The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-04-12
now PETROLEUM FOUND.


general public entertain tHv ltCa uiA' II
ls the result uf the dIstlllatun II COAL
hut scientists ami practical operators
deny amy connection between the coal
ami OIL measures Hitherto science hus
offered hut little light upon the origin Of
rock oil, while operators have gwen
more attention tu thr processes Tor eN-
tracing 10 from the earth than Ia the lu-
,ysugutluu Sf the question as 10 how II
came there. There urt hut few facts
which Will support amy theory whatever,
and these point tu "a product Of the de
composition If aquatic plants and AM
mails. us cual la the result ul enormous
deposits ut vegetation Other uuthuu-
tie, have asserted that il is the result of
dIstlllauuu la the caTth's crust As
Vet lis origin Is utterly undetermined
In the winter ui 1889 Colonel T.. l..
Drake. Of New Haven, Ct, started au
urtesluu well uu uu island iu Oh creek,
small tributary uf tAc Allegheny rlvrr.
4 nrighb1rug spring had for % long time
given uut about twenty barrels ui pctro-
lyum each wear. which had been bottled
and sold for medicinal purposes under
the name Of Seneca OIL Il Was with
u view Of increasing TINS yield that the
nrto,IHu we'll Was started. Ia the latter
part II August. 1859, tho drsll reached
the oil bearing rpcA At depth uf seven
ty-uuc feet. and resulted lu yagld ui
over 1000 gallons per day. For cgutur-
les the Indians of that section had col
lcctod the oil from the creek hy spread
ing their blankets upon It's surface, their
labars being rewarded by small lots, with
which they mixed their war paint ur
which they burned L. lumlur their
irasts or war dances. During these cvn-
turias no effort had been made e. secure
Il IN large quantities, and the first one t1
drill Tor the pruiEct had caused -.ut lu
the market by producing twenty five
barrels per d.,y But subsequent cyr4ts
showed thut Colonel Drake had lullaci
greater than ho knew
It's near resemblance % crude cuaI uil
the first prniuct 81 the destructive
dIstlih.iuu Of cual Jed manufacturers
o. subject petroleum to Those same pro
c,ssrs 60 which crude c,-.. ull WAS sub
Jyctcd iu the manufacture ,t an tllumma-
tor, and iu "a day q demand f1r the pro
duct WAS created From % dasly Weld yf
twenty five barrels 5000 barrels pro
ducuun ha, been reached and passed
FgrnF sales % iif,y cent Walls Tor cHrus,
chIlbl.uus and rheumatism, traasacf.uus
have enlarged Ia entire carssy- and arp
daily carried from our shores b. tyrTy
part AZ the globe From s,ygu,y-uuy
feet the depth ui the initial ,ilagt-ihc
uil dul.rr ui to-day sinks 9 shaft !. zoo
iyrt deep nearly ul,-ia.ri of mile
Indeed some wells have D.ru drilled o.
depth ut nearly ulu feet. Instead ~
twenty-five barrel "pumV,r the ul
operator has sometimes hr.l rewarded
by "a 5000 barrel "spuuJ-r. and uur
we'll un the DaugL,r,y farm, urar Prtro-
liza. flowed {. 500 barrels during the first
tvrnty-ioar hours From prsiuct un-
known among ARyricau exports. rytrl-
..u'a ur1~r iu lr.ti, ui wears tu the
thiri Position, bHiug surpassed only 10y
.an and cotton. Between the inception
ni thc industry Say lsC1 aui the begin
usus ut the wear just PASSED lN1G - aas
brought lutathr United State marg ;aau
Siu.UNJuO IN ga.d-a.must equal No
Oh, heavy premium uu gold during the
evil WAY ba causl4,rr4H tH the entire
Muuuu, ui the circulating melum 81 the
nation. ,ue.ullus tie treasury notes and
national haah circulation. From serving
a' irasts and orgies ~ ssFa-,7 % EAe arisen
'u the foremost position 90 the world as
au l.lumluat.r. and HHw ru,,u millions
ui households. carrying Auuau.slug and
,.yl.zug effects vA.cH cam hardly hr ,s-
t.wated Frum Colonel Drake. tLc su!i-
tarv opemtur 81 1859, with lls single
assistant, the number receiving employ
m,ut from drilling has increased ta :. 600
..
from pumping, refining and transporting
petroleum. together with the mechanics,
salcsmcn aud clerks employed in various
dependent luiustuos and among whom
may br included marhulsis aud manu-
iacturers Of barrels. boilers, drilling
tools, chemicals, glue. lamps and the
like, would form a larger army than won
for us American independence.
Nor Is the sudden growth oi this in
du>iry the most remarkable event IN Its
career. Colossal fortunes have been
made and djssipatoi 10y dealings IN %
staple which has over been subject 10
the most violent fluctuations i'm prices
Crude oil has sold as high as Sli per
barrel at the wells when demand has cI-
cccded the supply, and. when the scales
turned cpH'rn, ten cents per barrel has
dnTkcucd tn" hopes of producers Won
dcriul improvements have been mndo in
all branches ~ the industry, and Yankee
ingenuity Eas been taxed 20 the utmost
II took Colonel Drake eight months 90
drill scycuty-onc feet in 1859: but in
1876 Mr.. Charles 5. Clark drilled over
], 800 feet in twcuty-cight DAYS, the
usual time being six or clght weeks. In
the refining branch great improvements
have been effected. Many will remcm-
Der the dark color uf OIL turned ont hy
rctiucrs in early DAYS Its offensive olur
made even the presence of q lamp an OBJ
jcctlonablc feature IN any room. while
the fumes arising from burning lamp
were almost unbcarable. Crustci wicks
and smoky chimneys attcstcd the impcr-
fcctIon of the rciincr's art, annoyed the
thrifty housewife, and contrnsted strong
" with the pure water white color Of the
premium safety oil, its freedom from
odor and its superior burning qualities.
Again. the volatility Of the liquid made
its confinement difficult. even in the
most skilliully prepared barrels. Often
times n lot of oil would shrink twenty
and sometimes even fifty per cent. while
being transported 10 the retailer. 4 days
exposure on platform car or Mt
freight depot. in hot sun or a searching
wind. would make sad havoc with the
dealers profits; or it might Toe carefully
placed by tho side Of n hogshcad Of
sugar, only b. escape from it's barrel and
quietly take up quarters in the hogshcad
with its upiphbor