The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-10-29
The Cheapest Thing G Going.

livered on board the cars at Pittsburg
for seven and five'eighths cents per rgallor
1t is sold for delivery in New York Q
12c, and Philadelphia at 1ltc. Thes
prices are equivalent, we presume, 10 som
thing like eleven cents in Wheeling, in
Guiding packages, which makes petroleum
oil for family use these days "ridiculousl
cheap" as the London TTma ono
said about the price ol HdrptrS Md9d
sins, when 1t was sold at 25 cents per mum
Der. A gallon OF oil will light the hous
o! a farmer, or OF those who use 1t in th
city, Tor, on an average, ten days, and al
lords at that rate Of consumption a lsmI
for each room in the house. What else
in the whole range Of domestic economy
can compare with this trifing expense
1t amounts to about cent per night fol
lighting up ones home-s figure thai
throws tallow dips as far into the shade
in point Of relative expense as It does n
the quality Of light furnished. No won,
der that a member OF Congress from
Pennsylvania, in the course of his speech
in the House, spoke Of petroleum as "thC
poor mans light" II is pre- eminently
the poor mans light, and not only his
light but his friend. What a different
aspect his house presents when lit up
nowadays by petroleum oil lamps in
comparison with the iunereal gloom that
used 10 pervade and enshroud ii a few
years ago, when tallow candle nr Two,
one in the kitchen and nne in the balance
oil the mouse, served rather to make the
dArness visible than TO dispel it. The
effect has been to illuminate not only his
house, but the minds Of its inmstes.
Good light naturally opened the way for
reading, and thus gave every poor mans
family an opportunity to become intelli-
gent. The country people can now i'm
prove their winter evenings in this respect
just as well as if they had gas in their
homes. Indeed, in some respects, they
are better of than those who use gas.
They really get light that is less harm
iul 10 their eyes, because it is steadier, the
escaping gas not being driven by unequal
pressure through pipe, but rising
slowly and regularly by capillary attrac.
ton.
As to the danger of using petroleum
oil, it is a matter that is increased or di.
minished By the exercise Of common
sense. A lamp never explodes by con.
tact Of flame with the oil in it. Good oil,
and indeed much inferior oil, does not
take fire by simple contact with light
Lamps ore not thus exploded. For that
matter they are rarely exploded at all.
We presume however that there have been
instances where the oil was vaporized in
side the lamp to point where it really
exploded. This can only happen how
ever where the oil is heated within the
lamp by metalliG. contact, q contingency
that in the ordinary lamp is hardly great.
er than the liability Of people to be estruck
by lightning.
Immense quantities Of tais oil are now
goiBg abroad to every part oil the civiliz.
ed world. We are supplying the millions
oil Europe with chesp light. Even in
Australia they depend largely on Ameri.
can petroleum. Our exports Of this oil
are becoming an important part Of our
resources. The present low price teRds
to stimulate its consumption in every
part Of the world. Low as the price now
is it really threatens TO go still lower.
The crude article sells at the wells at 80
and 55 cents per barrel. The other day
there was almost panic 10 the price In
consequence Of report that q productive
fifth sand rock had been found in the
oil regions of Pennsylvania. The
Titusville Herald says that "a deep
gloom was csst over the petroleum trade"
by the news. The tendency Of the price,
even before this news, had been steadily
downward for long while past The
market was therefore in a condition to be
badly demoralized by such an announce.
ment. It is not yet certain that the an.
nouncement will prove true, but whether
it does or not it is still q fact that the
production SO far exceeds the consumption
that the present price has but o poor