The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1870-03-15
THE COAL OIL FORM
A Scientific Dissertation on the Suo.
Misrepresentation as to ahe Origin
OF Pctro lcum.
from the Philadelphia Telegraph.

From the rhlndelphia Telegraph.
There is broad basin extending from the
Clarion county anti-clnal axis nortbward
as far as Lake Erie, in which the principsl
oil deposits have been found. This anti
ciinal axis, or line of upheaval runs close
10 the towns of Ridgeway and kittan-
ming, und the principal boriues have been
made west of this. between Brady's Bend
and the latter named town. There 10 anoth-
er valley, between this Clarion county anti.
clinal axis shd a parallel line Of upheavai
running close To Blairsville, call the Chest
nut Ridge anti-clinal whcte in many old
salt wells, oil has often been found. East
of this Chestnut Bridge anti.clinal no oil
has yet made its appearance. The region
10 which it occurs is therefore SO limited as
to render nexcusahIe the neglect which has
been shown by the State to its inves,iga-
tions. At the present time there is but one
man in the State of Pennsylvania who may
be sa id 10 be any authority on the question
Of coal oil formation. He has. obtained bis
information entirely through his own indi-
vidual exertions, apd though DO better in
formation is 10 be had at present. this is
but meagre in comparison to that which
should be in possession Of every interested
capitalist 10 the United States. The few
facts which seem to be known ore as fol-
low:
| TIE organic remains from which this oil
i t,,h h.~ I,.a, .1,I -.
bly, vegetable fossil fnchod-sea weed
with little or no animal matter connected
with them.) This remark applies to the
| Venango county wells, and those this side
Of Lake Erie; for the Canada coal oil, con-
nected as it seems TO be with the black
states of the lower Devonian, appears 10 be
of great age, and is probably composed OF
animal remains. The oil 0ccnss 10 two
ways. First, in horizontal deposits in the
grave aud sand rocks, the strata of its lodg-
ment being 200 feet or 90 apart; and second
in great vertical. assures or cracks filed from
these hor z)ntal reservoirs. The first mat
ner Of occurrence Is CONNECTED With the
original deposition Of the material by tn e
alt water, the latter with the cracking ol
the beds by sorinkage from dying, aud per-
hups somewhat assisted by the rising o,
4 great lines Of rook from below. An error
attributable 10 the confused appearance o
n the surface rocks is freely INDUCED Ia by
= the people OF this region. Who consider
Is that the originally deposited strata mus
l. have been very much disturbed. This is
K u great mistake. The strata are singulail,
nndisturbed, and this fact has an impoltanl
bearing on the question OF the future sup
g ply of coal oil.
The beds If sand.rOcks or gravel, in
which the oil has been deposited, appears
, to have been formed by an under current o
, Devonian ocean, and 10 have furnished
; good lodging places for the oil. On the re-
r treat of the sea considerable thickness O
, shalcs has been added by rivers, and ovel
3 these shales another two hundred feet o
sand, becoming coarser from below upwards
until it becomes q gravel. On the top o
this gravel is q hard silicious deposit upot
, which the miners tools dance for hours
often, without penetrating it; but once they
get through tbs deposit, the oil actually
9 spurts up. This deposite resembles from its
q texture and hardness, the barr.stone, will
> which the Ohio mils.stopc'i is identical. TIL,
y is pretty much all that is known Of tn.
general occurrence Of coal oil.
With thousands Of wells there are no reli
able data of the strata burpd through. The
method for the vertical cracks in the topo-
: graphical location of every well, with de.
scip'iou oil its yield, which would establish
the direction Of the cracks in which the rich.
est deposits must ever be found. This has
been done in few isolated Instance by in
:, dividuas, but only Of single propretifs or
creek bottoms. The few instances in which
two wells have Leen sunk c,oss together
should be carefully selected and studied, in
O:der to get at the dip of the crack.
Business is getting lively on the Smth
( farm. Leases are eagerly sought for, and