Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-12-23
THE EXPENSIVE OILS.
eLAcKFlsH AND PoRPolsE FURNISH
THE BEST KINDS.

THE BEST KINDS.
Oils that Remain Unchanged in all Temper.
atures-Invaluable for Oiling Watches,
Chronometers, Etc.-Their Market Value
Compared to Ordinary Oils.
The general impression is that oil
Is cheap stuff. But do you know that
tiny half-ounce vial of the lubricant
which the matchmaker or repairer APP
plies to the delicate mechanism of
pocket timepiece is worth a quarter Of
a dollar? True, gallon of kerosene
can be bought for 10 cents. On the
other hand, this finer oil, which must
remain unchanged in character amid
all the changes of temperature, has
marked value of $50 a gallon.
The engineer sitting in the cab of his
locomotive, ever glancing at the dial
of his watch, knowing that it never
makes mistakes, Is confident of the
safety of his train. For this he and
the passengers should give thanks to
the blackfish and pOrpoise that once
swan in the sea off the coast of New
England.
These marine animals furnish what
Is known as head" oil. a product
which in very small quantities is ex-
tracted solely from the under jaw and
the peculiar fatty growth on the ros-
trum of the skull in front of the blow
hole.
Blacklist head" oil has almost
n ho 81 ,t
Provincetown, down on Cape Cod,
where the bulk of it is landed, within
the short period of seven years. That
brought in whaling vessels in 1890 was
sold to refners for $3.50 gallon and
in 1897 the price had advanced to $40
a gallon. No single ship arrived with
more than twelve gallons on board as
the result of seasons work, although,
of course there were other trophies of
the voyage to be disposed of for cash
The present scarcity of blackfish adj
mits of but one eXplanation-to wit,
the almost complete determination of
the species, the result of a terrific
slaughter along the coast in the past.
PrOvincetown is the greatest head"
oil emporium of this country. Of the
total quantity produced in the United
States during the last fifty years seven
eighths was contributed by the cape
town, where a limited quantity, mel
lowed and bleached to a purity and
whiteness that are marvellous during
its long period Of storage, remains, a
provision to be relied upon to an ex-
tent in time OF need.
A visit to the factory of a refiner,
whose products are furnished to the
leading watch manufacturers and re-
pairers of this country and Europe,
elected the fact that the work of re-
fining is a secret in part The gentle
man has no assistants who might dis
cover and perchance reveal the exact
nature of the art.
To determine the purity of the re-
fined liquid metal disks are used at
this factory. These are of brass. ap-
parently about the size of an old-time
copper cent. Oil dropped upon these
disks will reveal its imperfections, if
there be any, in the deposit or forma-
ton of corrosive substance of a
greenish hue, not unlike the color of
salt-corroded copper. This, although
but one of several methods used at var
ious stages of the work, is an infallible
test, and the oil which does not tarnish
the brass detecter is indubitably up to
the standard and equally certain to
pass on its merits.
Successfully to undergo all tests,
fully to win the favor OF the eXacting
watch, clock and chronometer makers
and rejuvenators, the refined products
of the factory must be entirely devoid
of acidulous properties, absolutely
gumless, be free" have ability to
withstand the rigors of the coolest
climate without congealing, be able to
maintain its body" or stability in a
high temperature, and last, but not
least, it must be Of uniform quality.
One other requirement-imper
is the production of an oil the hue of
which is exactly to the liking of the
purchaser.
OF the two head" oils, blackfsh and
porpoise, the former is the favorite by
a slight margin.-Chicago Record.