The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
CALIFORNIA; CERES OF THE MINES.

that of 1894 came principally from near
Livermore, Alameda County. Steadily in.
creasing imports from Chile, Cuba and
Russia depress the local production.
Mineral Paints-Ocher is produced in
the counties OF Calaveras, Ell Dorado and
Stanislaus; copper paint in Nevada County
and the red oxide of iron in Sonoms
County. No statistics are at hand tc
justify prediction of this years produc-
ton.
Mineral Waters-The bottling of these
waters is an important and growing in
dustry. Improvements in its transporta-
tion in bulk in enamel-lined tankcars have
enabled the proprietors to place 1t upon
the market at more reasonable figure
ana it is sometimes sold in the convenient
form of siphons, which permits enough
gas to be retained in it until completely
used and therefore more palatable.
No State in the Union has so many and
as diversified mineral springs as this.
The older ones are being constantly en-.
larged and new ones improved and court
ing public favor. The patronage is re.
ported as constantly increasing. This
years business will undoubtedly exceed
that of last year.
Natural Gas-The hydro-carbon gas is
known to exist in number of counties,
but it is only produced in com.
mercial quantities at Stockton, San
Joaquin County, where the capacity of all
the wells is about 3O7, 100 cubic feet daily
AS rule it is not measured to the con-
sumner, but sold by agreement at so much
lnxv q =
prosperity is undoubtedly due to this
cheap and convenient fuel. 1t has been
estimated that 1000 cubic feet of gas are
about equivalent to fifty pounds OF coke in
heat units.
Perhaps in no other place in the world
is the miners natural enemy, carbon
dioxide. utilized commercially. At the
New Almaden mine, in Santa Clara
County, it occurs In unlimited quantities
in some of the drifts, so that they were
abandoned. These have been walled up,
the gas drawn off through pipes and
charged under high pressure in steel cylin-
ders and shipped all over the coast for use
in breweries, soda-water works, etc.
Petroleum - The oil industry in '94
ranked next to gold in the value of its pro-
auctions. 1t occurs in the counties of Ala
media, Fresno. Humboldt, Kern, Los Ange-
les, San Benito, San Diego, Santa Barbara
and Ventura. The number of wells in Los
Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura coun-
ties have multiplied amazingly during the
past two years, and the combined product
is estimated at present to be 1000 barrels
daily, or about double the rate of produc.
ton of '94. The gross value will not, how
ever, be proportionately as great as the
supply exceeds the demand. The oil is oil
such a low specific gravity that the "burn-
ers" used East are not suitable for 1t. Con-
slant experience will evolve successful
burner, when the consumption will be
greatly increased. The Pacific Rolling
mills have arranged to use it, besides many
other concerns. 1t is expected that both
the supply and price will increase for some
time to come. Three barrels are said to be
equivalent to one ton of COAL
Platinum is found in the gold placers and
river claims OF Del Norte, Humboldt,
Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity counties.