The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1865-02-10
A Chapter on Petroleum.
IT'S Formation and History-Discovery Of
American Petroleum-How It is Obtained
Tho Oil Wells and the Oil Region.


Tho Oil Wells and the Oil Region.
We condense from lengthy and interesting
letter in the New York Sun the following ac-
count Of the singular but useful production Of
nature, which is now creating so much excite
ment in the financial world and adding SO large.
ly to the commerce and wealth of the nation:
earth usually at depth of from one hundred
to six hundred feet. Il has rancid and disa-
greeable odor. and Is valuable for burning, Ia
brcatng and medical purposes. II Is by no
means modern thing. In Egypt, petroleum
was used for medical purposes nearly four thou
sand years ago, and oil springs arc still In exis-
tence In that country. In the latter part OF the
last century, two ship cargoes OF the crude oil
were transportedlto England to be sold, but the
process of refining not being understood, the
traffic was abandoned. Under the name OF Si-
is now known as petroleum for purposes OF H..
Elimination, and in Parma there is u spring OF
naptha, which the people apply to like use Mt
the present day. In Asia Minor the oil has
been known to exist, and has been used to q
limited extent for ages; and In Persia large
quantity has been annually consumed during
several hundred years. In this country 1t was
well known to the Indians before America was
discovered, and was used for medical purposes.
The early settlers of Western Pennsylvania, aud
other districts where oil springs now exist,
poses, collecting Il by skimming the oil deposit
on the top of the water as II accumulated from
the springs. In the memoranda Of his visit to
Fort du Quesne, now Pittsburg, during the
French and Indian war with the colonies, Gen.
eral Washington mentions the existence OF oil
springs in localities where wells are now In OPP
Grafton. But neither the Indians nor the early
white settlers knew anything Of the vast depos-
its in the bed Of the Garth.
WHAT PRODUCES PETROLEUM.
The most generally received theory with re-
gard to the origin Of petroleum Is that In the
formation Of the American continent, the great
upheaval which threw off the water and dsc0v-
cred the land, deposited vast fields Of marshy
salt grass and sea. weed in the beds where the
petroleum Is now found. This vegetable depos-
Il, In the transformation, became covered with
successive layers Of sand, shutting up the veg.
citation in its salt water beds. The action OF
the internal heat of the earth upon this vege.
tation and salt water could not consume the
vegetable matter, nor could II drive off the salt
water in vapor. for the hardening Of the sand
into rock cut of all means Of escape. As q re.
suit, the heat distilled the vegetation, extract
ing the carbon and hydrogen comprising them
hence the formation of the hydro. .carbonic
compound known rs petroleum. The same nat
ural heat which performed the work OF dstila-
ton would naturally crack the rock above, to
some extcnt-hence the assures through which
the oil has been forced up In some localities,
producing the oil springs. Upon this theory
The fact that the oil Is found, when near the
surface, In narrow crevices or assures, Is easily
explained-the petroleum being forced into
these cracks from the beds below.
now THE PETROLEUM BEDS WE'RE DISCOVERED
The region In which the oil Is now fonud in
Western Pennsylvania has almost for centu-
ry been known rs great salt district, and salt
wells have been In operation there ever since
the early settlement Of the country. In boring
salt wells. the greatest difficulty was found In
selecting localities where the water was not i'm.
pregnated with substance which the salt men
characterized rs "a nasty, greasy substance" I"
and which we of the present day call petroleum
Nearly forty years ago a Mr.. Packer. whilo
boring for salt water on Deer Creek, In Clari-
on county, Pennsylv lvania, "struck oil" at the
depth of four hundred feet. The "greasy wa
ter" as he termed II, spurted up with great
force, overAowcd the lands thereabodts, ruined
his salt machinery, saturated the land with
grease; and Mr.. Packer, profoundly disgusted
with the result Of bis efforts to obtain salt, Left
the country IN uilut uttio uIthmluS tnat nc
was running away from IN Fl Dorado richer
than the gold mines Of Callifornia-more re-
munerative than the diamond mines OF Biasil.
ORIGIN or THE PETROLEUM business
As natural consequence Of the increase In
the quantity Of oil that fnund It's way to the
surface from abandoned salt wells, the people
living In localities where It appeared gradually
disco vered that Il contained some valuable prop
critics. The reader will perhaps remember that
only few years ago Q substance OF horrid
odor and taste was sold throughout the ooun.
try as sovereign remedy for nearly all the ills
Of the hesh, aud bearing the name SUCCESSFULLY
Of Seneca Oil, Genesea OH, and Rock Oil. II
Was warranted to<3are'' everything from
toothaehe to hereditary consumption. and Was
. perfect Annihilator Of such simple ailment. ~
Rheumatism and asthma-Leing equally efica-
cious In external aud internal applications
This miraculous stun was simply crude petro.
leum, and that II was calculated to "either kill
or cure" when taken internally, nobody will
now deny. The apparently inexhaustible sup.
ply OF the oil at length attracted the attention
OF scientific men, and in 1853 its properties and
uses became moro generally understood. A