Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-22
THE SCOTCH OIL MINES.
a Curious Petroleum Field.
tits Waiting For American Wells to
Run Dry-The Oil is Not in Fluid
State. But is Mined Like Coal.
New York Sun.


William Findlay of West Calder, Scot
land. which is the ancient oil shale region
of that country, has been making tour
of the Pennsylvania petroleum fields dur
ing ths last few weeks, and was in New
York this week.
81 am more than amazed" said he 'at
what have seen. The petroleum of
Scotland is mined like coal, and although
l had read of the oil wells of America, 1
was not prepared for such vast differ
ence in the methods of oil production.
| The Scotch petroleum is not in the fluid
state, but in shsle formation. The ex-
tracing of the products of this shale was
for many years most important indus
try. and is quite an extensive one yet;
but the American oil, both illuminating
and lubricatiDg, is nov set down in our
markets cheaper than the Scotch oil can
be produced, and how long our oil pro-
duction will last is only q question of
how long national pride will resist con
siderations of economy.
The Scotch oil shsle is black, and lies
at a depth of about 400 feet beneath
the surface. The shale-producing regions
are all between Edinburg and Glasgow,
and are known as the Oil fields of West
Calder. They are very extensive and
literally inexhaustible. That is one hope
we have. The fluid oil of this country
will undoubtedly become exhausted or
greatly curtailed in production some
| time in the future. 1t would not be kind
in me to say that hope so, bat-well I
am interested in West Calder. When
| your fields cease to pour out quantity
| of oil that enables you TO refine il, export
| it,and sell it in Scotland at q LEES figure
than it costs US to extract the oil from the
shales at the very threshold of Scotch
markets we will come to the front with
our Oil mines again, and know 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
| well oil works, and which cover seventy
| five acres of ground, gave employment to
over 1000 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 refiners take it
IN that condition, and from it extract il
Eliminating and lubricating oil, ammonia
| and wax. The latter is called paraffine
in the oil trade of this country. The tar
from ton of shale will yield fourteen
gallons of illumip ating oil. This is sub
jected to four different acid Installations,
each one much heavier than any the
fluid petroleum requires. The result is
clear, white high-fash illuminant as good
as Ameri ,an kerosene, but four times as
expensive. If the American product
simply came in competition witt our il
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 Anericatin lubricating oil is cheap
er, and those who use it say better than
any. The latter altogether Il 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 af
ford to produce kerosene and lubricating
oil to throw away in order that we may
get at the ammonia and wax that the shale
contains. 1 am forced to say, therefore,
to use an Americanism, that the Scotch
oil business is not booming at the pres
ent time.