Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-06-02
PETROLEUM.

Mr.. Charles A. Ashburner, one oI
the assistant geologists Of the Penn
sylvania Geological Survey, delivered
two lectures before the Franklin In
stitute, Philadelphia, not long since
The subjects considered were the His
tory, Photography, and Geology o.
Petroleum. A concise history OF thi:
''liquid mineral" was given from the
time OF the building of Babylon and
Nineveh, where il was used to make
mortar down to tho present day, when
it may be justly called the illumination
of the past twenty years. Special at
tention was directed TO the Pennsyl
vania oil regions as being the produc-
ing territory Of the tcorld.
Mr.. Ashburner estimated that Penn.
sylvania, from the discovery of oil by
Colonel Drake, in 1859, has produced
in the aggregate 133, ,262, ,639 barrels
of crude oil, the sale Of which has re-
allied s340,7O9,672. Tho nature and
characteristics of petroleum, or crock
OIL" were carefully detailed, and TWEEN
ty.two varieties OF natural oil from the
oil regions were exhibited. In color
they ranged from q black lubricating
oil from Writ county, West Virginia,
to and almost colorlets oil from Smiths
Ferry, Pa.
Sections of the oil.rocks of Canada,
New York, and Pennsylvania, and nu-
merous specimens of the oil sands,
were exhibited and described. The
differences between the latter were
very great, and striking comparison
was made between the pebble third
oil sand of Venango county, and the
fine-grained but homogeneous sand of
the Bradford District in Mexican
county. The practical bearing Of these
differences was shown, and some of
the geological facts mentioned may be
of dollar and cents value to tho oil
operator.
The theory that the Pennsylvania
oils are derived entirely from the de.
composition of the vegetable and ami
NAL life OF the Devonlan age and that
oil sands are but reservoirs holding the
oil, Mr. Ashburner thinks is established
beyond doubt by facts gathered from
the oil miner.
During the lectures, a spouting and
flowing well were produced expert
mentally, by the substitution Of hy-
drogen for natural gas, and water for
petroleum. The physics of an oi.well
were clearly explained by diagrams
and experiments. 1t was stated that
an oil-well drilled to-day in the Brad.
ford District to depth of 1900 feet
would cost s3,239. This is where all
the material used is entirely new, OF
course, many circumstances tend to di-
minish or increase this cost.
: The method of shipping oil by pipe.
line seems destined to supersede its
shipment by railroad. In the Brad.
ford District, the United Pipeline
Company pumps petroleum over a
mountain 92S feet high, by pump
located in the valley.
A perfect working model Of an oil
we'll derrick was exhibited and set in
motion by miniature steam engine.
This model was not less interesting
than one which was shown at an oil
refinery. During the lecture, Mr..
Ashburner refined ten ounces of petro-
leum, and exhibited nine different pro.
ducts Of distillation, from light naph.
tha to black tar.
In speaking OF the accidents to be
attributed to dangerous burning oils,
il was stated that from 1866 to 1878,
10000 lives were lost and $4,000, 900
worth of property destroyed.-En
eermg and Mining Journal.