Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-01-31
PETROLEUM.
ITS laTEREAr IN THE GOLDEN
sTATE-HOw IT'S Pro.
CURED-ETC., EFC.
For the Delaware RwPuBLIcAr.

For the Delaware RgPuBLIcAr.
SANTA MoRRICA, Cal, Jan. 18th,
1855 1t occurred to me that your
numerous readers will be interested In
condensed notice Of the oil interest In
this State ~ one of our rapidly growing
developments
Although II has been but a very
few years since the development OF
wells commenced, it has gown to be q
large business already, and IL amongst
the numerous problems OF future In.
terest, and fortunes for those who
have the vim and capital to draw the
golden oil from the kindly breast OF
mother earth.
| am Indebted TO Prof. Hanks annual
geological report for the statistics, and
Iother published items for my authori. |
ties ON the subject Of tle output, and |
other matter relating to this interest.
ing subject.
NEwHALL.
As Newhall is one OF the oil centers,
brief notice Of It will be- pertinent
The San Francisco rancho, upon q
, part OF which the town of Newhal is
situated, contains, In round figures,
, about AZ, 600 acres.
1t was formerly the property OF the
Delvalle family, and at n later day OF
Col. Thomas A. Scott, but WAS purchas.
, ed some twelve years since by the New.
! hall family OF San Francisco.
ii SUme 80 900 acres Of this rancho lies
! In Los Angeles County, the remainder
;. forming a part Of Ventura County.
The town Of Newhall was com
menced in 1873 by Mr.. ii. NJ. Newhail.
! 1t is located at tho easterly terminus
= OF fine valley, and near to the famous
4 San Fernando tunnel on the Southern
Pacific Railroad, fcrty miles north OF
: Los Angeles.
Al TIE village and nd jaceIt settlements
contain about 800 people the valley Is
Ibut little cultivated as yet, excepI
upon tho rancho. " here they raised near
10000 acres Of wheat last season.
The oil region in the viciniey Of New.
hall has been worked tor ten years
past. The product for the year 1888,
and 1884 liz a hal: million barrels. ThejI
refinery Is situated at Alemeda Point
San Francisco bay; there Ia also a sm III
refinery in the vicinity OF tho village
The oil is pumped through apipe lint
seven miles long from the wells IN Pic'
Canon 10 the village, and In thenc'
shipped by rail in tank cars TO th
refinery at Alemeda Point. The we'll
10 far are nearly all in Pico Canon.
The village contains very mic
Ihotel, also n Post office, and the usua
things found In bright and livel.
= vi lage.
Stale Mineralogists report, for tn
. year ending May 18th, ~, has recentl
been issued from the press. IL is Yer.
valuable directory 10 all persons inter
~ ested in the great quantity and larg
variety of minerals Iound In this State
1t is supplemented by n history Of tn
discovery and development OF larg
number OF mines In various parts G
the State where there arc large quaint
ties of pay ing mines yet 10 Oo locates
and worked.
But M | remarked in a former letter
1t rs only for those who will not b
ruined, and cause themselves and thei
families TO suffer, and who have tim
plenty and some spare cash To tram
"a the mountains over with pick, shove
CHI and kettle until they find the "ric
strike" OF sink down in the attenp
CT and have their friends erect a pile {
=; loose stones two feet high, which tel
- the silent tale "That here lies the lai
at OF Boston Bill, the prospector.
Such monuments, without name {
scratch, can be seen in many o cano
amongst the lofty mountains.
1t IL said that Edward Shefilin, III
%s disccyerer of the celebrated TombstoI
mine, which he sold for $500 900 u fe
IN years since, was asked what he VIZ
IN, going 10 do in that desoate mountai
region, and lie answered am Roin
to look for mbstone," and from tn;
tO the mine was given its name, also Il
ItCwn.
Sc Mr. Hanks, State Mineralogist, CLAIM
that the existence of coal oil has bee
L. frau ha nrli
ce and quotes from Herodotus, Pliney an
other ancient riters, showing that
nd those days asphaltus" was found
(o great abundance more than two Tho
III sand years ago. Many OF these anciel
sh IsprinRs have recently teen extepsive
worked.
bel In 1850 James Young, an Engli'
~lc chemist, procured patent on proce
10 for obtaining paratine oil from Goa
he Following this, there was rapid d
ri velopement of the industry.
OF In 1859 the first oil wells of Pennsy
II Ivania we're successfully developed. d
ai Though q knowledge of the petrolhu
his springs In that part of the COUNT
had existed from the earliest settl
iments.
The exact origin of petroleum is sti
Ian unsettl. d question. Ii seems to be
LIE natural mechanical mixture of mar
hydrO-carboDs,w with various proportion
of the elements of the admixture.
The new extensive use of asphaltur
and coal oil for fuel and light, Is dai
becoming more universal, and &
,ua ind ustry of greater Importance not on
TO California, but to every State in {
at Union.
Southern California is one of the Il
So countries, comparatively speaking,
-ec which asphaltum in large quantiti
Nv has been found.
tOs The earliest official mention OF
existence here was in the year ~
lll when pr. j, b. Trask presented soI
arv account of it, out we have not his sta
ment before us. The analysis made
ira | a specimen of this mineral found
Santa Barbara County, gives the ft
NV lowing result =,
ter Bitumen, volatile portion, ..... 3!
DO nxeu,. ....'..''''
Quarts sand, d,....................' o
1lOtal. ........'. ..''''. '''io
In reference to this mineral existi
in Ventura County the report says
"At Sulphur mountain the 30
asphaltum covers many acres to !
depth of from Ave to twenty feet. III
bed, like that of Carpinteria. Is und
going constant enlargement, the proc
Of growth being, in fact, characteris
of this class of mineral deposits
II i u afI