Ripley County democrat. (Doniphan, Mo.) 1905-1920, 1917-02-09

OIL ScARcER;; DEMRNDGROWs
Bureau Of Mines Working on Sub
stitute for Gasoline When petrc-
leum Supply Of the World
Is Exhausted.

Washington. That the petroleum
resources Of the United States will last
for at least another 70 years through
the further development Of processes
for the commercial utilization Of much
Of the present crude product now mar
! keted at loss was the prediction
made to the New York World by w.
A. Williams, chief petroleum technolo-
gist Of the bureau Of mines.
In discussing the work Of the bu-
reau Of mines In the Inst two years in
conserving the oil resources Of the
country, Mr.. Williams said that he
had every reason to believe that gaso-
line would be produced in sufficient
quantities for many years to come to
permit II to be sold at a price not high,
er than 25 cents gallon, and that the
automobile industry need have no fear
Of going out Of Hlsiness In the near fli-
ture through the high cost Of gaso-
line.
A Serious Problem.
"The United States geological sur
vey," said Mr.. Williams. "has recently
estimated that, with the annual con-
sumption Of oil remaining stationary
and present methods Of production,
there Is only enough oil to last the
country for another % years. Al
though It cannot be definitely said that
no more oil>Helds be discovered IN
the future, II Is safe to say that the
greater number Of them are already
being worked. The problem, there
fore, which seems to face the country
Is q very serious one, owing to the al
most universal use to which gasoline
Is put In developing the industrial re-
sources Of the nation. And notwith-
standing the fact that the production
of gasoline is getting relatively
'scarcer. the demand has steadily In
creased. On January 1, 1915, there
were two and quarter million auto
mobiles In the United States, and 1t is
estimated that there are now over
$3.50, 900 In use.
Realizing the serious nature Of the
problem, the bureau Of mines has been
considering the conservation of the
nations petroleum resources for a
year and half, The work Of our
department has been along two lines
, first, the reduction of the waste every
where prevalent In drilling the oil
wells, and second, the development Of
methods Of better utilization Of the
petroleum products by converting the
less valuable products into the more
valuable.
"The best example OF the first di-,
vision of our work has been the intro
duction Of the mud-fiuid process OF
drilling. At the present time, how
ever, 90 per cent Of the operators In
Oklahoma and Kansas are using the
mud-fiuid process of drilling developed
by the bureau of mines, at an enor-
nous annugl saving
"The work Of the bureau along the
line OF better utilization Of the prod
ucts Of petroleum has succeeded In
developing the Rittman process as a
commercial success for the manufac-
ture Of gasoline, toluene and benzine
from kerosene or any other available
fraction of petroleum. The bureau
Iof mines is now able to give to the
public commercial cracking process,
free from royalty, which will make
available for internal combustion en-
glnes large quantities OF petroleum
otherwise unavailable.
Much Sold at Less Than Cost.
"Upyto the present time seventy per
cent Of the crude petroleum product has
been sold at less than cost, the profits
Iof the operators being made entirely
on selling the remainder as gasoline
and lubricating oils. The RIttman
process. though commercially sue
cess, should be developed further. The
bureau Of mines wants to have avail
able large centrally located plant 40
that experiments on, q commercial
scale can be carried on In further de-
IvelopIng our cracking processes The
problem which faces the oil operators
Is to use and develop the sRlttman
PROCESS, which the bureau OF mines has
invented 50 that they can convert into
| gasoline Or librIcatIngs oils fifty per
cent at least Of the seventy per