The herald., 1895-11-11

turned In almog all cases with GOAL Tor
ballast from Walss and Scotland. AT
hs Lad on the return passage forty. vessels
so loaded. and upon the cargoes Of which
not one cent Of freightage was payable.
This fact enables the effste city OF the
bay to secure coal ut merely nominal
prices.
To intelligently place before the reader
the true status OF the arguments, IL 10
necessary to refer to some recent figures
regarding the market price OF coal, OF
various kinds, and its value IN units OF
heat. In San Francisco the coal market
is supplied with the products "f many
mines, notable among which are the
Seattle, the Puget sound, the Mount
Diablo, the Australian and the welsh OF
Scotch Goals. The first four are ompar-
itively low grade products, judged from
their units of heat measurements. The
Goals from Wales, however, are OF high
heat-giving value. Compared with oil,
one pound Of the latter coal Is about
equivalent, pound for pound. A ton OF
Welsh coal weighs 2241 pounds, ana Is
cisco for profit at 81. A barrel of oil
weighs about 800 pounds and quantity
OF oil sufficient to equal the long ton OF
Welsh coal would require seven barrels 10
contain it. With the coal selling regular
ly At the present time in that market for
$O.Ou TON, IL can 20 seen ~ glhHce
that. the oil and coal having about the
same heat power, pound for pound, seven
barrels oil will be worth no more than
the ton of coal OF less than 80 cents a
barrel. Allowing the present rate OF 81
cents per barrel for transportation, ana 10
cents at each end for handling, which is
a low rate, and nearly the entire amount
for which the oil will sell in San Fran
cisco has been consumed. The highest
effective force heretofore realized by the
most careful tests for heat units in oil
have shown one pound to be capable
OF vaporizing u pounds Of water. while
one pound Of Welsh coal Is capable oil
vaporizing II pounds OF the same fluid.
From these figures it seems that the
attempt now being made to disnose of
the surplus OF this field in San Francisco
must result IN d appointment. The op.
moments of the scheme favor q united
effort looking to the establishment OF
and the upbulding OF home consuming
enterprises.
The second object of the oil exchange.
namely, an attempt to establish fixed
price. seems likely not to DO attained
until the question of the disposal Of the
product is solved.
THIS AND EASTERN FIELDS.
Some interesting comparisons between
tho Los Angeles field and those Of Ohio
and Pennsylvania may be made. The
great gas-bearing deposit extending from
Cincinnati to Detroit, and which centers
about Findlay, Is contained in horizon
tai basin, Of almost unvsrying depth.
The Trenton rock 10 there from HOO to
1900 feet down ind presents an unbroken
stratircation. That deposit bears every
evidence of being an original deposit
-. ttSourco sboud this fhQorv ia SuStain ed
by the fact of the presence Of the gas. In
this held, however, the case IS very differ.
ent. The stratiation Is very much
broken, and the probabilities are that this
is not q basin which may be term ed
"source," but is Gather insure pocket
which is supplied 6y seepass t tb;s b al.
pothesis. Ii il be true that this field IS
only a pocket supply, the chances are
that as It 10 more and more pun ped from,
the oil which will pour into 1t wall i'm
prove inequality. 1t is also very probable
that within a reasonable time the
'sourse' will be discovered. and when
that time comes gas in large quantities
will be found. The opinion Ut exnerts
who have studied the situation favor the
theory tha. the mountains within five TO
ten miles of this city contain the original
package. and that when it Is found this
field will be found to oA the largest and
hest that dame nature has prepared Tor
this Yankee nation.
Another Interesting com arison between
this field and those east Is presented in
the difference in the products. In the lat
ter oils are of varia ole gravity, ranging be-
tween SO and a. They contain large guam
titles uf kerosene and gasoline, and their
refinement is carried on Tor the prohts
primarily derived from these ingredients.
In this field. however, the oil is only IA
to almost Kerosene
at all and no gasoline. Indeed there is
only trace of either. The ola differing
SO materially their use must be very diff
erent. The oils from this field yieli large
quantities OF fine asphaltum, and valid
abs distillate containing lubricating OILS
of superior quality. BY the mixture OF the
d istilats with the crude petroleum as II
comes from the wells the gravity OF the
product may be raised to "a. From the
distlllate of these wells the finest elm
der oil ever produced in this country has
been separated. Axle grease is another
side product extensively made from the
oistillate.
geles field for fuel purposes Is second to
none in America 1t being dense oil it
is rich in carbon deposit. and, therefore,
capa BILE of developing high heat eqniva-
lent 1t contains Some water in suspen-
sion, owing to Its density, in quantity
yalying between and 10 per cent, and
in one case reaching 40 per cent.
The presence Of an oil refinery situated
within the residence district OF the city
has been fruitful cause of discomfort
Until the present time the establishment
has been regarded by its propnetors as
being only an experiment, but IT IS now
looked upon as o great success. The PLAN
will be in ediately extended and in.
proved and will be removed to q site adj
jacent to the railway station.