Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1862-04-17
gtlecteh Miscellauy.
HISTORICAL AND scIWTIEE FACTS
A1oUIs RTR0rHUu, On coal on. 4


l1oy1 ETRMkgH On COAL on !
rsuoagum Is 16t 7i,;s 81 81 Tc0mposltlon.
but i : ylriable mixtsss sf asmerous liquid
hydrocarbons. as benzole, naphtha, keroso-
lene, &c., with parafiRe, napthaline and
asphaltum, solid hydrocarbons. It is of a
very dark green color, and In density varies
from thin fluid, lighter than water, to
thick viscous liquid, heavier than water
The lighter qualities yield the larger pro-
portion of burning oil.
The evidence of the most ancient occur
renee of petroleum is among the ruins of
Ninevah, whose existence dates back more
than two thousand years before the Chris
tian era. La the construction of this city,
an asphaltic mortar was extensively employ
ed, the asphaltum being obtained by the
evaporation of petroleum.
A later mention is found in the accounts
of Babylon, whose wallis were cemented
with asphaium, which was poured, in a
melted state, between the blocks of stone,
and an indestructible moatar thus secured.
This asphaitum was procured from the foun-
tains of Is, which were about one hundred
and twenty miles above Babylon, on the
Euphratcs Together with saline and sui
phurous water, it issued from rock and
was conducted into large pits. The oily
matter was then skinned of and solidifed
by atmospheric evaporation. These springs,
from the abundance of their products, at
tracted the attention of Alexander, Trajan
and Julian, and even at the present time
asphalcum, procured from them, is sold in
the neighboring village of Hits
From time immemerial asphaltum has
been found on the shore of the Dead Sea
and this is one Of the most remarkable To-
calities for it, This sea, as is we'll known
is of supposed valcanic origin; and is the
probable site of the ancient cities of Sodon
and Gomorrah. Its surface is thirteen hun
dred feet below the surface of the ocean
and it has been fathomed to the depth O.
two thousand feet. In several places ne
bottom has been reached. and owing to in
ternal conVulsions. the depth changes from
time to time. The water is very dense
holding in solution twenty-five per cent O
solid matter, of which seven per cent is salt
The bituminous substance is thrown from
below and toward the centre of the sea, it is
found in liquid state. like petroleum !; bu
it is probably solidi6ed by evaporation, a.
it appears upon the shores in hard compac
masses. The explanation of this phenome
non is that connection between the sea anc
some internal volcano exists, whence thi.
substance is elected.
In the vicinity of the Caspian, the Bakoc
springs have yielded large quantities of oil
and are widely celebrated. Some Of the
Persian wells have furnished fifteen hundred
barrels day, and throughout this regior
this material. under the name of Naphtha
is very generally burnt for its light.
At Rapgoon. in Burmah, petroleum ha!
been obtained for many years. and at thi
time there are over FIVE hundred wells
which annually afford four hundred thousanc
hogsheads. The oil occurs in strata o
blue clay; wells about sixty feet deep ar,
dug, into which the petroleum oozes. Thi
is sometimes used in its natural state, bu
more frequently it is first purified by distil
lation with steam. The raw material is alst
nixed with earth aud used as fuel.