Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-07

Philadelphia, with
z@. j.. branch line to tidevater
at Havre de Grace, Nd.
Mr.. Kier was one of the chief owners of
this line, and his attention was attracted to
young Mr. Jones by his business tact and
alertness, and ne took keen interest in his
Advancement
Rier subsequently made Mr.. Jones his
manager and then partner. At one time
Hon James Buchanan was a member of the
firm, being associated with Messrs. Kier
and Jones before he became President of
the United States. Their business enlarged
to include various branches.
B. f. Jones in the Iron Business.
M. Jones' tastes did not run along the
line which Mr.. Kier's petroleum develop
ments now took, and the former went into
the iron business in 1851, with which he is
still identified But, notwithstanding their
separation at this period, Mr. Jones real
izes how much he owes to Mr. Kier for his
early business training, and he says he can
not speak too highly of the man who was
one of Pittsburg's best and most enterpris-
ing citizens. Nh. Jones saysI
1859 in Venango county, Why, it was in 1s4s
that Mr.. Kier began to think of using 1t as it
came out of his well up at Tarentum, in Al
legheny county. He knew it had some COM
mercial value, and he was unttring in try
ing to have its usefulness generally recog:
nized. And then you know, perhaps, he was
the pioneer in refining oil. His experiments
along that line right here in Pittsburg were
most valuable to the great oil industry thar
was to come. He was the first person in the
United States to refine petroleum and SO
clarity it that it made a steady, clear and
clean nluminant. Had he taken out patents
on the apparatus ke then designed for ref1n-
ing oil his heirs to-day would be among the
richest persons in the world. Think of what
q royalty on all the oil today refined in the
world would amount to.
Mr.. kiers Neglected Opportunity.
There is no reason why he should not have
done it. believe his old oiI-still is still in
existence, and It would show what a price
less principle he discovered before others
had thought OF il.
But to protect his discoveries through any
personal or selfish motive was not in S. NJ.
Kier's nature. He was of a most generous
spirit. Indeed, have sometimes thought
that he did not go into tine business of SELL
ing oil Rs medicine SO much on genuine
speculative objects as he did from q philan-
thropio standpoint. He believed be was
taking from the ground nufd which pos
sessed great medicinal Qualities-believed
that it was a sort OF boon or benefit for man.
kind-and he doubtless wanted to let hu-
manity have the benefit OF it as much as he
did to make money for himself.
He was always willing to reach forward a
hand to help others, and he regarded wealth
Es means to further develop the great re-
sources or the country, and certainly his
foresight was great in the matter of oil and
oil refining. He won a reputation here in
Pittsb urg for charita bic acts and they were
generally Of philanthropy in the widest
sense.
What Suggested Kjer's Experiments.
Charles Lockhart, as one of the Pittsburg
officials of the Standard Oil Company, has
handled millions of barrels of petroleum,
but it is safe to say that he thinks less of
their aggregate worth than he does of five
or six barrels which, away back in 1852 he
sold TO s. NJ. Kier, at PIttsburg. The story
Mr.. Lockhart tells fits right in here. He
says:
What / tell you will make you readily
understand what suggested to Samuel NJ
kier the idea OF refining petroleum Across
the river from Tarentum there was well
that had been sunk originally for salt water.
1t had been producing that article for sew
eral years, when, along about 1s52, it, too,
began to pump up petroleum with the salt
water. A man named Isaac Huff operated
the well, and l was clerking in Pittsburg
Huff brought the oil to me, and bought it
from him, turning right around and selling
1t to Mr.. kier on my own account. In the
following year 1 took Mr.. Kip of Tarentum
into partnership with me, and bought the
HUFF well, we running it as our own. Then
entered into new contract with Mr.. Kier
and here is the account opened with him.
And Mr.. Lockhart produced small time
worn little account book, In which there
runs from page to page entry after entry OF
oil sold to S. Nj. Kier. On the 10Th of
March, 1858, there is credit given Mr. Kier
for Sl74 69 for seven barrels of oil, or 62115
cents per gallon. How's that for prices?
What moment for bull RUG!
six Years Before brakes Enterprise.
And this, too, only seven wears after
Kier had ventured to put the greasy stuff
on the market, and fully six years before
Drake got down TO solid work on Oil creek.
One after another Lperused the items in
this book. Once L find Mr.. Lockhart re-
ceiving 663a cents per gallon. Is it any
wonder that the petroleum magnate smiled
over the pages of this little book, and at
the same moment pushed aside clearance
sheet, on which, perhaps, was written the
record of 5000, 600 barrels Mr.. Lockhart
resumed:
When l thus began selling Mr.. Kier my oil
he found that he had more than he could
market as medicine. Mr. Kier knew that it
had certain value also as an illuminant,
but TO make it entirely successful in that
inc il would nave TO be in some other than
its crude state. With a surplus OF petroleum
on his hands, therefore, he got the idea
OF putting it through some process wn ich
would separate the medicinal part of it from
the other, or, in other words, TO clarity it In
some manner SO that he might sell it both as
an illuminant and medicine He went to
Philadelphia and consured a chemist there.
The chemist suggested distilling the petro.
leum, but offered no hints as to apparatus, 1
believe. Dir. Kier came back to Pittsburg
and entered into some experiments
The First Petroleum Refinery.
The result of them was that he set up a
small refinery on Seventh avenue, above
Grant street, where lie commenced to dis
till the petroleum. At first he used a one
barrel still. After this he enlarged this to q
hve-barrel still, and believe this is yet in