The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27
VENERABLE EGG
HELPS SCIENCE
Through 1t the Scientists
Trace the Origin of Btu
men to Animal Remains
TWO MILLION YEARS OLD
All Theories of Previous
Investigators 0verthrown
by This Latest Discovery
Berkeley Office San Francisco Call,
214S Center Street, March 26.

214S Center Street, March 26.
Through the prehistoric egg now at
the University of California the scien-
lists have been able to prove the origin
of bitumens, a thing that has puzzled
more investigators and aroused more
antagonisms than almost anything else
in the scientific world. Recent analyses
of it's contents by DR.. William Conger
Morgan of the chemistry department OF
the university go to show that bitumen
is actually derived from animal re-
mains that nature has changed in the
course of ages to it's present compost
ton.
The egg with which these experiments
were made was found imbedded in
rock on the cliffs that line the ella
River in Arizona. 1t was incased in
mold of rock that has been preserved
along with it, the whole being not un-
like a meerschaum pipe and its velvet
case. The shell is still there, but the
contents have undergone various chem
ical changes, so that they now resemble
a rock of crystal. No detectaole
changes are to be found on the surface
of the shell, which, for all the scientists
are able to make out, is just the same
as that of the common ducks egg OF
the present day.
AS to the age of the egg, the scien-
lists are not yet agreed. That is
question that is still being discussed by
them. The hitch is over the geological
age in which the egg was laid. Some
think it may have been born during
the quartenary period, anywhere from
$1,000 to $4,000 years ago. Others think
it is of the tertiary period, estimated
recently by Professor A. G. Lawson to
be 300, COO years ago. Just think OF an
egg 200, 900 years oldl Whew! What
if it should break!
DR.. Morgan told all about the discov-
cry of the origin of bitumens via this
patriarch of the egg family this even
ing at a meeting of the California Sec
ton of the American Chemical Society.
His subject was "a Peculiar Occurrence
of Bitumen and Evidence as to It's Orl-
gin" In the course of his story DR..
Morgan explained that he had picked
out particles of bitumen from the egg'
thus proving that it is of animal origin.
He said in part:
bated more vigorously than that as TO the
origin of bitumens especially since the IN
ance Natural gas liquid petroleum and solid
asphalt universally admitted 10 nave oeen
derived from common source, their exlstenGe
in these varied forms to-day being que party
TO a process of natural separation and partly
to chemical changes wrought by water. air.
heat and pressure.
one theory ascribes to them a purely chem
ical origin. Steam acting on various metals
or carbides alphabetically existing in the in
terror ~ the earth is thought by some to be
an adequate source for all bituminous matter,
the process being similar to the interaction OF
water and calcium carbide used 70 eeners1e ave
lieve that all bodies of this nature are de-
rived from an organic origin, one group holding
that vegetable another that animal are the
source
Fxperiments have been made in the labor
atory or factory either with the view Oh sup
porting a particular theory in some cases
in the hope that cheap method of manu-
featuring petroleum might be discovered From
under pressure substances have been obtained
so similar to natural oils as to be indistin-
gushable In one instance the product was
sold on the market. This experiment can be
made to support almost any hypothesis.
Under these circumstances much time and
thought have been expended in the endeavor
to ascertain whether unquestioned evidence
could not be obtained to show from what kind
of matter natural deposits have been derived.
Hitherto while many things have pointed In
one direction or another there has always been
two sides to the question as to the origin OF
any particular deposit and evidence in sup
port of both sides. The discovery Of a fossil
egg partly filled with asphalt. in which all
the asphalt has been derived from the natural
contents of the egg is considered OF great
scientific value inasmuch as IL is the first
case in which the kind OF matter from which
bituminous matter has actually been formed
can be definitely proven. Since an egg con-
tains in concentrated form material like that
constituting animal tissue the actual deriva-
ton of bitumen from animal remains by
natural process Is thus proven This fact does
not mean necessarily that some petroleum has
not been derived from other sources than ami
NAL matter. however.
The history of this prehistoric egg
will soon be published in the form of
bulletin at the university. Just now
the efforts of the scientists are directed
toward discovering its age and species.