The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-03


1t is again washed with water, is made nearly
colorless. and has the peculiar odor of kero
sene and the slight opalescence of these oils.
These are the thigh test kerosenes. The
test of an OIL whether shighr or flow, is the
temperature on Fahrenheit's scale to
which half-pint of it must be heated
to give off sufficient amount of inflammable
vapor to either flash or burn 'Low-t test
oils give off vapor that will burn when
heated from seventy degrees to ninety degrees,
Fahrenheit; highest flash at l20 degrees to 40
degrees. No oil that gives off vapors that
will flash when burning match is held over
the oil heated at 100 degrees is safe for any
legitimate use. The temperature at which
the oil itself will take fire is of no importance
as an indication Of safety, although this is
not infrequently used
The third product Of the distillation is the
dense, thick oil left in the still. This is called
reduced petroleum" and is drawn off and
used for fabrication. The oils sold in the
markets are roughly divided into three kinds:
frs the normal or highest oil,
which represents the middle distillate;
second, the Crooked oils, and third various
mixtures Of crooked and normal oils Crooked
oils are made from the dense oils left after the
naphtha and illuminating oils have been re-
hours above their boiling points, and by this
process of destructive distllation are separated
into lighter oil and carbonaceous residue
Crooked oils contain too much carbon in pro-
portion to their hydrogen; they are not inert
to chemical agents like the normal oils.
Hence, when they are washed with sulphuric
acid they take up sulphurous acid, which, on
burning, gives off in the room the fumes of
sulphur oxide. The wick easily clogs and
becomes charred and coated with crllsts of
carbon. The last third, or even half,
of the oil in the reservoir becomes
murky; the burner, lamp and oil be-
come heated and the fame dense
and smoky; the lighter oils are changed into
vapor above the surface of oil in the reservoir,
and taking fire from the flame causes explosion
and destruction of the lamp.
The pipeline oils flow from two great oil
districts which represent two extremes in
quality. These two oils are mixed in manu-
facture. The Butler Clarion district, or CLOVER
country" as it is called, in Butler and Clarion
counties, gives an oil containing but small
proportion of the heavy paraffine oils, while
the product of the Bradford district has
large proportion of the poorer heavy oil.
Three-fourths of the crude oil flowing into the
pipelines comes from the Bradford wells As
result, the best brands of oil on
the market have deteriorated until it
is difficult if not impossible to purchase an
article of burning oil as good as the best offered
on the market few years ago.
Any improvement in the quality of kero-
senes must come from the opening of wells
giving a superior quality of crude oil, which
is not likely, or from the introduction of diff
ferent and better methods of separating and
refining. But this, of course, would increase
the cost of the oil. The present laws relating
to the test for oil are of little value, and vary
in the different States equal to the divorce
laws. There is rich field for scientific in
vestigation here, on the part Of the general
government, ending, perhaps, in some national
legislation, to be followed by revision of
State and municipal legislation, and the en-
actment Of uniform laws