water, as it circulates through the
ear.h, will bring out through the outlet
more or less oil. The whole tendency Of
the oil Is upward, The vapor which forms
| it rises aud the sub,erranean waters lift
it up. I have found oil springs on steep
hill sides hundred feet above the valley.
below Hence, as general thing, We
should expect the oil at greater or less
elevations above the bituminous strata
from which it is produced. a ~f sma.
II this position be true, that The oil is
condensed from :yapor generated from coal
and other -bituminous strats, it becomes a
matter ofimportance to know under what
circumstances the oil may be saccumula-
ted 10 large quantities. If there were no
Gssures whatever in the rocks. if ell over
lying strata and especially the more com,
pact al impsrvious clay shaies and lime
stones, were perfectly firm and unbroken,
we should expect to 6nd no oil, indeed,
under such circumstances, the oil vapor
could hardly be formed at all, there being
no room for expansion. If, On the other
hand, the rock is full Of assures, We shoald
expect the oil to- accumulate slowly in
them. To what extent the rocks o
! Washington county contain such assures
| it is impossible to determine before hand
Experimental wells alone will determine
There are evidences of geological dis
turbancc in the form of an uplift on botl
sides of the Ohio river at Newport. Thil
disturbance can be traced up Cow Greek
Va, and on sonth for thirty or forty miles
to the great well on Little Kanawha. II
aome places along this line. the rocks ar,
inclined OF ON angle of Fifty degrees will
the horizon 1t is q little renarkabl,
that at SO many points on 7thisr line, th
oils found, viz, ut the Burning Sprinl
(Rathbone's) on the Little Kanawha, Wir
county, Va, on Hughes river. at Petrole
um, where there are several paying wells
at Cow Greek, near the late Willard pluc
where there are strong oil springs, and q
NeWelts Run. Ohio, whore gas and oi
springs are found and some superior oi
has been obtained.
Where the strata are dislocated ther
i are of course more assures AID orsvice
in which the oil may be accumulated
But 1t should be- borne in mind that n
we'll 10 inexhaustibie. No assure can en-
dare the drain of steam pump for
very long time. There must, of necessi
to, be elimination of supply. There o.
no grea: reseSfoirs Of oil, no subterranea
lakes which may afford On almost infinit
J., supply Of the precious nnid. There is n
evidence that the oil is found any .her
except in creviees, which are more or les
vertical. Where several wells are IN tn
Same neighborhood, 1t would be unusus
to hnd them "striking oil'' at the sam
depth below the surface. l know of q
. productive we'll twenty.thres feet dee
i, near another productive one which il owe
two hundred feet deep. Of course ther
there can be no such thing as speeia
oil rock or stratum. The oil is in issure
which may be found in every kind Of rock
We sometimes hear men who have bore
wells il the Northern sPennsylvania zoi
region. speak very positively of our rock.
and declare the exact dsptb. and in wha
peculiar kind of rock, we may find tho oi
, here ina the Goal Measures. RAll, sucl
claims are idle, because it is impossible =
resson analogieally between two entirsl
distinct groups Of rocks which lie 6fteel
hundred feet apart in, vertical distance
There il with us, in this region, mo oi
rock. You may, .'strike ,oil'' thirty fee
: down or at three hundred feet dswn. No
again, can anything be determined befor
hand from the form or proximity of tn
hills Some would bore at the entranc
Of side valley, others at the point of
bold, high hill Both are right if the