Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1866-04-27
Petroleum.


M opinion On The oricin If P,troicum ia
your paper 81 last vUck merits a reply.
Several different ibsolics have bccn al
sancssd With re'-rcbce o. the origin Of D.
tr0leun. The Chsuical theory q. that
where The sAh Eaier as confned-in ~
bowels Of ~ earth. surh chemical charscs
took Slsrc a. shcrli iniror q un.oa q car
boa And hydrorcn 90 A. o. form pstrolfuri.
IL - true that the chruist nav artifciaIv
proiucs such a coalsnatIou. but ue harc
No evidence that such a proco.s has ever
been carried on In nature.
fstroleum = founl IN limited quantities
IN at the scdimcuiAry formations from The
lover >iluri an. ~hen marine seectable and
animal iife hrsi make their APPEARANCE. Up
90 The most r~c~ntly foru,ed rocks. The
popuiar theory o.. that q vas derived from
coal. but unfortunately Tor that theory. -
never Ind q % M kBo-ieage. associated
nth she coal. We can distll arti6cial D.
troleun from coal Besides u - foaud IN
rocks thousands % ieet bciou the coal Soar-
INK formaiion. In Canada West coal doc
not eaist. nor the coal bearing rccks wbere
yeirolsura - found
Sons have Supposed that q wAs prodaoed
By The decomposition q ssavceds ~hioh
gre- On immense quantities in those periods
There = sorne plausibiiity for this fheory.
Inasmuch a. seaueCds contain the saulc
elements a. pstr0ieUm. Bot ~bersser sca-
weeds 49, in great prof1sion. there shell
tsh also abounted fn immense numbrrs
Nov u y a singuiar fac; thai where shell-
6-h And 6sbes reigaed supreme in The early
history "a our globe. there - found The
greatest gusntiiy 81 pctrolcum. Nov tkrrc
are bot - persons ~ho have anv conccu-
tion % fhe vast aniourt q ccrais. sheIif.h
and fshss which h.d Accumuiafe.l durin.,
tbs nevoniAu Pericd 81 this ~orld's history.
Hence Agassir aPiiy calls q the Rsign 81
tsbes. Suppose nov a mas Of tbrse shcil-
tsh. seavects sd tshcs vcrs sEcri toccth-
er m masses and LAYERS sonaetiunc. hur.lr-i.
81 feet thick. No~ lct this uass D. cos~r-
Cd b. sediment and al-o By The waters q
thc ocean ard there remain avay from At
mosrheric inincnccs for arcs that Kind 90
q substance car one inlagine wcuh cone
oct - tbis great distillcry of nafure We
can think 81 IoiLing diferInr from hat -
actually Ind in the SHAPE % petroleum
To rccar'i O. the cuinions % t--oloctsts
Nth rcicrvnce O. the location q re,ro ZEN.
thew can ouly DECIDE on general principle.
Any geologist uil tel 800 that yos nav
SAX a vel and Obtain . good sbow oi OF.
Sbilc another ~cL feu rods distant al
entirely fail. lie cannot ten vhtch = The
favored spo;. Do; hs can tell in uhai lorna
tious VOC al not lnd petroleum. Orc %
thc great alsarfage. I'd geology b. iu re-
strafuir- people iron gong =, search %
mines ~hcre the Eeologisf vel know thev
do not exist Novel; mad nan nou thiuks
ot boring into grAu.ie f1r coal OF petrolsuu,.
an Eet 80 arr frequently asked NV q nav
net o. found thsrr J picked "a uhat
suppos~d % b. gold h~sriur ouarfr wh~-r
Dos are The gold mincs IN Nova Soutia
years 1-'orC ihs.r discovery. Prof Daua
noiicrd che sauc isafurc In California aud
orrEtn lore before % "a discovered II
rcrscus Interested iu Mining orerafi~-s
sould paF more Attention 20 sons scusit.le
cco.ogist. and lcss io uitchtazrl men. s,.lrlt-
al adsiscrs and .cnoranf miner. tLsrr
vonld % VASTLY tcvcf iailurcs than noE "a
ist. While ther- arr couditions in az niniu.
opsrafions from wbich too nlurh most not
D. eapcctcl !r5ui The opinions OF any uan
Your. Nj I.
The doctor consiiercd cur parasraph
o. at week. q chaiicngc. an.l IA. deirndsd
his theory. vhich Is that hell o. many e.
oiogisis. We have -i,eu IN previous
number some q thc rcasons ~ Ne DO nos
consider The iheory correct. The od Ia.
rarely any trace 81 animal matter in o.
bgt in al Iis constiiacas % clearly ol vcr-
ciahis rigin, ard - almost caacily the
sane a. ihe frss prodact distilled from coaI.
T. analyEing 10. ibe gases are 6anI 70 h.
the sane a. vbat are termed o. marsh ras-
-. beth in chararicr ard cLemlcal CON
position and other proofs shou 4 % g.
u
- annually prolacld IN ihc Uuited Siaies
about fo1r milioa barrels 81 petrolcuu.
Which weld has co1f.n1ed for some years.
nni BE- hkriy io last for wears 90 come
Ihis Tart - the strongest Augment Ne have
yet SEEN against thc fsh theory. for % b.
diihcuii O. SO boz so huge q mass oi AMI
ma. iie couid have been -aibsrrd IN ore
spof. ard there covered up. TIE theory q
t''s ceoiog.sis IN chs respect LOOKS ia.i a.
piau.ibie a. does thc gross .tatemsuf of a.
eaf.l ni'araiist. uio proved .r BIS treatise
On natural listor,. the manner ia uhirh o..
o. tarnacie goose a. developcl from f.
reritatic barualis from tie "a shore We
arpena che iolouing rriraci from l,rf--c
delivered ~ Prof wu5er. reoioei., 10
las given the subieci practical cSamina-
tion. with tie reuark thati'i confirmed o.
al ihe late authori,ics vo lave seen snl
tlai tviii Ultimately be i9snd % b. nearly
corrcrt.
We tnd 20 traces 20 s,irlai matter ir re-
troieuu. stich - estenfiallr rossr.-.r8 q
vegetable matter ID b. Sad that fhe sast
angguf u 30 ioand in Canada oriv,rsII,
cane fcm fennsfirania. Blt uc faI ft.t
the rccks inriine in a. orrosite direction.