Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-20
THE SCOTCH oEL MINES.

Curious Petroleum Field That is
Waiting for American wells tS Run
Dry.
GFron, the New York SUM-
William Findlsy Of West Calder, Scotland,
which is in the ancient oil shale region of
that country, has been making tour of
the Pennsylvania petroleum felds during
the past few weeks, and was in New York
this week.
'I am more than amazed" said he. Sat
what have seen. The petroleum of Scot
land is mined like coal, and although 1 had
read of the oil wells of America, I was not
prepared for such q vast difference in the
methods of oil production. The Scotch
petroleum is not in the fluid state, but in
shale formation. The extracting of the
products of this shals was for many years
most important industry, and is quite
| oil, both Illuminating and lubrieating, is
| now set down in our markets cheaper
| than the Scotch oil can be produced,
| and how long our oil production will last
| is only question of how long national
pride will resist considerations of econ
| omy.
''The Scotch oil shale is black, and lies
at depth of about 400 feet beneath the
surface The shale-producing regions are
all between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and
are known as the oil fields of West CAL
der. They are very extensive. and liter
ally inexhaustihle. That is one hope we
| have The fluid oil of this country will
undoubtedly become exhausted or greatly
| curtaiIed in production some time in the
| future. 1t would not be kind in me to
say that 1 hope SO, but-Eell l am inter
ested in West Calder. When your fields
to- ont Of
blss you to refine it, export it and sell it in
Scotland at a less figure than it costs as to
extract the oil from the shales at the very
Threshold of Scotch markets, we will come
to the front with our mines again, and
know that whatever happens they can't be
exhausted.
"When the oil fields of West Calder
were being operated to full capacity the
shale refinery there, known as the Adds
we'll oil works, and which cover seventy
five acres of ground, gave employment to
over two thousand men. In various parts
| of the field there were shale crushing
works, not unlike your coal breakers, where
| the shale is run on being taken from the
mines. It is broken up into small pieces
and the crude oil extracted at the crushers
What we call crude oil you would call tar
over here. The re6ners take it in that con-
ditien, and from it extract illuminating and
lubricatlng oil, ammonia and wax. The
latter is called parafflne in the oil trade of
| this country. The tar from ton of shals
will yield fourteen gallons of illuminating
| oil. This is subjected to four different
acid Installations, each one much heavier
| than any the American fluid petroleum re-
| quires. The result is clear, white, high
| flash illuminant, as good as American kerr
osene, but four times as expensive. If the
American product simply came in compsti-
| ton with cur illuminating oil the effect ON
| our trade would not be Of much consequence,
as in that branch of the Scotch oil business
| is not where the profit lies. The lubricant,
| the ammonia and the wax are the products
which make the shale mines valuable. The
| American lubricating oil is cheaper, and
| those who use it say better than any. The
latter altogether 1 can't agree with. Of
course the American oil does not interfere
| with our ammonia products nor with our
| wax trade, but we can't afford to produce
! kerosene and lubricating oil to throw away
| in order that VIC may get at the ammonia and
| wax that the shale contains. I am forced to
say, therefore, to use an Americanism, that
! the Scotch oil business is not booming at
the present time"