The Yale expositor., 1911-09-14
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ployed The blanket was carefully squeezed and
the oily substance recovered. Rude pits were
dug, lined with rough-hewn timbers, and the oil
stored away for future use. Thus began the
first known practical conservation of petroleum
In America. Many OF these old Indian pits are
still found in an excellent condition, the timbers
being practically sound as the day when cut
from the forest.
1t was not long however, before the white man
began to realize the value of this remarkable
discovery, and enterprising pioneers began to dig
pits similar to those Of the Indian and to gather
the oil, which for many years bottled and,
under the names of Seneca OIL" Indian Oil"
and Snake OIL" sold extensively
for all the aches and pains to which man In heir.
1t universally accepted medcament but
with little curiosity as to how great quantity
of the wonderful curative could be secured
whence 1t came.
AS early as 1890 the manufacture of salt be-
came important industry in the United States,
and for the purpose numberless brine wells were
sunk throughout the country, especially along the
western slope of the Allegheny Mount ins, where
the brine found In great abundance, collected,
and evaporated into salt. Many of these wells
had to be abandoned account of their produc-
Ing uncomfortable quantities Of petroleum, then
considered most undesirable element A nota-
BILE incident Of this kind occurred at Little Renox
Creek, Burkesville, Kentucky, In 1929 when
an attempt made to sink well and secure what
was supposed to be an unlimited supply Of brine
CONSERVATION and disappointment spread among
the owners of the we'll as they witnessed the
great quantities of oil flowing rapidly beyond the
creek and into the Cumberland River where it
finally caught fire and burned for distance of
over fifty miles. When the fire was extinguished
the oil flowed on as rapidly before, and with
me exception of small quantity which was later
recovered, bottled and sold under the name of
American Medicinal OIL" the product was
wasted.
In 1916 DR.. Abraham Gesner discovered
method of extracting excellent grade of illum-
mating oil from coal, and In 1854 he patented a
cuccessful iuminant, Kerosene" commonly
known "coaloil." The Improvement was so
great over the animal and vegetable oils then in
use the Objectionable odor and smoke being elm
mated, that they gradually set aside and in
order to meet an enormous and ever-increasing
demand for the product, II became necessary to
establish factories throughout the country for the
extraction of this popular Illuminating oil from
coal Altogether there were over 60 of these
establishments in operation at one time and the
price of kerosene advanced rapidly until 1857
when it sold high 50 gallon The industry
was short lived, however, for upon the discovery
of petroleum In sufficient quantities to effect a
competition as basis from which illuminating
oils could be manufactured these kerosene fac
in order to prevent their total loss.
The great demand for kerosene and its conse-
quent high price were the cause at attracting the
worldwide attention of chemists and scientific
authorities, and repeated attempts were made to