The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-08-27

The Discovery and Production of
PetrOle um.
Some Interesting Information About an
Important Industry-Immense in
crease in the output Within
Few Years.

Petroleum oil, which was discovered
in this country in 1859, has been known
and used for Illuminating purposes for
more than 1000 years. In one of the
ionian islands to-day there is an oil
spring in action which was mentioned
BY IIcrodotus more than 20 centuries
ago There are old oil wells in the north
of Italy and the same fluid is used in
Persia.
For many years in the United States
petroleum has been known and used for
medicinal purposes. There are creeks
!. the cast which in the carly part of
h. century were always covered with
\" o.! Which came from springs OF tbs
H"is. his; was SKINNED of ard solo
thc Indians fo1 medicine al q cents
~"linn. IT was not until 1854 that ex-
# rimcnts were made toward obtaining
;.;rht from the oil.
When oil was first drilled for and
rought up at the rate Of 25 barrels
ny the market was glutted, but soon
- It's value became apparent other
Ills were started and the great in
'G%try sDrany up. In those days numer-
IS coorer-shops were necessary and
Nupoycu hundreds of men, who made
ne stout barrels to hold the oil, these
barrels bringing fortunes to the coop
crs; transfers who hauled the barrels
n.ahc SIS to $50 day; drillers made
eight to ten dollars; farmers who had
VISITED on sterile farms suddenly dis
rDYrred oil and were rich; employment
AS given to hundreds and money in
ihc oil region flowed as freely as the oil
Itself.
The streets in the towns which sprang
zap III these regions became masses of
thicll mud from the constant teamage
and an empty wagon was load for two
horses, while loaded one was sunk to
the body of the wagon in the sticky
soil. 1t was not an unusual sight to see
horses drowned in mud in the middle of
the street.
The first man who built a pipe line for
the easier transportation Of the oil
built one 21s miles long. IT was clumsy
in construction, and after months of
toll and the expanding 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 pipe line made 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-3O, OOO,-
600 barrels-in 1894 made important the
question of storing the supcrfluous oil.
Wooden tanks were first used. but they
let the oil evaporate, and to-day we see
the 10000 and even $4,000 barrel iron
tanks which in some places are in
groups of 800, with a combined capacity
of 9,000,000 barrels. The only loss is
when tank is struck by lightning and
the oil is burned up.
In case of fire in one of these i'm
mense tanks the great danger is that it
Will explode and scatter the burning oil
into the other tanks and destroy them.
so. TO prevent this, a 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 dark
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 are
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's
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 MISUNDERSTANDING News.
~nf