Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-03-07

mcnts," the same result would be reached
in ten or twenty years. Buried under earth
or water where oxygen was wholly excluded,
and millions Of years would find il still in the
bituminous stage-its constituents having
reacted on each other; and produced com
plete change Of physical characters, but al
most without loss or gain. Exposed to the
action of the atmosphere again spontaneous
combustion again commences, and progress.
cs-though more slowly than at frst--till
complete oxydation has been effected. Coal,
when exposed to the air, is slowly oxydized;
as we know by examining the out-crop of a
coal seam the extreme edge Of the stratum is
almost wholly decomposed, resembling rotten
wood-thence to the point where atmospher-
ic influences are not felt progressive change
is noticeable, both physical and chemical;
the oxydable constituents constantly increas-
ing with its irmness and brilliancy.
That which is true Of combustion may al
so be said of -distillption--or a change from
a solid to liquid, thence TO a. gaseous form
without oxydatio on. These changes in the
hydro carbon solids are but necessary pre-
paratory steps in the process OF their COM
bustion. BY the application Of heat we pro-
duce them at will, and rapidly. They also
take place spontaneously but slowly. Gar
buretted hydrogen is rapidly produced from
bituminous substances by artificial dry dis
tillation. So it is evolved in nature, at low
Temperatures from submerged land doubtless
emerged) vegetable matter. 1t is also thrown
off in immense quantities by the sponta-
neous distillation of bituminous coal IN mines.
Doubtless the same is true Of the hq,nd hy-
dro- -carbons. Though less observable than
the gasses I think they may often, il not al
ways, be detected among the products OF de-
composition of submerged vegetable tissue.
This, at least, we may safely Affirm; that
their spontaneous production on large scale
in nature may generally be traced to extern
sive accumulations of bituminlzed vegetation
from which they have been derived. From
this they are evolved by kind OF distilla-
ton, which differs from our artificial pro-
cess in wanting lin many cases at leastl the
condition of high temperature, but including
the perhaps no less potent element; of time
and pressure
Distribution OF PETROLEUM.
A knowledge of where and how rock oil
occurs in nature, will be useful guide to
the repositories of it, which, without doubt,
exist, though still unknown, within our State
limits. have already briefly alluded to its
general distribution over the earth 8 surface,
and to the great quantities oft obtained from
the shores of the Caspian sea, the banks Of
the Irrivady, &c. 1t is also found in various
parts of Europe, where it has been long
made an article of commerce. The New
World furnishes it in still greater abundance
and the most remarkable accumulatlons o
petroleum and asphaltum known are those o
the Island of Trinidad, West Indies, and o
the southern coast Of California. In Canad'
West are springs from which enormon
quantities Of petroleum issue, OF which
however, the value is impaired by its almos
unsupportable odor. Within the limits o
the United States, it occurs on the. shores o
Seneca Lake, N. Y.,-whenoe the name
"Seneca Oil, " which has been given it, IL
: Albany, Cuyuga, and several Other. coun
ties in the same State-in many localities II
North Western Pennsylvania, Western Vir
ginia, in Kentucky, Illinois, &c, &c: II
Ohio, it has already been found in Noble
Adams, Franklin, Medina, Lorain, Cuyaho
ga, Trumbull, Mahoning, and other coun
ties, and will doubtless be hereafter discover
ed in many places where it is not now know
to exist. :,
, Petroleum occurs in the sedementary rock
J of all ages, from the drift deposits to tn
: base of the fossilferous series; wherever, IN
deed, there is carbonaceous matter fror
7 which 1t could be formed. In Gneiss an
Mica slate it is also sometimes discovered
| but only in scuh as are evidently. of met'
: morphic character The great bitumineg
n spings of California and the West Indies issil
@ from Tertiary rocks, which also contain bee
$ of Ignite. Here volcanic agencies. have,
: recent period, been in intense action, an
: the bitumen is apparently distilled from I'll
n lignites by subterraneum fires: In our mol
h immediate vicinity, the oil springs are most
t confined to the upper Devonian rocks, an
in Ohio this is emphatically the oil horizon
n Some of the petroleum from the area {
. the Allegheny coal fields in Pennsylvani;
is Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky, issues frol
n the coal measures, but most OF the 50
y wells, from which the oil is pumped, are
J, the Kanawha region and along the. Oh
l. and Allegheny rivers, though begun In I'll
coal series, reach down to and often throu&}
le the conglomerate; so that In these cases oil
: the oil is perhaps derived from the Devo
Is ian rocks. A few words on the general g,
,f logical structure Of Ohio will, think, maj
a the relative position of the oil bearing roc
ct understood by all. :,
re The productive coal series occupies 4
IN southeastern third of the State. ImmeC
is ately beneath this group of rocks lies t
,y car6oa;ferous conglon,erdte--a coarse san
ne rock, containing quartz pebbles. This b
IT. thickness of from 25 to 300 feet, becomi
o. thicker northward and comes to the surrfa
n, in margin of varying width all around
1t, edge of the coal basin. Under the conglo
nd crate, we find series of clay-shales and fiji
grained sand d-stones-the equivalents Of I
is Chemung and Portage rocks of the n
ed York geologists--the Waverly series OF
sr, Ohio reports--which form the upper me
Mt, bers Of the Devonian system. These are
Mt. oil rocks They come to the surface II
res narrow belt, extending from Portsmou
he on the Ohio, nearly northward to the vicin
or of Lake Erie, on Huronriyer; thence street
ar ing eastward parallel with the lake shore
ch to Pennsylvania and western New. York.
ms Below the Waverly series is heavy |
re- of bituminous shales, 200 or 800 feet
ing thickness, called in Ohio the Black Sls
ig- the equivalent of the Hamilton Shales
ds, New York. This group contains an
Dus mense amount Of fcarbonaceous matter;
ow oil is often disseminated through it, sol
at times flowing out in springs; but the i
on. is usually so close that neither oil nor VIZ
md -
ON Srhe marked and almost constant couipauionshp
-. tween petroleum and salt water, has suggested
thoughtthat the chloride Of sodium may have mao
still chemical action the btumnous matter iavorn
an production. =, ..,,,
ria