Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-07-15
OUR AGE OF GREASE.
VO IU IOH VI NIVUAUUs
HOW LONG WILL THE GREAT OIL PIBLDS
LAST!
A Pennsylvania GeOlogis! Who Believes Their Days
are Numbered and Gives Facts and Pig
ures to Show It-A Coz
tary View.

PHILADELPHIA, July 1.-THE predic- |
ton has been made by several eminent
geologists, who have made study of the
oil deposits of Pennsylvania, that all the
oil fields of this State will be exhausted in |
a comparatively few years. In an inter
view yesterday Professor ]. P. Lesley, of
the Second Geological Survey of Pennsyl.
vanis, expressed himself as being entirely
in accord with this prediction.
81 do not hesitate" he said, ito express
my opinion in the strongest terms that the
amazing exhibition of oil which has char
acterized the last twenty years, and may
probably characterize the next ten years, is,
! nevertheless, not only geologically, but
historically, temporary and vanishing
phenomenon-one which young men will
| live TO see come to its natural end. do
not entertain this opinion in any loose or
unreasonable form; it is the result of both
an active and thoughtful acquaintance with
the subjec
NATURE IS NOT REPRODUCING.
Il am sadly mistaken if it be true that
that the manufacture Of oil in the lsbora-
tory OF nature is still going on at the hun
dredth or the thousandth part of the rate
of it's exhaustion. The science of geology
may as well be abandoned as q guide if
events prove that such production of oil
in Western Pennsylvania as our statistics
exhibit can continue for successive gener.
ations."
Professor Lesley has based his prediction
upon the oil statistics of the Geological
Survey of Pennsylvania, which show an
unmistakable decline in the natural pro-
duction Of oil. Not only do they exhibit
the approaching extinction of this great
industry, but the immense increase in the
quantity of shipments is draining the oil
fields to the very dregs. In 1876, when
many of the present oil fields were
opened, the total production was &, ,9G3, 906
barrels and the shipments were 9, 740 461
barrels. In the following year the oil
fields yielded much better supply, the
production being 13 l62, ,67l barrels, while
the shipments reached 1879, 902. The
next Witnessed more prolific production,
the amount being 10, 1853, 462 barrels and
the shipments 13, S79 538 barrels.
This steady increase in the production
continued up to 1882, when the maximum
was reached. In that year the total pro.
duction amounted to 80, 467, 600 barrels,
which far exceeded the shipments of 21,-
8s3, O92 barrels. Since that year to the
present time the statistics show al
steady decrease in the production,
while the shipments have become
geeater and greater, thus necessitating
drain upon the great quantity.of oil which
had beer stocked in the market up to 1882,
which at that time reached 81, 500, 6l2
barrels. In 1888 the production fell to
"a, 226, s64 barrels, but the stocks and the
shipments rose to p, ,C96. 6l2 barrels. The
following year was marked by an increase
of shipments to %, 300, 600 barrels, and
diminution of the quantity of production
to %, 333, 944 barrels, but the stocks reach
ed the largest aggregate amount of any
previous year (save in 1889, the total be-
ing 10000, 900 barrels. In 1885 the
production declined to 20,S9l, 992
barrels and the shipments rose
to %. 900, 900 barrels, while the
stocks were depleted to 33, 800, 600. In
| 1856 the shipments were %, 800, 900 bar
rels, and the production $3.50, 460 bar
rels, the stocks falling to $1,000, 460 bar
rels In 1887 the production was only
| 81, $50, $50 barrels the shipments 26, 2SO,-
900 barrels, and the stocks were drained
down to 27,997, 020 barrels. More phe-
nomenal has been the decrease in the pro-
duction last year. The total amount that
all the oil fields yielded WAS only 16, 1885,
$50 barrels and the shipments jumped to
glE Nf ha
barrels left in the stocks at the close OF
1887 only 19, 273 600 barrels remained be-
cause of the inability of the productive
yield to meet the demands for shipment.
ALL THE FIELDS WILL BE EXHAUSTED IN
FEW YEARS.
Professor Lesley has taken this phenom-
enal decrease in the oil production last
year as a proof positive that it will take
only few years more to completely ex-
haust all the oil fields i'll this state as well
as in that of New York. The principal
oil-producing areas, which, taken as a |
whole, are thus being exhausted comprise |
the Venango oil sand groups, the white |
and gray sands in Warren and Forrest |
counties, the Oil Greek, Pit Hole, Central
Allegheny Bullion, Clarion, Butler, Arm
strong and Beaver districts and portions of
the Bradford district.
Professor Helprin, of the Academy Of
Natural Sciences, of this city, an eminent
palaeontolOgist and geologist, does not CO.
iucde with Professor Lesley's views. In
an interview yesterday Professor Helprin
said: 'Iu my opinion we cannot rely on
the present statistics as proof positive
that all our oil fields will soon be exhaust
ed, either in five, ten. twenty or fifty years.
or longer still. While the approaching
exhaustion of many fields has surprised
the various gsologists and oil spectators,
they have also been as greatly surprised at
the great number Of very productive fields
which have been AID are now being opened
from time to time. So where one oil area
is being exhausted another springs up to
supply the want.
THE SUPPLY MAY BE INEIHAUsTIBLE.
1--WE are not yet sufficiently converssnt
with the conditions that make up an oil
field as to designate with any degree OF &C.
curacy at what time they will become ex'
tinct. Oil, we know, is the result OF dis
Indignation and decomposition OF vegetable
matter. The volatile fluid is found in GER
tain strata, in the subcarboniferous, the
Dsvonian and Silurian. But, while this IS
true, oil may come from the later strata,
and thus an almost inexhaustlble produc-
- -. L.