Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-04
.PARAFFINE PROSPECTS
APPEAL TO- 0EASTERNERs.
Beginning of Operations in Kra-
mer District May Develop
New Refining Industry

The recent movement to exploit the
Kramer district for oil of paraffine
base, affording the west a refining
product equal to that of Pennsylvania,
is said to be attracting local interest
now that operations will soon begin
by a company composed chiefly OF
eastern people who, upon investiga-
tlon, have decided the Kramer district
holds golden prospects for such an oil
in paying quantities.
Figures anG estimates have recently
been gathered by the North American
Petroleum company, the first outfit in
the Kramer district to begin,' as it an
nounces, exploitation in earnest and
with capital back of it. This company
has its camp already placed and Is now
installing machinery and erecting der
rick, it is said, and will soon spud in
it's first well.
A statement prepared by this COM
pany, giving among other data some
of the uses to which paraffine is put,
follows:
"The importance of the Kramer
fields prospective production of par
affine oil cannot be overestimated.
The paraffine in a barrel amounting
to 81 gallons will pay for the barrel of
crude. The stock oil remaining in the
still after the distillates are all run
off and filtered up to color and given
melting point with paraffine wax are
put on the market as Vaseline and
petrolatum and cosmoline, opaline and
dozens of cosmetics and medicated
salves which are compounded at cost
of something like so cents a gallon and
retailed at about two ounces for 20
cents.
MAKES COSTLY OILS
"The best grade of sewing machine
oil is made from the light neutral oil
contained in this oil and cannot be OBJ
tanned from any other oil. The lubri-
eating oils required for the high speed
light running machinery such as are
used in cotton mills, dynamos and
automobiles and power and electric
plants. locomotives and other devices,
are all made from paraffine oil and
cannot be made successfully from Cal
ifornia asphalt base oil that contains
more than III per cent of sulphur. as
it is impossible to eliminate the sui
phur in destructive distillation and
treating it out of the distillates with
sulphuric acid makes the finished pro-
duct very costly and at the same time
very lifeless. Unless the sulphur Is
entirely eliminated it is injurious to
delicate machinery.
"The five gallons of stock oil filtered
to color and the five gallons of cylin-
der stock oil contained in a barrel of
crude oil is converted into cosmetics
by simply filtering up to color and be-
ing medicated and perfumed. 1t is
sold at 10 cents to 25 cents an ounce
and at the lesser rate would produce a
revenue of $40 barrel of crude.
VALUABLE TO THE COAST
"The high percentage of high grade
gasoline from this oil makes it espe-
cially valuable to the coast trade,
where there are thousands of automo-
biles running the year around
"The Standard Oil company buys all
the gasoline it can get from the small
refinerles in Los Angeles which own
and control most of the lighter oils
found in the southern fields.
"The North American Petroleum
finery when it has developed the neces-
sary supply OF crude oil to supply the
sanie and to that end has men in the
organization who are practical in the
refining of petroleum oils of paraffine
base and also in the chemistry of
petroleum oils of all grades.
Interest in this field is evidenced
by the inquiries that come to the COM
pany from many of the largest inde-
pendent operators of the United States.
"The company is putting into the
field the latest and most improved
combination cable and rotary outfit
that money can buy, and will push the
development work and expects to bring
in we'll within four months"