, 1864-10-28
PE1ROL.IA.
i Scientific Investigation into Its
Resources.
VARIED USES OF PETROLEUM
The Production of Fuel for
Ocean Steamers,
SPLENDID FASHIONABLE COLORs DIS.
COVERED.
4 Great Demand fer the Article all oyer
tho Werld.

From the New York Herald
WHERE PETROLEUM COMES FRoM-TE bow
| ELS OF TIE EARTH SCIENTIFICALLY oyEE
| HAULED.
The subject Of explaining the phenomeu
| OF the production Of petroleum has attr1ete
| the attention Of scientific and practical me
| ever Since its discovery and adaptation to til
uses ct eociety. Several theories have bee
! advanced, bu. the most reasonable which "
by personal Investigation In the oil region c
Pennsylvania, may be ascertained from th
| following summary Of the views Of the mos
| enlightened investigators in the myaterie5 O
this wonderful production Of the earth:
It seems certain that the principal supple
| Of petroleum are not diffused between th
! planes Of stratidcation, but arc collected Il
cavities more Or less sunken IN the strata
whence 1t ID less liable to be carried aWa]
By running water. It Is common to flas
1a1ge quantities in places where there ar
marks OF disturbance and misplacement o
the rocks, and those who have professionally
"prospected for oil nearly always select sucf
spots for sinking shafts or wells. These cav
ittes are not unusually. Of great horizontal
wells strike oil at the same depth, whether
the strata be horizontal or dipping. 1t il
one chance out OF many to strike oil at all,
even In neichboIhoods WHARF 1t exists In
abundance except In certain localities in TIE
On Greek region, where the Average chances
Of striking oil are superior to those Of other
districts, with the exception, possibly, OF
some Of the newly discovered districts in
Western Virginia. But there are facts con-
nected with oil wells, particularly their In
termlttent action and their interference with
one another, which serve to chow the exist
encc In many cases of systems of these cayI-
ties connected together By channels OF com.
municat1ou, more or less free, running some
times along the strata and sometimes across
Of oil are found in the same horizontal
stratum of eand-atoEes. It would seem that
this rock is very porous, ana perforated like
honeyconb with numerous cells and fls.
Eu1eB containing petroleum. The history Of
many Of tie wells Is as follows: When oil
is entered the gas begins to raise it up over
IN il rec until it projects It into tie sir, Often
to height of from thirty to forty feet, then
alternately diminishing and increasing In
force at regular intervals, but without anV
cessation in the tto~ tor long time. These
variations In the force Of the gas-the
breathing Of the earth," as they are term
ed-are to 90 explained on the principle Of
suppoeing that, as the tension Of the gas Is
relaxed By the removal of the oil, the cas- and
oil from other cavities around rush in
through the pores aud slight assures till q
certain maximum tension is reached. and
the Influx ceases, then, BY the expansion Of
the gas slready In the chamber, the oil con-
5lE! tlEns to cone up, but with dimtc1
is again created; after which he 1I ia.
lux is renewed and gradually increas-
ca, ss at The beginning. These regular
alterations vary In differe ut wells from two
to three times day to as many times IN
hour; the intervals, however, gradually m
crsasIrg g IN length as the supply ofoil is dlmin-
communications are forced, and the wells de.
xiy'nR new supplies, start Oft again with a
new period. 1t is no Uncommon thing for
Intermittent wells to thro n out ut first three
hundred or four hundred barrels day, or to
yield IN all IS much as twenty thousand bar
Et1s. The activity Of some wells Is increased
by rains; others, with less gus, are rendered.
9npreductfve until the water can be redu ed.
There Is no reason to suppose, according to
the theory Of Professor Evans, of Marietta
College, That this oil is raised to the surface
by the direct pressure OF stream OF water
whose bead is higher than the issue, as the
ed. In spoutfpg wells the presence Of gas, IS
the immediate agent, becomes known not
OILY from their variable action, but also from
the actual escapes Of gas, and consequent ces-
aation OF How wherever the oil Is reduced to
certain level. If collections Of oil had direct
and Tree connection with strong currents Of
water, the mechanical agency OF these cur
rents would bear them away rapidly. The
show OF ou'' increases in value as slgn
with the depth at which 1t is found. EsOe-
chilly is the finding Of large quantities Of in
prisoned gas, though oil may be present, re-
garded as good Indication that oil is near,
a learned writer on the subject is inclined to
attribute petroleum ard It's associated hy-
drogeneouB gases to fermentation and dis
tnlation by anbterranean heat Of the hvilrp-
carbon clements reeident In all the carbona-
ceous at1ata unc erlJing the rock oil region.
Moreover, be is inclined to assign the oil and
gas to the lower deposits almost exclusive
forth, and very abundanty, in large dis
tl1cts, far remot6 from any tracts Of tie coal
formation, and Whare those infe rior rocks
are the only carhonaceous ones which un~
dtr1ie the surface. Secondly, that like dis
charge OF petroleum and cumbustib1e gas=s
the ta1tb, even where their coal beds are no
toriously bitnminous and dangerously full Of
f1edamp Thirdly, there are some differen-
ces, 30 the chemists inform US, between
these nattye h} dtogenous products, aud the
genuine coal oils and their resultants, |
procnred by artificial methods OF sep
aratiou. From this 1t is inferred that tue
greater portion Of the oil and gas is really
derived from the marine animal carbonaceous
Ehales, and not from the vegetable beds Of
coal and THEIR coaly rocks. The process Of
the civilization Of the pr iroleum from the
lower strata, and its accumulation In the
pores, crevices and joio-s OF the upper ones,
is believed By the came learned authority to
be elmplJ this: That during the epoch, or
the Perhaps successive epocha, Of the 1up- |
lifting Of all these WateE-buried and water
Side sedimentary strata, earthquake pulsa- |
tions and other unduladons Of the crust |
formed aud fixed the aexures in the strata |
IS described, and that during the earthquake |
oscillations, and even after their cessation. a !:
copious amount Of the highly heated sub. |
ttrranesn stream, the constant attendants |
upon earthquakes, heated tbs etratned and |
rocky beds, dislodsed their m5re
" latile constituents. and carried or distilled !
tseEe latter. one portion into the atmosphere
and the res!duary part into the interstices Of
strata. Upon this hypothesis We see how il
those belts Of the Alleghhnies, where the
crust was moet cGnvulsed and tue rocks
were most contotted and highly heated, the
coal hecs were actually coked into dense
anthracite, md how further. from the lines
eteamtug Of the rocks, the volatile matters
below the surface were progressively less |
till entering the petroleum dis |
tllcts the crust movements md warming |
were co moderate that they ouly sutt1ced to |
diep1ace the tarry and gaseous matters from
the underlying beds. to leave them, at least
ii part, In the cavities and c. us AID fruc-
lures Of the oye1esting strata.
SINKING WELLS AND THR EXPENSE.
As some Of our readers may not have an
Idea Of the expense Of putting down IN oil
well, we will furnish the items which are
10 be taken into consideration when tha
work is commenced, irrespective, Of course,
Of the price Of the lease Of the land:
One engine, ten horse power, delivered, On
Derrick, complete .......-.... .....,...... I'D
waking beam, Samson poet and appusten-
Del, wei. band, wheel ald beiti1g. ........ - 80
Il r. eh snd .i halt isvssi, md quarter inch Nv
sl9 s haneftd p ttet tubing at q; ccuis 5S
Fifty feel driving pipe at e7..............,. s55
Five hundred husheis coal 1t 90 cents ...... 3o
TWO eng thcers. esy slxtT days, each at So. 4a1
70 or'!l.fr 1 e1hnred feet, a:sa 25 1351
9ne pumplfs bal1el s1d Valves.... .......... 81
Two wIencht at 8i0 each, one clamp. two
two inch gas ttngs gs.-........-........,,.., % |
To this uust be aided, say s5o0 for COZ con.
fngenI expenses, such as accidents In
'reakirg machinery, getting tools fast in
wells, ard the charges by prof seional tool
IhIee years ago the entire eI-
9ense would have Teen one-h bali less.
OF GETTING THE OIL TO MARKET,
AND WHAT IT II WORTH THERE.
The expenses Of getting the oil to ma,kst,
a6en N connection with the oEerous Gov
'etined, ten on crude, with the various other
:harrgee, pres.nt q remun ratiTe figure for
'rude aftsr 1t reaches the New York market
ven at the prevailing low rates. The fol-
owing table demonstrates the fact:
,1u1e oil, Fold at Story Or McClIntoek tarm.,
oetss la1, per barrel Of Il Ralions-....; 500