Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-05-03
THE SCOTCH OIL MINES.
A PETROLEUM FIELD THAT IS WAIT
ING FOR A CHANCE.

When American Wells Run Dry the
shale Mines Can BE Worked ut a Profit.
The Lubricant, the Ammonia and the
wsx the Most Valuable Products.
W lliam Findlay, of West Calder, Scot
lane, which is in the ancient oil shale re-
gioI OF that country, has been making a
tour Of the Pennsylvania petroleum fields,
and was in New York recently.
II am more than amazed, " said he, ''at
what I have seen. The petroleum Of
Scotland is mined like coal, and although
had read Of the oil wells of America, I
was lot prepared for such vast differ
ence in the methods of oil production
The Scotch petroleum is not in the fluid
state, but In shale formation The ex-
tracing OF the products of this shale was
for many years most important in
dustry, and Is quite an extensive one yet;
but the American oil, both illuminating
and lubricating, is now set down in our
markets cheaper than the Scotch oil can
be produced, and how long our oil pro-
duction will last is only question of how
long national pride will resist considera-
tions Of economy.
at depth of about 400 feet beneath the
surface. The shale producing regions are
all between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and
are known rs the oil fields OF West Calder.
They are very extensive, and literally in
exhaustible. That Is one hope we have
The fluid oil of this country will undoubt-
edly become exhausted or greatly cur
tailed in production some time in the
L. l.
out quantity Of oil that enables you to
refine it, export it, and sell it in Scotland
at less figure than it cost us to extracl
the oil from the shales at the very thresh.
old of Scotch markets, we will come to
the front with our oil mines again, and
know that whatever happens they can't
be exhausted
"When the oil fields of West Calder
were being operated TO fuI capacity the
shale refinery there, known rs the Adds
well Oil works, and which cover seventy
five acres of ground, gave employment 20
over 2, 900 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. 1t 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 re-
flners take il and from it extract illumin-
atiug and lubricating oil, ammonia and
wax. The latter is called parafiine in the
oil trade of this country. The tar from u
ton Of shale will yield fourteen gallons OF
illuminating oil This is subjected to four
different acid Installations, each one much
heavier than any the American fluid pc
:roleum requires. The result is clear,
white high fash illuminant, as good as
American kerosene, but four times as ex-
pensive II the American product simply
came in competition with our illuminat-
ing oil, the effect on our trade would not
he 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
lubricatine oil is cheaper, and those who
use 1t say better than any. The latter
altogether 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 aud lubricating oil to throw
away in order that we may get at the
ammonia and WAX that the shale contains.
l am forced to say, therefore, to use an
AmericanisnI, that the Scotch oil business
is not booming at the present time. -
New York Sun.