The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-07-19


Petroleum is probably the most
wonderful product of natures great
laboratory. In it seems to be condens-
ed all the valuable qualities of that
mysterious and gigantic vegetation
which fiourished in the ages before
mans appearance on earth, and scarce
ly month passes In which some ex-
perlmenter does not find new property
stored up among its complex elements.
Within the memory of men still in
their prime the oil which oozed from
the rocks here and there throughout
the country was regarded simply as a
somewhat interesting freak of nature
and valuable only for application to
the rheumatic joints of aged pioneers
who lived beyond the reach of regular
practitioners, and even in these cases
its efficacy was ascribed mostly to the
imagination. Then one Of those vision
aries TO whom the world owes so much
tapped the hidden fountains and forth
there flowed stream which has not
only enlightened the world, but has
also literally oiled a thousand of the
wheels of progress. Under the hands
of the skillful chemist the dark blood 40
the rocks has yielded its hidden treas
ures one by one until the list is almost
tiresomely long. Among those who
have been prominent in this work is
Massachusetts chemist named Charles
Toppan. His education as chemist
was gained, not in the schools, but in
the laboratory of Burnett, the manu-
facturer of flavoring extracts. Then
he became the Boston agent of a
Pennsylvania salt company. About
that time petroleum was found In pay
ing quantities on lands owned by the
company, and it turned its attention to
the more valuable product. With the
enthusiasm which characterizes the
true discoverer, Toppan at once turned
his practical chemical knowledge upon
the new oil. He made many expert
ments. His first success was produced
by dissolving paraffine in naphtha,
both petroleum products. The union
resulted in material which, when
applied to cloth, made it at once water
proof and pliable, while it added much
to its durability. This invention has
been applied to many purposes, especi-
ally to prevent the rotting of sails and
fishing tackle. The effects of the same
substance can be seen on the paper so
extensively used by confectioners and
druggists. Toppan's next discovery
was "cosmoline," a form of paraffine
which has become medicament widely
used and recognized by the "United
States Pharmacopeia." Next came a
lubricatlng oil which would not stain
cotton or linen cloth. 1t was formed
by combining petroleum with the fixed
oil Of mustard seed.
This suggested saponlneation and the
experiments which followed led to a
discovery which is now attracting the
attention of the whole manufacturing
world and promises to revolutionize
several most important industries. The
immediate result Of the effort to
saponify petroleum was parafiine
soap which possessed many admirable
qualities and one which was unexpect-
ed. 1t was soon noticed that cloth
washed with this soap took Oh pecu-
liar whiteness, and when Toppan's
attention was called to this, further ex-
periments proved that he had happened
upon what may prove to be the most
valuable bleaching agent ever discover
ed. Tests with paper stocks, both
wood fiber and rags, having been
successfully made, Toppan has organ
lied company, hired an old cotton
mill at Canton, Mass, and is preparing
to utilize his invention on a large
scale. He claims to reduce birch, pine
and other shayings by wo hours boil
ing to snow-white paper pulp, while
other vegetable iibers, jute, tlax-tow,
c0ttOn-stalk, cotton-seed hulls, etc.,
readily yielded to the same process,
and colored rags, when subjected to it.,
came out perfectly white. If these
claims prove well-founded the value OF
the invention can hardly be overesti.
mated