The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-17

factare of ane glass are being heeded. It has been adopted by tie Navy and it's use increases on the railroads OH is being taken seriously
 During the year stocks in genera have declined except in California. In the Appalachian field in the Mid-COn- tinent field they remained stationary III Illinois there are about q million million in 1910. The stock on the Pa cific coast Is estimated at 70 mil ion barrels, compared with only 8 Enu ion barrels at the close of 1910. In nsith- CT year is account taken Of such pro- ducers' stored oil as has not been sold or even carefully measured but ia chiefly contained in open reservoirs.
 General Rise in Prices.
 In the Appalachian fed the pipe line price of $1.30 barrel has prevail ed steadily throughout the year, at the end of which the price Of oil Of Pennsylvania grade was raised from Sl,So to. $1:35 a barrel This is the first advance in price since March. 1897. In Illinois the changes have been as follows: At the beginning of 1911. so cents a barrel was paid for light oil and 52 cents for heavy. oil. Light oil was raised on May to 63 cents and on June 14 to 65 cents. The heavy oil was raised to 55 cents on May 2-
 The Mid-Continent field began the year with oil at 42 cents a, barrel and on January the price was raised to A cents On May 2 this was chang ed to 46 cents. on June 14 to 4s cents, and on September 15 to 50 cents.
 Tn California the prices were held at 30 to 65 cents, according to quality, with higher prices for oils near the Loss Angeles market.
 Improvements in Methods of Operation
 In oi,-wen drilling the most signif- cant advance has been in the increas- ed popularity of the rotary driI ing method and it's adoption. with modid cations, in regions where the stand r-Trr TV-.e1 toll California The notifications include, chiefly, the ins' aIation of costly but efficient combination rigs where the plant contains a comp etc system Of standard tools and even it's own eu- zine and boiler equipment and also a complete rotary rig. Another modf- dcation consists in the use of certain patent rotary bits for drilling through very hard, flinty Iinestones. cements, etc. As a last resort these are all temporarily set aside by the stand encountered
 Tn. oil storage large concrete reser- Voirs have found favor in California
 In transportation the use of ri1led pipes and the practice of heating thick oils while pumping have been extend ed with good results
 Better Refining Methods.
 The improvement in manufacturing processes tends in the direction. drst, Of heat conservation, by Fpreheat1ng the oils by the waste heat Of the vapors in the condensation tan+s; geo ond, of the disttllation of crude oils clear to coke without transferring the residue or tar to special sd Is: and third, Of topping or ''skimming'' oils to take off the gasoline or gasoline and kerosene from crudes which are is also evident toward obtaining larger yields of gasoline and the light pro ducts from crude oils by partial crack ing processes
 Gasoline from Natural Gas
 The production of gasoline from nat= the plocess is evidently success ul when applied to EdoSt natural gas from oil wells. An interesting development has been the extraction of oils of low boiling point from we Is by a;ttaching a vacuum pump to the well caEing and causing the oil to distin out with the gas. It is condensed again at the atmospheric pressure. The gasoline thuS obtained Is. Of course heavier and more valuable for general use than the lighter products.
 Increased Oil Exports in 1911
 Greatly improved conditions in the characterized the year 1911 in remark able contrast to the depression in 1910
 According to the Bureau Of Statis- tics of the Department of Commerce increased from about 165. 100000 gall Ions for the first II months of 1910 to lS3, ,OO9,000 gallons TOT the correspond ing period Of 1911; Of naphthas from about g., ,00o, 900 to over 130, 900. coo gal Ions; of illuminating oil from ss1 sO00,- 900 to 1,oz5. 1000 gallons of surricat- ing oils from 150, ee0, GOO to 164. 900 gallons; and of resfduum from 113s sOe0s- coo to 125 coo. 900 gallons
 For every product the exports In the first II months of 1911 not only increas- ed. over those of 191e but even exceed ed the quantitie9 exported in the 12 months of 1909, before the decline took place.
 Prices for exported products which had declined to extremely low points, recovered rapid y, especially in the la ter part of 1911, and though they were not as good as in earlier years, the 1910 or even in 1908.
 Marked Increase in Imports.
 Since oils were put on the free list imports of crude oil and certain pro ducts have become a feature Of the oil from Mexico imported Into Texas and Louisiana ports. In 1911 the Bureau of Statistics for the first tlGle chron.cled the importation Of gasoline T. ,639 125 gallons being imported prtn- cipa- -Iy from the Dutch East Indlag. In 1909 the importation Of other oi3Es chiefly crude oil from Mexico, amount ed to 3,S31, ,295 gallons in the first n months Tn the corresponding period in 1910 such importations had 1ncreas- ed almost sevenfold; that is. to B. 924, ,571 gallons, and in the first q months of 1911 they had increased 64o514