Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-01-23

equal the wonderful story OF the mar
velous development Of the petroleum
! industry In this country. Perhaps the
nearest one might come to 1t would
be found in ScheherZades tale OF
Aladdin's lamp the magic power that
produced wealth and luxury beyond
computation. The lamp of Aladdin
was no more marvellous than that
which burns STANDARD, water white,
160 degrees test"
1t is not yet half century since
this industry began. To be accurate,
ii will be SO years on August 10, 1909,
since Col. Edwin A. f. Drake com
pleted that famous first oil we'll near
the banks of Oil creek, a short dis
lance below the present city of Titus
Vile. The 40 years since that event
have been Of the busiest in oil devel-
opment. The history of the industry
is an aggregation Of romances unpar-
alleled; it is one great romance Of
vital and intense interest.
Progressive Pennsylvania" has been
accused of lack of civic pride. It's
monuments are few, though it's notable
achievements have been many and
its great men legion. Oildom promises
a better record. A magnificent monu-
ment to Col. K. A. f. Drake stands in
Woodlawn cemetery, Titusville.
Now, beautiful monument, COM
memorating the foundation of the in
dustry, is planned by Canadota chap
ter, Daughters of the American Revo-
luton, to be erected at the site of the
Drake well. 1t is desired to have this
monument unveiled on the fiftieth an
niversary of the discovery that gave
to the world new industry-an in
dustry that has done much-or more
to advance civilization as the appli-
cation of steam. The design of this
monument is shown in our illustra-
ton and it is to be provided by the
voluntary contributions of the crate
full sons and daughters of the oil
country"
The browning feature of the monu-
ment is to be flaming torch, illumn-
ating the globe. What a wealth of
suggestion. 1t tells the story of how
the cheap mineral oil from the earth
carried the light of intelligence into
the dark corners of earth! Since
brakes discovery the obscure Lin
coins of the world have not been com
PEELED to read by the light of blazing
pine knots on the hearth; our Frank
Inns have not been forced to study
| philosophy by the feeble flicker of
suffering tallow candles.
Illumination, however, is not the
whole story Of this industry. From
crude oil more than 800 porducts are
extracted. The parafine wax, familiar
TO every household. the equally uni
versal vaseline, the gasoline that has
introduced new era of power; the
lubricants that make the machinery
run smoothly; the naphtha that en-
riches to brilliancy, all manufactured
gas. Brilliant color dyes, Photographic
developments, many medical drugs,
come from the compounded fluid call
ed petroleum.
Natural gas, the perfect fuel, it's
supply now an industry in itself, is but
branch of the new world opened by
brakes discovery; world of effort
and wealth developed by other gent
uses, who followed after. This monu-
ment will pay tribute to every one of
them, because 1t will be dedicated to
the vast and marvellous mining and
manufacturing industries of which the
Drake well was the foundation. 1t will
be a monument TO the race of men
who have solved more gigantic prob
lens and met more emergencies in so
years than were ever given in the
same space of time to any other race
Of men to solve.
In this short time the men of oil
dom" have discovered new product,
dissolved 1t into its constituent ele-
msnts, devised means for storage Gre.
ated vast systems Of transportation,
delivered the product to the uttermost
ends of the earth. devised new ma
chinery, conquered physical obstacles
and read the book of the rocky strata
as no other men have done.
From that little beginning of Col
Drake on Oil creek, small hole of
$50 feet deep, and q few barrels Of
greasy fluid, has grown a worldwide
Industry. 1t employs a million men;
walking beams creak In every cline;
oil flows from the Gulf of Mexico to
the Caspian and back again; the
driller is at work in the cradle of the
Aryan race, In Japan, in the haunt of
the wild man Of Borneo. This indus
try has added billions Of dollars of
new, clean wealth to the worlds store
in this marvellous half century-within
the life span of men whose hearts are
yet young.
II well deserves monument and
one built by the men who have helped