Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-03-17
INSPECTION OFILLUMINATING
OILS IN THE STATE OF WIS
CONSIN.
Speech of Senator Bennett, delivered
I'm the Senate, Madison, on Wedncs-
day March 3D., 1850, I'm favor of "A
Bill to provide for the inspection OF
Illuminating Oils Manufactured


illuminating Oils Manufactured
from Petroleum or Coal Ous.'
Mr.. President.-The Bill now brought
under our consideration is measure that
has been called into existence by the
reckless infraction of the moral laws of
general safety-both of life and property
Whenever it becomes an unquestioned
fact that valuable property and human
life are needlessly sacrificed or endanger-
ed in any community or state, by any
agency whatsoever, it is not only the un-
doubted right, but the solemn duty of
such community, or state, to put forth
the right hand of its sovereign power and
restrain the fell agent of evil-confront-
ing it upon the threshold of the state
with the injunction ''thus far shalt thou
go, and no farther" or arresting its pro-
gress within her domain by the unchang-
ing edict 'inasmuch as thou art an enc
my to our safety-thou shalt not have
liberty without law The agency of
evil, which this measure seeks to restrain
is product of the earth, brought by art
and industry into the service Of the peo-
pie, and when prepared with a due re-
gard to their safety and security becomes
an agent of profit, of comfort and of en-
joyment, both in the crowded city, the
scattered village, aud the farmers dis
tant home kerosene, familiar as we
are with the name, is little known among
our people in its exact nature and pro-
perties, and though it has been the sub
ject of extensive chemical investigation
and eNperiment-and the need of appara-
tus for its safe daily use, has called forth
the exercise of a high order of scientific
skill, still an acquaintance with the real
character Of kerosene is largely confined
to the craft and "the people perish for
lack of knowledge"
'Rock" or Coal Or has been known
from time immemorial, and has been
collected in considerable quantities in
various parts of the world for ages. From
the ruins of Ninevah and Babylon we
learn that petroleum mortar" or "as-
phaltic slime was used in the building
of those cities, derived from the springs
of Is on the Euphrates, which even to
this day supply the neighboring villages
with OIL Herodotus, 500 years before
the christian era, spoke. of the oil wells of
"Zante'', and Pliny and Dioscorides de-
scribed the oil of Agrigentum, which was
used in lamps, under the name of ''Sici-
liam Oil" The mound builders Of this
continent dug numerous wells in Penn
sylvania, Ohio and Canada, to collect the
oil which flowed into them. The Ameri-
can Indians collected petroleum, which
was sold for various uses, and called
"Seneca oil.' In 1919 oil was accident
ally obtained in boring two salt wells on
Muskingham river i'll Ohio, and as early
as 1886 from 80 to 100 barrels of petro-
ley of the Kanawha, and sold as medi-
cine But it was not until American en-
terprise in 1859 successfully bored an ar
tesian well for the express purpose fpro-
curing oil from the rocky strata below
that this cheap and beautiful illuminat-
ing oil because an important article OF
commerce, and Of daily use among the
people; and now to-day we find the pro-
duction and manufacture Of petroleum il
Illuminating oil has developed into one of
the most important industries in the
country, and one of its most fruitful
sources of wealth. In investigating the
character and properties of petroleum oil
we necessarily call to our aid the science
of chemistry which teaches us that petro-
leum is a mixture of a great number of
hydrocarbons, compounds of carbon and
hydrogen, the average proportion of the
elements in the mixture being Carbon
IS, Hydrogen Is parts, in the 100 These
hydrocarbons differ from each other in
volatility Some are so volatile as to eva
porate rapidly at ordinary temperatures,
making it dangerous tC approach an open
tank of petroleum with a fame; others
are much less volatile, some requiring a
temperature of 700 to 800 degrees, F, to
vaporize them. The volatility Of these
component hydrocarbons is intimately
related to their specific gravity or weight,
the lightest ones being the most volatile,
while the heavier oils possess the higher
boiling-points The infammability of
the oils is also intimately connected with
their volitility and specific gravity. The
light volitile oils ignite on the approach
of a burning match, no matter how cold
they may be, while the heavy, less voli-
tile oils can only be ignited when they
are heated above the ordinary tempera-
ture of the air. Kerosene-the burning
oil of petroleum, when properly refined
is nearly colorless. At ordinary tempera-
lures it should extinguish a lighted match
as readily as water would When heatedit
should not evolve an infammable explos-
i've vapor below 120 degrees, F. in
closed cup, and should not take fire below
1856 degrees f. in an open cup. Such an
Oil would be safe. 1t would produce nc
vapors to mix. with the air in the lamp
and make an explosive mixture; and if
the lamp should be overturned and brok-
en-, the oil would not take fire. Why is
most of the kerosene oil in the market of
Wisconsin of a dangerous character?-I
answer ''the less kerosene is refined the
more dangerous is it's nature, the less
kerosene is refined the cheaper it can be
sold, the more naptha is left in the kero-
sene the greater is the profit to the refn-
err AS great competition exists among
the refners there is a strong inducement
to turn the heavier portions of the nap
tina into the kerosene-tank, so as to get
for it the price of kerosene. They change
the direction of the stream from the coil
of l. l..