Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-18
EXHAUSTION OF PETROLEUM.
What Scientific Men Say on the
Subiect-Unmistaka signs.

Subiect-Unmistak signs.
1t can hardly be doubted, | fear, that
the supply both of oil aud gas has now
been so largely drawn upon that within
less than a score of years scarcely any
will be left which can be brought at rea-
sonable cost into the market. The boun-
daries and extent of the oil regions have
been determined. All the sands in which
oil will never be found in such quantities
as to be worth working are known, and
have been drilled through in various
places. 1t is scarcely possible that any
new fields will be discovered which will
be comparable either in extent or pro-
ductiveness with those now known. 80
far back as January, 1888, Professor Les
lev pointed out that no petroleum is now
being produced in the Devonian rocks,
either by the process akin to, dis
tillation or otherwise. What has been
stored up in the past, process which
probably lasted for millions of years,
may be got out. But when these reser-
voirs are exhausted there will be an end
of the petroleum supply. "The discov-
cry of a few more pools of two or three
millions of barrels each can make little
difference" Mr.. CARL, whose opinion
on the geology Of the oil-bearing dis
tricts may be regarded as decisive, has
come to similar conclusion. "There
are not at present." he pointed out quite
expecting the discovery of new fields
which will add to the declining products
of the old, 80 as to enable the output to
keep pace with the shipments or con-
sumption"
10 a&o~nI ,oakVolanpo ~, thso
has then been very nearly exhausted.s In
less than generation small part of the
population of this continent alone has
used up nearly all the valuable stores
of energy which had been accumulated
during millions of years of the geologic
past.
More recent inquiries confirm the con-
clusions of Professor Lesley and Mr..
CARL. The signs of exhaustion in the oil
producing regions can now be clearly rec
ognized. During the last four years there
has been steady diminution in the OUT
put, accompanied by an increase in the
price per barrel, which nevertheless does
not even maintain the nominal annual
value of the supply. Mr.. Wrigley an
nounced in 1882 that 154, 100000 barrels
Of oil had already been raised up to the
beginning of that year, and expressed
the opinion that not more than 96,000,-
BOO barrels remained to be raised. In
this last estimate he was undoubtedly
for up to the beginning of 1885
no fewer than 26l 600, 900 barrels had
been raised, and in the year 1885, as
many as 2l,042,04l barrels (nearly
!, 100000 fewer than 18S4) were OBJ
aimed. But, although the estimate in
1882 of the quantity of oil still remaining
ell far short of the truth, and though
We may admit as possible that even now
much more oil remains to be put out
han the most experienced geologists sup
pose, the signs of approaching exhaustion
Ire yearly becoming more unmistakable.
The expense of bringing the oil to the
urface grows greater year by year, and
hreatens soon to become so great that
he profit OF working the oil stores will
70 evanescent. So soon as that state of
hings is approached, we may be sure
hat the oil mems occupation in Pennsvl-
ania and western New York will be
one. 1t has been stated that the Japan
se, unwilling to let the least fraction of
he earth's interior stores be lost. have
cen known to excavate vertical shaft
, depth of 600 feet. in order to raise a
sw gallons of oil per day. But in Amer
"a, when the oil mines are 30 near ex-
austion as this, they will be aban-
oned nay, they will be abandoned long
eiore they approach such q condition.
With the failure of the oil supply, all the
ollateral branches of industry associated
18th it will fall took knowledge.