New Britain herald., 1924-06-28
PI|RLlC PAYS WELL
 FOR 'CRACKED' GAS.
Consumer Of Gasoline Assessed
 S66,50O,OOO g

Chicago. June 97.--John Mitchell.
 president of the Illinois Merchants Trust Company and director of the
 5e oil companies made defendants to the govcrnmcnt's injunction suit which charges combination in re- straint Of trade has characterized the case as a political manoeuyre,
 The government is attempting 10 give the impression that il is helping the consuming public by trying to effect q reduction in prices he said, "obyiousiy political manocuvre.
 There is no conspiracy or restraint of trade among the oil companies. but suits ot this kind are to be expected during a national campaign"
 MT, Mitchell denied there was any agreement among the big rehneries as to price. He admitted that the companies lease processes to small re- finers but said no agreement as 10 royalties exists,
 Men who are pushing the suit say that motorists are paying s66.500,00 annually for cracked" gasoline. The government contends that by reason Of Invalid" patents on cracking processes" held by the Standard Oil Co, of Indiana and the other defend ants the consumers of gasoline the country over have been obliged to pay from l. cent 10 IA cents more per gallon for their motor fuel than otherwise would have been the case.
 For many years in the petroleum industry refiners have been producing gasoline and other petroleum products by means of stills of various type, Us- ing well known methods involving dis tillation and condensation al temper stures close 10 800 degrees fahrenheit and under an ordinary atmospheric pressure. The organic nature of pe- troleum is such that under distilla- ton the molecules separate, those that are lighter coming off In yapor and later condensing into gasoline, with the heavier molecules following a similar course and emerging as naptha, kerosene and gas oil, all de- pendent upon the degree Of heat ap- pied. Motor Cars Accelerated Production
 This method of gasoline manufac- tire for A long time was sufficient to meet ell requirements, but with the phenomenal growth Of the automo- hile industry there was a greatly in- creased demand.
 The 'cracking" process came into existence because of this demand. As early as the sos there were devices for cracking crude oils. but the dis tillate desired mainly was kerosene. With the advent of the gasoline en- zine. however, numerous processes were invented to increase the gaso- line product of barrel of petroleum More efficient methods of manufac. inre were found necessary to facil- tste the conversion into a motor fuel of larger percentage of crude oil than had been possible by ordinary : methods
 There arc various processes in nse by renners in this country today. hut T Inc basic principle Of all of them is the same.
 The usual method f to extract the great possible gasoline content from petroleum hy ordinary distillation. This varies from IS 10 a5 per cent according to the crude subjected 10 the treatment. The difference in gravi. ties in the petroleum from the differ snt felds of the country accounts for this variation. After the "erst run" has produced its quota Of gasoline. the residue Of heavy oils Is then put through the stills again, this time in ranging all the way from 500 to i,ooo degrees Fahrenheit (de- pendent upon the particular process used), and super-atmospheric pres sure in some cases as high as 100 pounds per square inch. This is what is called cracking" for gasoline. or. in other words, manufacturing syn thetic" gasoline.