El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-25

~HEER up, motorists Gasoline
prices viii soon start on the down
~ ward scale, according to DR.. Ritz
man. the government expert, who,
eight months ago, discovered a new
method Of getting gasoline from crude
OIL In recent address before the En-
gineers' club Of Dayton, Ohio, DR.. Ritz
man said Expenditures Of gasoline
are greater today than ever before.
One thing that has knocked the bottom
out OF the gasoline market is the fall
ing off Of oklahoma crude oil. Less
than year ago Cushing field produced
100000 barrels Of crude OIL which an
alyzed from % to 30 per cent of gaso-
line. In other words, 10000 barrels
per day Now that source Of supply
has fallen off until it is below one
third that amount.
THAT means that despite this dis
coYery, which was brought out eight
months ago, and is represented today
by expenditures exceeding $4,000 600
ana is now being installed in ten addi-
tonal plants. with twenty more want
ing II. but we simply cannot take care
OF them-it means that despite this
progress we can not cope with the
problem, and il viii be some time he
fore On curve catches up with the de-
mand curve.
NO two crude oils are the same. As
matter Of fact, two wells in the same
on field are different, and one viii
contain more gasoline than the other
The average gasoline content of petro-
leums in America is below Il per cent.
BY breaking processes we can bring
that up to 60 per cent: in other words,
five times what il was.
The term gasoline means nothing.
il is commercial term which origi-
nally meant those constituents which
I'm natural distillation boiled off below
$50 degrees centigrade. That temper
allure has been successfully raised until
70 Is now about 115, and is going pro-
Eressivcly higher. That means that
where Pennsylvania oil ten years
ago produced, say 10 per cent Of gaso-
It1e-aud that same oil If anything has
'cteriorated, that is, they are digging
deeper FOO the bowels Of the earth
aha, same grade today is producing p
per cent
No Gasoline in some Fields.
"The heat containing oils, eNempli-
fled by the Oklahoma oils, are also very
variable for gasoline production
Some Of the oils as found I'm Texas. in
the Humble field. which has been
opened up recently and is producing
100000 barrels per day, contains virtu-
ally no gasoline, but contains kerosene
TO the extent or about 20 per cent
California oils and Mexican oils con-
tain virtually no gasoline. The aver
age contained i'm California oils for
about 100. 200. 900 fallons produced per
annum is about . - per cent But
We can produce gasoline from these
oils by the cracking process
wow. then, can we look forward TO
the solution OF this problem by mate
rails such as alcohol aud other com
bustiales? That is not probable for
long time to come. Purely as matter
or cost, alcohol does not become a fac
tor as O. motor fuel until gasoline passes
40c per gallon.
'If you figure the number Of acres
required for raising the corn and pota-
toes 10 furnish alcohol for the Internal
combustion engines, YOU will find that
we would use a good big part OF the
United states to do it,
There are today $500. 600 automo-
bilcs. or say, 2.25O,OOO. Figuring con-