Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-01
Los Angeles County Has an An
nual Income of $73O,000.
The Three Great Oil Belts of Southern
California and Their Extent.
The Numerous Commercial Products OF
AephaltIne Petroleum - The San
Fernando, Puente and Ca
huenga Districts.

petroleum belts in this section of tn
state.
One extends from Gaviota pass on tn
west, in about township north, rang
81 west. San Bernardino meridian, il
Santa Barbara county, and is traceabl
a little south of east for fully 200 mile
through Ventura county into Los Ange
les county. By reason of the most nu
merous and productive wells being il
Ventura county, it may well be known
as the Ventura oil belt.
The second is in the San Fernando
section of the Sierra Madre mountains
beginning on the left in about township
north, range 81 west, in Venturf
county, and runs little north of east
some 80 miles into Los Angeles county
and for convenience may be called the
San Fernando oil belt.
The third is the Los Angeles oil belt
beginning on the right in township
south, range west, in San Bernardino
county, and running little north oi
west through Los Angeles city, and
thence bends around to the southwest
through the Cahuenga valley.
In the Ventura belt majority o1
wells are in the Adams, Santa Paula
Sespe and Buckhorn caficns. In the
San Fernando belt the Torrey and Pico
cafions have the most wells. In the
Los Angeles belt nearly all the wells are
on the Puente hills. The article on
Santa Paula, published elsewhere in
this paper. gives some details of this
section.
Development work in the San Fer
nando belt began as early as the year
1874. About 76 wells have been drilled
in this district. The Pacific Coast Oil
company has virtual monopoly of the
oil production both Of this and the Ven
tura section. Several other companies,
as the Union and Sunset, are large op-
orators. There are many small compa-
nies at work.
The amount of oil produced is not
known to the public. The product is
estimated by the barrel, though very
little is barreled. The common way ia
to pump the oil from the wells into
tanks, from which it is run in gravity
pipe lines to railroad stations, and
loaded directly into tank cars and
shipped to Alameda city, where it ls re-
fined.
The Puente Oil company is the second
largest operator in Los Angeles county
and confines its operations wholly to
the Puente hills. Their oils hitherto
have been altogether asphaltine, which
are thick and heavy. Lately, however,
in their 22d well, at a depth of about
1900 feet, they have found paraffine oil,
yielding about 125 barrels daily.
The present output of Los Angeles
county is estimated at over 1000 barrels
per day, which readily sells at So per bar
rel. There are no holidays in the oil
business, go here is an annual gross
income of $730,000 to the oil producers,
of which very large percentage ia net
profit. In July, 1892, the gross income
of one company alone was $4,000. The
asphaltine oils, though heavy, being
generally % degrees gravity, are valua-
Bile for fuel, and are delivered in Los
Angeles city at the furnace doors at a
cost in proportion to coal at six dollars
per ton. Nearly all the large furnaces,
especially those of the Touring mills,
breweries and power houses use this
oil. Cheap fuel as coal in the great
eastern manufacturing centers is
shoveled into the furnace at cost of
70 cents and 81 per ton. To set needed
factories going here, oil must be some
where near as cheap proportionately.
Among the natural residuums of the
asphaltine oils of the Ventura, San Fer
nando and Los Angeles belts is asphalt
tum, averaging from 20 to 80 per cent,
and even higher, of pure carbon. AS
phaltum is also residuum of the stills,
and is also easily manufactured from the
brea, which is common earth con-
tanning from 10 to 20 per cent of asphal-
tine petroleum. Bituminous rock is
nothing more than sandstone impreg-
mated with about the same percentage
of the same oil, with sometimes small
percentage of lime added.
The best commercial asphaltum is
manufactured to the requisite high per-
centage of carbon from brea or bitumin-
GUS rock by mixing the latter with a
certain proportion of asphaltine petro-
leum in large kettles and boiling the
mixture down to the necessary
texture and fneness. In the
market it sells from $18 to $26
per ton. In 1891, 100000 tons
of aephaltum were used in the United
States, of which 10000 were imported
from Trinidad island, off the coast OF
South America. Its principal use is for
the construction of pavemcnts, of which
it makes the very best, smooth, noise
less, durable. hard, yet elastic, and
pleasing to the eye. Asphalt pavements
have been unearthed amid the buried
ruins of cities in Persia that were laid so
many ages ago that it is useless to even
guess the number of millenniums, yet
are just as good now as they were when
they were first laid.
Asphaltum as coating is valuable
.preservative for spiles, shingles, posts,
iron pipes, reservoirs, fumes, bitches,
etc. It makes a frst-class varnish, and
from it the finest paints and inks are
made. One company in Ventura county
makes no less than 45 commercial arti'
cles from asphaltum and asphaltine Pc
troleum.
The petroleum fields of California were
first worked in the year 1884, when the
founders of Los Angeles city used the
products OF the mineral tar springs neal
Westlake park to floor and roo
their homes. No systematic attempt
to use the fnid was made till the OF
fever. which started in Pennsylvania ir
1859, reached this coast. In 1865 Messrs
Mellus and Banning bored we'll, which
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