, 1865-03-15
Ql)ifaa6 Qrtbnne
WEDNESDAY. MARCH Is. 1875.
. [ L..
Petroleum and Petro-
leum Wells.
Origin Of Pctroleum---1F Where It
Is Fouud---YieId Of Wells,
THE HISTORY OF PETR0-:
LEUM ON OIL CREEK,
Duration of Oil Deposits
Gas and Burning Springs
HOW Gil WELLS ARE BORED
AND WORKED
The Various Routes to the
Oil Regions.
THE EEW YORK AND KENTUCKY
OIL REGIONS.
The Great Wells Of Penn.
sylvauia.
THE EEW YORK AND KENTUCKY
OIL REGIONS,

"
The GTeaC VHeuS or Eeuu.
cvIxyousn
SJASe>'
--
o,,o,v =, -
leuo'eun'' IN one 1orm OF another, has
been known In all ages, and in nearly all
parts Of the world. although many of its meg
are the d,scorar;os of tha ,oet r,.v ,,oo. ~
10 1nsrt;onea ,.r ~ as P''s ~" 3ea's' II
mnns, being known to the latter under the
name of "bitumeu.'l At Zante. onn Of thc
Ton;en Ts,ondp is an ~ anr;n,- I'm 49,:
.s.1s;s,s .,t~s ~. e.n ~" Ailss'
nu'eu "As nen..o'eu y, aetoqotus, more
tban TWO fho1sand years ago. In Sicily tho
ancient Inhabitants burned petroleum in their
lamps instead Of fish oil. In the north or
ITALY it has for nearly fBo centuries f1rn;s,oa
@.s.,a, e.. ,,,,,t;na. ~. s.-sa,N 4o$ u1saeo
AA4 ~ ~ ~ "e stiecIs q ueuoa ana
fa1na' VI 'ne snofes o1 Inc Caspian Sea, Mt
Bakoo, a7e extraordinary manifestations Of
petroleum oil and gases. These extend over
a tract of connfr nbout t.rar+r.f =. .,,,,.r -
.,s,st,' ~ at...,t ,",e -"sa1 w I'VE nnss IN
- auu .ooas uau . 11e "4ae, III strata
o1 porous, nIeulaceo1s sandstone, be-
ionsnS 70 Tue teruasy period. In
nc fieihlty a1e NUS oi Folcan1c rocks,
lnronsa Hhleh springs OF the heavier
-. ,..t tas.a-. oPea "SHss
IRON sixteen 70 twenty feet deep, are dug,
nno u 1nesc me OIL gathers as 1t oozes from
lAe stfala; = large amount is annually gath
e!ea emu ulht1o1tea over fcrsla. Where 1t is
e3einslTely uscd lof Illuminating purposes
ana 'oI INC sacrea nfes. me kangoon DIS
1tlet, on iAe AIa~adoy, T Is also ianous for its
,aige proa9Mst M M o. 1oek on, anu 1or centuries
WIN on lfom .his source. Inc annua! yield
1oo iU, dnn tnls olsiflct Is said to be
.1Aoag molS tnaa soouo a.ssnea1s. o. ABOUT tWo-
nt 1lnos U .ne "a PUT ltom "a NeT orr ior 18TH
dns ~ Ausnoe1 "a Mg.as - o.o. me nanFcs use
Iog W 10 mealelne, puin IL In 1near lamps,
an9 at;z Eue a.auot, w. ~ ~ ~ pFeseot N: &C.
fsa,,,as ", az ,oan ~, so!ne 9l ing
oo1 5 aeee .e W nas nseu esnt.to Ehslana, ana
~ nseu u sas naa1e.csasG VI laIainne canaies
~ soaeisteuc} c ~ lestnpies thg Hsasy lunfl.
~ eaems o.ie - =. auo OA1o, whist
!ns rs coto,, .! g.eGnlsa p5oFn' IS more IKE
1 1nal u ~ Llsu!sl teo9s}Nan14 gu. retro.
Ealn M = i'equeot!y lou1a N 1oe neighporhood
q so,eanoes. Aloun9 tnc rolcan,c isles of
tapc sGIoe ~ ~ seen IoaIlns on Inc water
and 70 tne sou1a OF sesuS4us spring Of it
rises 1hfonsa me sea.
out II ha Is i9 Amerlsa mat tne iarsest depos-
1ls o. tHula pelFoielm nre 1onna: Besides
me P1ahc1Fal reservoirs IN rthwestein
Pennsylvania, there are other deposits, the
tuil sa11e o. Which has not get been ascer-
talntd, IN Sonth"esleTn FennsylTania, Ohio,
western virginia. hentucky, New YORK, Can
soA' Aa1lsa7' "nu essu ~ Sa11o'a1a'
<s.a1 roRaA1los;
The cause OF formation OF petroleum, aud
its location IN the rocks, are questions that
have ae yet received no satisfactory solution.
According to some gcologists, the oil origin
ates ~ 9ne co1 oeos, 1p1a Mnlcn II =
| e1p aeo py psessofe "AAe DINERS assert
that The coal Is formed from the OIL, Instead
Of the oil from the coal. In support Of both
OF tngse lAeo11es me eene1N resemblance OF
petroleum 70 Tue gu obtained from the dist'a-
lataon o. coa' ls I'd 1aced, although there are
Eone minor pofn{s OF o16ssence. Bat the &
fsfence OF petroleum does not depend On the
contrary, the most productive ou districts are
removed from the coal fields In the Fem.
sylyansa oil region the wells are entirely out,
tlde Of the coal field, and SO remote from il
that there can scarcely be any connection be
tween the OIL and the coal beds. The strats
IN Nhleh ~ me S gu Is found 4lp south. ana pas: =
below the coal measures from 1se hundred u
thousand ieet, The nearest cnal BED 70 tn
more no1thern OIL Wel1s capping the hlShes
hills about thirty miles distant.
Other gto:os1sts attrlonte the Production Q
ne on 10 tne oH s as11sation % Ahimat .
scseAole EAttel ols1 1MAsimea ~ aue'en cL
aooos aha @ 1sontu ~ N nf.h hH lochs th ,ormst
remnants 4ele oas1a. 1o,. LIS tneo!g pfesup
poses an immense aeposlt Oh an.mal or Scsc
1able 1natier. Us lne yleid OF on mas aIcadJ
netn FeFy iaIEe' ard ana 1ul sma1 portion Q
Ine deposlt mas oeen aeSeloped as YET. An
other theory accounts for Its production h1
Volcanic agencies; eut It is not BY any nean'
conhpeu 70 thc Foleao'c Iocks. soms are dis
pos d 10 1ook on 1t as formation OF by -gon'
ages. by processes long since terminated
whilst others, with q belief tn the doctrin
mat Nature never stops ia her work, asser
that the process Of formation is still going on
and that the supply Is incxhaus:ibtc.. An ap
parent confirmation Of this opinion Is fonnt
in the fact that tie wells Of bakoo and Ran
eoon are Us productive now as they were cen
tu1ies ago: Single wells hare dried up, bu
The district suffers no diminutfon. This fac
should alloy the fcats OF those who are nppre
| htusfye that the American Gil regions vii
eocn be exhausted.
WHERE IT IS roUrp.
| Petroleum is found IN different parts OF ths
volcanic and netamorphic formations. It i
sometimes traced to beds OF Ignite, and some
times its source cannot DC discovered. In th.
United States and Canada the sandstones art
the most productive Of oil. In the Pennsyl
yania oil region the bills are capped with con
glomerate, lying in geological succession ncx
below the coal measures. Through this tts
we'll is bored, passing through alternate lay
crs OF shalc and sandstone, and Terminating
IN sandstone, where cavities exist, frequently
filled With Gil, gas, and salt water. The dir
Of the STRATA in Northwestern Pennsylvania
is nearly sonth; n OHIO It is cast Of south
The most prc1uctivee oil bearing sandstone
crops cut in Ohio, . few miles vest Of Cteve
land, and dips gently towards the AlleghanJ
Mser, drsccndlns more rapidly as It gets tar
tier SOUTH; II some parts OF VI Creek, anu
ou tne 6iienHang tnele alc appearances o
sI,ght nrheasaI forming cracks am hssure:
II the rocks, and II fs here that many boseri
iook most n9peauIf r tot g IN urge oaantl