Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-22
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PErRO-
LEUM.


Probably no great industry, with the
exception OF gold and silver mining,
ever grew with the rapidity that has
characterized the growth of oil pro-
duction in the United States. To illus
trate the matter, we shall use some OF
the figures embodied in the census
tables which we presume are, in the
main, correct, as they are obtainable, at
least in the eastern states, from data
that does not depend on the intelligence
or fidelity of Mr.. Porter's agents. They
are undoubtedly compiled from COM
mercial reports which have been tran
scribed into the census. Oil production
began, in 1859, by an output OF 1000 bar
rels. This precious fluid, which has for
the last thirty years figured as such
an important item in adjusting
ou r balances with the outside
world, had been floating for
years on Oil creek, in Venango
county, Pennsylvania, and had been
used time out of mind as liniment for
bruises and burns by the Seneca tribe OF
Indians. 1t was known as Seneca oil.
AS it had frequently taken fire on the
waters of the creek, some adventurous
genius, whose name we have forgotten,
came to the conclusion that it would be
found in inexhaustible quantities at
considerable depths and would be avail
able for lubricating, Illuminating and
f. - nf tho walls
yielded prodigious quantities, three
thousand barrel we'll not being anything
out of the common. The output went on
Increasing until it sprang to 100000 bar
rels of forty-two gallons in 1860, and
2,113,6O9 in 1861. 1t kept on at substan-
TALLY these last figures until 1869, when
the yield was 4,215,000. In 1874 it
mounted to 1926, ,945 barrels, and in
1889 the enormous total of 34,920,3O6
barrels was reported. 1t is stated by
the census that it was estimated that
10000, 900 barrels, or 420 200, 900 gallons,
ran to waste. This was owing to the
incredible force with which it poured
from some OF the wells, and to lack OF
barreling and storage facilities. The
total product of petroleum in the United
States since 1859, taking no account OF
that which ran to waste, and OF which
the census estimate is far under the
mark, amounted to 407 1856, ,503 barrels,
of which Pennsylvania and New York
produced 1868, ,283, ,5l4 barrels, Ohio 30,-
513,O4l and West Virginia 5,l41,7l7.
California is credited with 1927 ,069.
The year 1888 shows record of 690,333
barrels for the Golden state. We are
running away ahead of West Virginia.
Strangely enough, our oil product for
1889 is put down at the preposterously
low figure OF 147 ,027 barrels, while any
body, who is not either fool or an
ignoramus, knows that our output is
steadily advancing, and that it is today
more than twice what it was in 1883.
Tall oaks from little acorns grow.
The 1000 barrels produced by Pennsyl-
vania in 1859 became the 34,S20, 306 bar
rels of 1889. There is nothing to prevent
equally great results here. Biologists
of the first reputation have pronounced
the oil fields of Southern California
equal to any on the globe. 1t is only a
question of time when the Pennsylvania
miracle will be repeated here.
The Importance Of our petroleum ex-
ports in maintaining in our favor the
balance of trade with the outside world
may be best understood by the mention
of few facts. In 1888 we exported
56S, ,960,1 103 gallons, for which we re-
ceiyed $47 7,649,345. In 1889 this ia
creased to 1898, $40 gallons, of the
value of $52, ,793, ,24l. In 1890 our ex-
ports footed up 6S9,O29,966 gallons. and
we pocketed for it $51, ,656,677.
There is here surely every incentive to
develop our oil wells. No statistics
have yet been given OF natural gas, and
the report on that branch Of our mining
interests-it is at least a correlatiye of