The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-09-10
The First Discoveries Of Petroleum.

The First DISCOVERIES Of Petroleum.
It seems to be now pretty conclusive.
" established that long before the dis
cOvery of petroleum in this country
started the enormous speculation in oil
wells which eliminated ten or fifteen
years ago. mineral oil had been OBJ
tanned in Galcia, and its value as an H.
Illuminating agent demonstrated. Though
we were the first to bring it prom
inentiy before the world, and to intro
duce it into general use, we must sur
render to Galicia the honor OF having
first found out that mineral oil could be
made to supply fuel for lamps.
An Austrian mining engineer. Herr
Heinrich Waller, has lately contributed
to a scientific publication of his coun.
try two papers, in which he presents
proofs gathered with the most patient
industry, and made so complete that
we cannot disregard them. to show that
so far back as the early part of this
century petroleum was obtained by two
miners of Galicia, distilled, and success
fully employed for Illuminating pur-
poses. They were Josef Hecker and
Johann Mits. and they found the min
cral oil between 1910 and 1917 in the
neighborhood Of lru,coyich, where
they were working sulphur and lead
ore. The first mention OF distilled Pc
trOleum occurs in the report of law.
suit which took place in the latter year.
III the same year ''naphtha and mineral
OIL" probably distilled and raw pctro-
leum. were formally tested by a com.
mission organized BY the Mayor of
Prague. The account OF the trial in
the municipal records declares that
''naphtha possesses great advantages,
both as regards economy and intensity
Of light. Accordingly the Mayor or
dered supply OF the oil of Hecker. to
be delivered within q specified time,
but the material came too late and was
refused.
Nothing more was heard Of petroleum
until 1888, when it is mentioned as a
mineral product in the account OF a
mining action at Starunia. and in the
same year it was decided that the oil
came under the classification of miner
ais subject to State royalty. Little
revenue, however, was received from
that source, the product of the wells
being used for wagon grease only. Pc.
troleum was thus neglected until 1853
or 1854, when man named Schreiner
accidentally discovered its value as an
illuminating agent, and as such it be.
gan to attract scientific attention in
Austria. But before it had been
brought into any use otherwise than
experimentally, the discovery of Pc
trOleum in this country occurred. Then
the product, which had been neglected
In Galicia for nearly half century,
was speedily made known to the whole
world as cheap and admirable illumi-
mating agent. and it soon became one
OF the most important articles OF com.
merce. Moreover, it was an American
or an Americanized German, named
Toch, who gave the first impetus to the
petroleum trade of Austria. He had
learned his business at our oil wells.
and. arriving at Vienna, at once taught
the re6ners at Borgslaw how to make
their industry profitable.
Hence. even if we must give to Ga
licia the credit of priority in the discov-
cry of petroleum, we shall allow it only
an empty honor. for we were the first
to bring the product they neglected,
and with whose value they failed to &C.
quaint themselves. into general use
as an illuminating agent. and to make
it one Of the staple articles Of com.
merce. 1t was from US, too, through
Toch, that Austria learned how to util-
ize the oil of the Galician reiiners. The
question Of first discovery Is according
~ more interesting than important.
n. y. Sun