Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-02-06
OIL COMPARISONS.


amount of parafine, and for some time
back this product has furnished about
all the profits that the industry has
been able to reap. Competition with
American illuminating oil has become
almost an utter impossibility, although
o barrel of shale oil can be produced at
about the cost of barrel of American
crude delivered in Scotland. About
$4,000 900 gallons of shale oil are man
ufactured annually by the Scottish
mineral oil works. from which are OBJ
tained some 20,OOO,0OO gallons illumi-
mating oil. about 100000 gallons lub-
ricating oil about 10000 tons of solid
paraffine and $4,000 tons of sulphate of
ammonia
There is a wide range in the paraffine
to be obtained from the Pennsylvania
oils, some districts being much richer
in this respect than others. Petro-
leum containing paraffine is always
lighter and much more valuable than
those that contain none, or are classi-
fled as having an asphalt basis. Sam
pies of crude oil from India have
shown as high as six per cent. of para
ffiine, while the average Pennsylvania
product runs from two to three per
cent. Canadian and Lima OIL though
highly sulDhurous, acquire an addi-
tional value for commercial purposes
from the fact that they contain para
fine. So far as known the paraffine
oils are not so widely distributed as the
oils that contain aSphalts. Nearly the
entire product of the California oil
fields is asphalt oil. In few localities
it is claimed a grade containing para
fine is found, but these sections as yet
are very imoerfectly developed, and it
is not likely that they will ever ac-
quire any considerable Importance.
Russian petroleum differs markedly
from American petroleum in it's chem
ical composition. Professor George H.
Hurst, prominent English chemist,
says:
There are no solid paraffines OBJ
tained from Russian petroleum oils
nor are there any products at all re-
sembling the American cylinder oils.
On comparing the lubricating oils
from Russian petroleum and those
from American petroleum and Scotch
shale oil. it will be noticed that the
Russian oils are somewhat higher in
viscosity, which, however, they lose
more radily when heated, while their
fash points are lower than the cores
ponding oils of the grade from other
sources. The Russian oils do not de-
posit any solid Daraffine at low temuer-
atures, SO that they are very suitable
for use in cold places; in color they are
somewhat dark and redder than
Scotch or American oils, while their
characteristic bloom is of violet4blue
tint
The Derrick has claimed from the
start that the new oil development at
Beaumont, Texas. more closely resem-
blcd that of the Apsheron peninsula, on
the Caspian sea. than any other known
petroleum deposits. 1t will be seen from
the above that the analogy between
the two oils is very close; neither the
Russian nor the Texas product con-
tains any paraffine, but the percentage
of sulphur in the Beaumont oil is
many times greater than that of Rus
sian petroleum. This renders the
Beaumont product of lesser value as
liquid fuel than the Russian oil. There
is little doubt but that an immense
supply of oil is about to be obtained
along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico,
in Eastern Texas and Western Louisi-
ana. So far there is nothing to show
that it will ever compete with the
Pennsylvania product so far as illumi-
mating qualities are concerned. As
lubricant it premises to become of con-
value. and it is hoped that
way will be found to eliminate a large
of its sulphur compounds
and that it may be speedily find prof. |
liable market for fuel purposes.-Der-
rick