The weekly union record., 1865-02-11
Coal Oil.

Among all the latent and partially developed
resources Of this State, 50 wonderfully rich in
mineral soil and climate. there are none which
promise more important results than the reccnr
discovery of coal oil. in 50 many and sach |
widely separated localities l, Is DOT saving
anything more than the experience Of olher
districts, under similar circumstances, will
warrant, to assert that this important dscoveryI
will as materially affect the eommerce and
manufacturing interests Of the State as did the
discovery Of gold 10 1855. For this coal oil
like gutta percha snd caoutchouc Is the crudq
material for the prediction OF an almost endless
variety of substances used in the arts and man
faciures. 1t is the best solvent O. the Two
latter substances. The very brightest and
most beautiful Of the popular colors used in
dying silk. wooden and cotton fabrics are made
of snitine, product Of coal oil. raraiine
which makes better candles than wax Or sperm.
is a produc; Of coal oil Many Of the most
agreeable perfumes and extracts for favorlng
our fashionable dishes. are made from coil oil.
Many lady faBcies she sprinsles her dress
with musk, when she uses preparation Of coal
oil. Many a dish that savors strongly Of al
monds and lemon, owes its flavor 10 coal OH.
Ii is valuable for countless other purposes.
1t seems somewhat strange that this valuable
substance, which has been known to Europeans
for centuries, was left for Yankee Ingenuity
aud uiilitariauism TO introduce for The literal
purpose of enlighteuing a world. Bot the fact
that the Yankees revolutionized light by coal
oil is undeniable; more than century ago
native naptha, which is but crude coal oil. was
known and imported into England from Bur
nah in India. At Rangoon more than three}
hundred oil wells have been known TO exist
from the most remote ages. The people OF
that uncivilized portion of the globe have wal
lowed iu gross darkness while . food o. mate
rials for light was running 10 waste all around
them. These miserable beings bad sense euougt
to mix the oil with earth and thus burn il for
fuel, but could not comprehend the wealth that
lay around them for collecting. They did not
understand what lifl in life il gives 4 peopc
who "strke lie"
Chemically speaking, coal oil is a hydro
carbon, of which there are almost countless
varieties, possessing almost many different
qualities, but oil highly iuhammable. though
consisting of hydrogen, the principal eement
Of water and carbon. How IL ls found in tho
great laboratory of nature NAV be inferred hy
observing how it is made by man England
possessing no coal oil, her chemists MANUFACTURED
it by distilling coal, as We do corn and potatoes
to manufacture whisky. Blythe bye, we had
almost forgotten TO mention that u good gorilla
whisky is manufactured extensively from coal
oil. 1t is observed in distilling coal that If the
retorts are made very hot and very rapidly,
very infammabe gas is the result All gas.
except that of stump speakers, is manufactured
by this process but if the heat is kept low.
and slowly increased coal oil is produced. As
II is known that this oil exists n nature only IN
localities where there are extensive deposits Of
bitumnous coal, it is inferable that il is pro-
duct OF the slow combustion of such coal at
sufficient depth below the surface of the earth
TO preclude evaporation. Anthracite produces
no oil, because it contains 10 bitumeD, TO which
coal oil owes its origin. 1t is very eneour-
aging fact, in relation TO this subject, that in
all countries where coal oil is known to exist,
the geological formations are very closely con-
nected in age and position TO thOse OF Califor-
MIA. The business of coal oil in the United |
States at present amounts to many millions OF
dollars annually, though the supply does not
near equal the demand. California will soon
be in the market as a competitor with Penn
sylvania, Michigan and Canada, for we hear
of strikes almost daly.-FlIg.