The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-13
The Generation Of Petroleum.

Inc recent development OF the repro
ductiye power Of petroleum wells that
had been for some years abandoned be-
cause they were believed to be exhausted,
is not alone q matter Of value to the
owners Of the territory that was until
lately presumed to be incapable OF
further production, but il affords more
trustworthy basis than any the world has
hitherto been able to obtAin for forming
an approximately correct opinion con.
cerning the chemical process whereby
petroleum is genented. Until within q
few days, popular opinion prevailed
that petroleum, in spite OF its name, was
the product Of coal and so nearly was
this idea geuenl among majority oI
people, that many foreign receivers OF
petroleum arc still accustomed to order
it us "coal OIL" The belief, however,
that the terrene oil Of Pennsylvania and
Canada is exclusively product OF btu.
minous coal may now safely be pro-
nounced to be IN error. There is Ger.
tainly no evidence that coal is not one
OF the substances from which petroleum
is distilled but, Mt the same time, it is
q somewhat strange fact, allowing n
proper degree OF credit to the belief that
coal does not enter into the composition
Of petroleum, that no coal beds snscepti.
BILE OF being worked are known to exist
within fifty miles Of the oil.producing
territory. Again, it is manifest and
recognized fact that carbon does pre-
dominate as nm integral essence ofpetro.
leum and the other fact that the oil
territory Of Pennsylvania is surrounded
by beds OF butuminOus coal, renders it
eminently reasonable to believe that coal
enters largely-if not, indeed, more
largely than any other substance-into
the process Of distillation whereby pc.
troleum is produced.
Petroleum is certainly mineral oil.
But whatever may be the number and
chemical variety Of the minerals from
which it is formed, the distillation Of 1t
is more intimately associated with lime
stone than with any other minenl.
Sandstone is also found in boring oil
wells, but il is from the pores Of lime.
stone that, in the chemical process OF
extracting oil from the minerals found
in connection with its production, the
greatest quantity Of petroleum is taken.
1t Is singular that, IN boring for oil, no
coal has ever been found, even in the
smallest quantities, while sand, sandstone
and limestone abound The inference,
therefore, cannot be escaped that petro.
leum is the product Of the distlllation Of
ut least two, and probably Of more than
three, distinct mineral properties. In
the process OF manufacturing refined oil,
the crude article yields three different
products-naphtha, kerosene and resi-
dunn, fact which certainly supports
the belief that crude oil is the product
of three different minerals. So far rs
concerns the contribution by coal Of au
integer in the chemical process by which
petroleum is produced in and from GER
tain geological strata, itmay be remarked
that the "shade" oil produced from BIZ
luminous coal in England is very differ
ent from American petroleum in that
the American naphtha must be used in
order that the latter may be burned in
lamps. Another fact that fayors the
inference that petroleum is mainly pro-
duced from or generated through lime
stone, is that petroleum has been OK
tracted from limestone found in the
neighborhoods OF Ohicago and OF Terrc
Haute, Ind. In regard to the reproduc-
tive powers recently developed in the
Pennsylvania territory believed to have
been exhausted, it affords two favorable
presumptions First, is n partial asstlr-
anco that the distillation of petroleum is
continuous process; and next, that
the formerly abandoned territory was
gwen up because the machinery for OK
tracting petroleum from the earth ex-
ceeded in its power Of exhausting the
fluid the generntive powers by which II
Is producel,-Peiroteuu MOnNlv.