Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-05-27


the chemist here may worship side by side.
Al the phenomena of dstillation and COM
bustiop, under varying baron etric and
therm momesric conditions Of the atmosphere,
mag be studied; for none Of this general
FIRE burns unless when captured aud sp-
piled to human useo in the lamp or stove
or kiln. In the midst of this devouring
element-through this world in flames
men live and love unharmed, tend sheep,
plant onions, sleep, are born and die, as
in more prosaio regions. The reeds and
grass are in nowise affected by the flowing
oil or by the burning gas, In fact, Rot
tiers, the traveller, thought the whole phe
nomenon electric, when he noticed that
the vacuum in bis thermometer tube seem
ed 10 be especially full of fame, aud that
the east wind put 10 quiet The whole ex-
hibtion; with which fact we rn.y compare
the curious discoveries of Mofat with bis
phosphorous thermometer, published in
Silliman's Journal, December, 1862, p.
437, as bearing on his theory Of two nor
NAL opposite air currents. From an
equally remote era the Burmau empire
and northern Hindostan have received an.
nual supplies Of rock oil from the wells
of the Himaayan valley Of the Irrawaody,
through Rapgoon; and it has always been
favorite drug in the Indian pharmaco-
poeia
IN Italy, tie oil wells of Parma and
Modena date back nearly two centuries,
the year l64O being that assigned to their
discovery. The springs of Ammiano have
long lighted the streets Of Gesoa
In France, oil springs have boen known
from time immemorial at Clermont and
Gabian; and in Canton Neufshatel; and
in Bavaria, Germany.
ln the English coal mines, Of the
coal-oil gas-the dreadful fre.damp-was
always well known demon to the mining
population; but in 1859 Sherley, perhaps
first, describes it to the reading public US
all illuminating gas. In 1888 Sir James
Lowther laid pipes along the mines and
burned The gases at the surface Of the
earth. DR.. Clayton's resort experiments
to which we referred above, at the be.
ginning of section ,, were siz years later
still. His Uncomfortable spirit" he burn.
ed in bladders for tie amusement of bis
friends, as did Dundonald again in 1856
aud Murdock in 1892. But the lighting
of London streets and houses with gas
came not till lS42 Twerty years have
elapsed, and there are in Great Britain and
Ireland LOIS gas-works, with a capital o
1000 900, charging an average Of 81
80 per thousand cubic feet to small con
, sumers, and deducting from five to thirty
, per cent. for heavy consumption. Some
: Of these companies pay twelve per cent
3 dividends, and many of them ten per cent
/ The average capital of British gas.work
is said to be nearly twenty per cent. les
+. than that of American works.
t In America the history of coal. oil com
G mences with the use which the white set
n tiers found the Indians made Of it 70
o medicine, for paint, and for certain seligi
!. Gus ceremonies. The settlers adopted il
If medicinal Use alone, and retained fos nor
than one aff,uent Of the Allegheny rive
e the Indian name of Oil creek. Tho on
# which has become SO celebrated latey J
d enters the river few miles above the tow
D of Franklin. The oil was collected bot
Z by the natives and the whites by spread
7 ing blankets oI the marshy pools wbic
u line the edges of the bottoms at the foe
OF steep hill-sides,o ,or even mountain wall:
d such as hem in those valleys and supper
i table land OF coal measures above. Th
u remains OF ancient pits, with notched log
G for ladders, show how long the produ,
S has been velued by the aborigines, Bt
d although in all the valleys OF western
e York and Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio an
d Kentucky, and northwestern Virginia, tn
/. evidences OF the almost universal exstenC
h of the Seneca oil was known to the earl
= settlers, its actual abundance updeTgroun
!. was not dreamed of. Even long after 1t
a era Of salt-well boring had begun, the i
IS olated cases Of spouting wells did not teac
J.. the truth as it is now known. Some
. the oldest salt wells Of the Pittsburg r
d gion, it is true; and of the Kanawhs We
m ley, yielded not only brine, but also o
l. and gas in great abundance and in mol
is than one place, and with a partial an
h temporary success, the gas was tubed o
Z. and led beneath the boiling yats for fue
= But it was too fluI in its escape 10 be n
,e lied upon; the oil which accompanied
ut was of no use, and when abundant gre
i. nuisance. IIlldreth describes the quaint