The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-07-09
rHE PETROLEUM PRODUCT.
Irowth of the Oil Business Since Its Dis-
covery In This Country.

covery In This Country.
Petroleum oil, which was discovered
In This country in 1859, has been known
andNused for illuminating purposes for
moIf than 900 years. In one of the
lonhn islands to-day there is an oil
spring in action which was mentioned
by Herodotus more than 20 centuries
ago.H There are old oil wells in the north
of Italy and the same fluid is used in
Persia.
Fdr many years in the United States
petroleum has been known and used for
medicinal purposes. There are creeks
in the east which in the early part of
the century were always covered with
the Oh which came from springs on the
banks. This was SKINNED off and sold
by the Indians for medicine at rs cents
n gallon. 1t was not until 1854 that eX-
periments were made toward obtaining
light from the oil.
When oil was first drilled for and
brought up at the rate of 25 barrels a
as its value became apparent other
wells were started and the great in
dustry sprang up. In those days numer-
Gus cooper-shopS were necessary and
empoyed hundreds of men, who made
me stout barrels to hold the oil, these
barrels bringing fortunes to the coop
ers; teamsters who hauled the barrels
made SIS to $50 a day; drillers made
eight to ten dollars; farmers who had
existed on sterile farms suddenly dis
covered oil and were rich; employment
was given to hundreds and money in
the oil region flowed as freely as the oil
itself.
The streets in the towns which sprang
up in these regions became masses of
thick mud from the constant teamage
and an empty wagon was load for two
horses, while a loaded one was sunk to
the body of the wagon in the sticky
soil IT was not an unusual sight to see
horses drowned in mud in the middle of
the street.
The first man who built pipe line for
the easier transportation of the oil
built one 21s miles long. 1t was clumsy
in construction, and after months of
toll and the eXpending of his fortune
and that of some of his friends the pipe
line was announced ready for the test
One thousand barrels of petroleum
were started and only so reached the
other end of the pipe, the rest escaping
through defective valves. The next
man who built a pipe line made a sue
cess of it, but as soon as it was in work
ing order the well from which it ran
gave out.
The enormous output of oil-30,000,
900 barrels-in 1894 made important the
question of storing the supertiuous oil
Wooden tanks were first used, but they
let the oil evaporate, and to-day we see
the 10000 and even $4,000 barrel iror
tanks which in some places are ii
groups of 300, with combined capacity
of 100000 barrels. The only loss is
when a tank is struck by lightning anC
the oil is burned up.
Iu-y@Se of fire in one of these i'm
mense tanks the great danger is that il
will explode and scatter the burning OF
into the other tanks and destroy them
So, to prevent this, cannon is brought
and numerous balls fired into the burn
ing tank around the base, this allowing
the oil to escape and burn quietly with
out an explosion.
Petroleum oil is of many different col
ors. The Pennsylvania oil is darl
green, the Canadian black, that from
the shores of the Caspian sea varies
from the clear white to yellowish green
brown and black; California oils ar,
light green when brought to the sur
face. In the process of refining pc
troleum many valuable articles of com
merce are produced. There is gasoline
vaseline, naphtha, paraffin and rhigo
line, the lightest of known fluids, it!
evaporation being so rapid that the at
mosphere falls to 10 degrees in 20 sec
onds. 1t is used by physicians to pro
duce local anaesthesis.-Chicago News