Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1865-02-02

A4S NuNAti y
The following extract from the Mas
sachusetts Magazine. for July. 1892. il
lustrales the antiquity of the oil develop
ments:
In The northern part of Pennsylvania
there is a creek called Oil Greek, which
empties itself into the Allegheny river.
issuing from spring, on The top of which
floats an oil sinilar to what is called
Barbados tar. and from which may be
collected by one man several gallons in a
day. The American troops, in marching
that way. halted Al the spring, collected
The oil and balhed their joints with tt
This gave them relief, and freed them
Immediately from the rheumatic COM
plants with which many of them were
affected. The troops drank freely of The
waters : they acted as a gentle purge.
There is another spring In the western
part of Virginia as extraordinary in It's
kind as the one just mentioned, called
the Burning Spring, 1t was known
long time to the hunters. They frequent
ly encamped bY il for the sake of obtain
ing good water Some of them arrived
late one night, and after making fire,
took brand TO light them 10 the spring.
On their coming to il some fire dropped
from the brand, and in an instant the
water was in flames. and so continued,
over whi:h they could roast their meat
as soon as over the greatest fire. Il was
leftIn this situation, and continued burn
ing for three months without intermis-
sion. The fire was extinguished by ex
cluding the air from it, or smoihering it.
The wafer taken from it into vessel
will not burn. This shows that the fire
is occasioned by pO'hing more than a
vapor that ascends from the water.
There are two springs high uP on the
one of which has about the
same degree of heat as blood running
from the veins. 1t Is much frequented
by people who have lost their health -
The waters are drunk with freedom. anG |
a,so Serve as hot both. by which much !
good has been experienced. The other
spring. issuing from the same mountain,
a lIttle farther off. Is as remarkable for
It's codnes> as the other is for its heat
aud differs from common springs in as
many degrees,
So much interest is felt TO know where
all this oil has been lying hidden for
ages, that we suhjoin theory in refer
ence. TO. ii which seems TO be the most
generally accepted. The Pittsburgh
Chronicle, specuIatiDg upon the fOrma.
ion of petroleum. says:
We may set il down as an axiom that
nature is not cnly capable of producing
low all articles that she has ever pro-
luced but that she is and will continue
o produce them until she substitutes
on.elhlug better. Perhaps our meaning
'e'Ier understood by applying TO a single
rlIcle. Suppose, for instance, we take
be one in which we all have so deep an
nlerest-petroleum. This is known to
e hydr0-carbOn, composed of two gases :
These gases are primary elements, in-
estruclIble and exhauSlless in quantity.
)ne of Acknowledgements a con-ulu-
Ut of wafer, and, of course, is as ex-
austless as the ocean. The other is a
Onetiiuent in all vegetable forms, and
D many of our rocks. One hundred
Ounds of limestone, when burned will
7righ but sixty pounds. The par, driven
Il by burning is GarbOniC acid. Under.
ing the 'oil rock is a stratum of lime. '
tone of unknown thickness, bot known c
J be upwards of one thousand feet In e
rp'h. The water falling ON the surface y
nd percOlating through the porous sand. b
one that undrelies the oil rock. becomes
narged with salt. potash, salipelre, and c
her chemical ingredients. and finally,
caches the limestone rock and dec0m $
osss 1.-THE tarbOn in the rock and the 0
ydrogen of the water uniting TO form d
i. while the oxygen is set free 10 ascend
} the atmosphere or unite wiIh minerals q
nd form oxygen. The reverse of this u
-Ocess is seen in burning The OIL in a
mp-the oxygen in the atmosphere d
hitting with the carbon in the oil. form.
e carbonic acld. and with Tire hydrogen
rmiDg water-Ihus completing the cir C
e. The question Is frequently asked. 81
When will the oil become exhausted g 81
'e may answer, wheu the ocean Us and J
II before.
Michigan's debt Is IS 541 .OCO. bG