Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1865-03-16
EDrroR GAlLrfoLts JorRNaL.

: lEDrroR GALLrfoLts JouRNab: G~ faa
j DEAR SrR:oAppended tou will
find an afticle clipped from the Pitts,
bareh Chronicle, ON the subject of
Petroleum as, it Is. commonly called.
Tor Rock oil, from Peter, a rock and
Oteum. oil This in our opinion is q
misnomer, as it is undoubtedly not
1.-THE product of sand stone, lime stone.
or any other stone or rock, which
latter is formation have not met
with in the. few geological works
that we have had access to. But We
will not quarrel abootnamesl 1t is
some errors in his theory that in our
opinion should not pass current. We,
agree with the writer of the article
I that Petroleum as it is called is as all
oils or fats are, chemical compound
OF hydrogen and carbon, not hs dro-t
gen and carbonic acid gas, for car
bon does not exist as gas, except
in union with oxygen. The acidifying
principle carbon, is only found pure
in the diamond, most nearly so in our
common wood charcoal. and next in
fossil coal, or as it has been called
stone coal In the two latter it is adul
terated with the oxides of metallic
Ebodies or earths, in varying proper
tions. sI-I 9-1rt I'D Hr-'
+ The writer of the article says ''one
hundred pounds of limes,one when
burned, will weigh but sixty pounds,
the part driven of BY burning is ear
bonic acid" This is mistake. Three
fourths at lea It. of the loss Is from
the expulsion Of the water of chrys-
talization: Again he says "under-
living the oil rock is stratum OF lime
stone known to be over one thousand
feet in depth The water falling
upon the surface and percolating
through the porous sandstone that
oveTlies the oil rock. becomes charg-
ed with salt, saltpeter, potash and
other neutrality-suspicious., and final
ly reaches calciner, we presume he
means the lime stone rock and de-
composes it " Now if there is an
oil rock everything the limestone why
send the water loaded with chemical
compounds journey of thousand
feet to decompose the tranquility of
the harmless lime stone. Again he
says, "the carbon of the rock (lime
stone) and the hl drogen of the water
uniting to lorm oil, while the oxygen
is self free" Now a mere mixture
of carbon and hydrogeH, will not
form oil or any thing else than car.
bon and hydrogen. There must he a
chemical union of these two substan-
ces to form a third, different from
both. The gentleman has, we think,
founded bis theory on thelerroneous
name rock OIL 1t would in our opin-
ion be properly termed fossel oil, or
in common parlance coal oil, as we
will endeavor to prove in another
communication, should you deem this
worth place in your columns. 4
a Respectfully, 0-5 r. S.
HOW PETROLEUM IS FORMED.
The Pittsburgh Chronicle, specula-
ting on the formation of petroleum.
says: E.-"-| |srr" 3a. .a.tefs Il
Petroleum is known to be hydro
carbon, composed of two gases
These gases are primary elements,
indestructible and exhaustless in
quantity. One of them, hydrogen,
is constituent of water, and OF
course is inexhaustible as the ocean.
The other is a constituent in all veg
etable forms and in many of our
rocks. One hundred pounds of lime
stone, when burned, will weigh but
sixty ponds. The part driven off
by burning is carbonic acid. I'm
DERIVING the ''oil rock" is stratum
of limestone, of unknown thickness,
known to be upward of one thousand
feet in depth The water falling on
the surface and percolating through
the porous sandstone that overlies
the oil rock, becomes charged with
salt; potash, saltpetre and other
chemical ingredients, and finally
reaches the limestone rock and de-
composes 1.-THE carbon in the rock
and the hydrogen Of the water unit.
ing to form oil, while the oxygen is
set free to ascend to the atmosphere
or unite with minerals and form OK
ydes. The reverse of this process is
seen in burning the oil in lamp
the oxygen in the atmosphere unit
ing with the carbon in the oil, form.
ing carbonic acid, and with the by
drogen forming water-thus com
pleting the circle. The question
is frequently asked, when will the
oil become exhausted2 We may
answer, when the ocean is, and not
before 3dt s. -r-s4 -T 81
lvi brs T