The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-05

Special attention il being given TO
the seriousness OF the gasoline
shortage. and the bureau Of mines
il becoming more optimistic about
the possibility Of producing the
ten million or more gallons OF gas
oline used every day in the motor
cars OF the United States.
So rapid has been the increase in
the number of motor-driven We
hicles in this country that, despite
the stupendous production OF gaso-
line, the consumption has surpas-
sed it. The increase in the output
Of oil Is by no means keeping pace
with the increase in the machines
which use its most refined pro-
duct, gasoline, and the question is
anxiously asked where this ten
dency will end.
The Bureau of Mines holding the
prospect of greatest prominence IS
the development Of process
which will reduce greater per-
centage of the crude oil to gaso-
line. Crude oil. it should be un-
derstood. is subjected to a process
of refinement in the production OF
gasoline This treatment is little
more than the application OF heat
to it. When the heat is applied the
first part of the crude to be driven
off is the gasoline. After a certain
| xSvoo thu ,,,axor;ol dr;vou off GOA SpS
to be gasoline and becomes kero-
sene, which is quite different pro-
duct. Further down the scale other
products emerge.
Cracking the MOlecule.
Now it happens that the differ
ence between gasoline and crude
oil lies in the formation of the
molecule. If the molecule in crude
oil can be cracked, additional gaso-
line can be secured from the crude
There is a process now in opera
ton which actually cracks this
molecule. Through that process
last year Is per cent of the gaso-
line of the nation was procured
There are strong probabilities OF
this method being SO improved and
perfected that it may lead to the
doubling of the gasoline possibill-
ties of the crude oil of the nation
If this hope develops into fact the
gasoline problem has been solved
temporarily.
! The possibility of increasing the
Oil output of the nation. which is
given second importance by the
Bureau of Mines, is that of obtain
ing greater quantities of the fue
from the exhausted fields. Wher
a given field has been exhausted by
the flow of it's wells, followed by
their pumping until no more Oil is
procurable, not more than 20 pei
cent of the oil has been obtained
Eighty per cent still remains il
the sand below the ground. Th'
Bureau of Mines believes tina
greater attention should be paid tt
the possibilities of procuring more
Of that 80 per cent. Great part!
of sand remain saturated with oil
and if some method could be de
vised to extract it the desired re
suit would be accomplished. II il
could be economically mined, fol
instance, it could be retorted an(
the oil driven from the sand ant
recovered.
The possibility of third import
ance in increasing the oil suppl,
lies in the treatment of the noun
!tains of shale rock which arr
found in Utah. Colorado, Wyoming
and elsewhere. In every ton o
this shale rock there are about A
gallons of oil. The method of it
extraction is similar to that Of get
ting oil out of sand. 1t must b.
subjected to heat, thus driving GU
the oil and recovering it. In Scot
land there has been in actual op
Grafton for so years a plant whicl
successfully retorts shale and prof
itably secures the Oil from it.
VIII Try the Scotch System.
Strenuous attempts are bein,
made to adopt the Scotch system
and improve upon it for use in thi
country. One Of the interesting
problems incident to the operation
of this process on a large scale i
the disposal of the ash which i
secured when a ton of shale is re