Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1895-06-15
NUMBER 30.
ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM,
The Three Leading Theories Advanced b.
Sclentiafs-

leum, and especially since the develop
ment OF the petroleum industry. there
have been numerous theories and spec
ulations advanced for the origin of
this truly wonderful fluid. Much
thought has been given to the problem
and many experiments have been made,
chiefly with two objects in view. The
first is to find satisfactory scientific
explanation for the occurrence of pc
troleum and to account for the varied
compositions and forms under which it
is found. The other, of more practical
| and general interest, is to determine
whether the present supply, as we find
it, is to become exhausted in the COM
paratively near future, or whether ma
ture is still busy manufacturing new
stores for coming generations.
OF late the chemist has endeavored
to aid the geologist in the solution Of
this highly interesting and important
question, and as result many new
facts have been brought out regarding
petroleum and its allied products.
These newer facts have in reality re.
opened the whole matter, which for a
time was supposed to be satisfactorily
explained and settled. Itmight, there.
| fore, be of interest to take short re.
view of the present status of the ques.
tion.
The first hypothesis advanced to &C.
count for the origin of petroleum is
similar to the explanation proposed
for the formation of coal. According
to this view, the remains of the ex-
ceedingly luxuriant vegetation of the
Devonian period of our earth's history
were buried under the accumulations
of sand and debris. They were then
subjected to process of ofdecomposition
which is partly a fermentation, partly
decay, and chiefly slow, destructive
distillation, the heat for this latter
process being derived from the inte-
rior of the earth or by the decomposi.
tion itself. The vegetable fiber is com.
posed chiefly Of the elements carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen, and by the
above processes these elements are
caused to enter into new combinations,
the oxygen compound being mostly
eliminated and the hydrogen and car
bon combining mostly to form the So
called hydrocarbons. In this way, all
the different varieties of coal, of pc.
troleum and of natural gas, which are
mixtures Of the hydrocarbons were
supposed to have been produced.
This theory, of course, would tend
to consider the production of oil and
gas as being completed, and does not
hold out the hope that they are being
formed at present. 1t was on the whole
SO plausible and satisfactory that
until 1876 no other was advanced. In
fact, it is the only one known to the
general public and is usually the only
one mentioned in the textbooks.
However, in the year above men,
toned, Byasson, and especially the
noted Russian chemist, Mendelejeff,
proposed to account for the produc-
ton of petroleum by more purely
chemical theory. Basing their views
upon the teachings of geology and
astronomy they assumed that at con-
eide-ahln denth from the aarth,s sur.
face the heavy metals have accumu-
lated in large quantities. As they
readily combine with carbon, it is
probable that they exist there as in
candescant metallic carbides, or, in
other words, as compounds of these
metals with carbon. 1t has, moreover,
long been known that water is readily
dccomposed by metallic carbides at
high temperatures into its elements,
hydrogen and oxygen, and that its
hydrogen under these circumstances
combines with the carbon of the car
bides to produce hydrocarbons.
Mendelejeff in this manner accounts
for the origin of petroleum by the ac-
tion of water through openings in the
earth's crust upon the molten metallic
carbides in the interior
This hypothesis, which is certainly a
very ingenious one, holds out the hope
that petroleum and natural gas are be-
ing continuously produced, as undoubt-
edly the masses of metallic carbides
are not nearly exhausted. 1t is rem
dered somewhat probable by the OBJ
servation made by Silvestri of the oc-
currence of petroleum in certain lavas
of Etna. But it cannot stand the test
of chemical examination. 1t is also
very doubtful whether water could
ever reach the molten metals, as it
would probably be converted into
steam aud driven back by the heat OF
the intervening layers long before it
could penetrate to the necessary depth.
The next theory advanced was that
of the purely animal origin of petro.
leum. In 1877 Prof Hoefer concluded
from observed geological conditions of
its occurrence that petroleum was pro-
duced from the accumulated remains
of marine animals, while coal was
still conceded to have originated from
vegetable debris. This would also ex.
plain the often observed fact that pc.
troleum is generally found, not in the
rocks where coal is common, but, on
the contrary, in such rocks of marine
formation in which coal is absent. A
great deal has been said and written
for and against this explanation,
but it is rapidly gaining ground and
has obtained wide acceptance, es-
pecially in Europe. The chief
argument against it was at first the
fact that nitrogen was never found in
petroleum, while animal matter is al
ways rich in this element But this
objection is easily overcome by the
fact that the nitrogen of the animal
tissue tends to be eliminated as am
monia. An artificial petroleum, free
from nitrogen, has been produced from
animal fats Later Investigations
have, moreover, proved that many OF
the petroleums do contain nitrogen
and also that petroleum Is at present
actually being formed on small scale
in the Red sea from the bodies Of ami
NAL organism. These and many other
facts render the chemical evidence in
favor Of the animal origin Of petro-
leum fairly complete. Unfortunately
this theory, like the first one, does not
hold out the hope of continuous sup
ply, or, at most, on a scale too small
to be of commercial importance.
The above are the three chief hy-
potheses advanced for the origin OF
petroleum; many others have been pro-
posed from time to time, but they have
found but little acceptance, for while