Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01
VAST INDUSTRY MAKES POSSIBLE
GASOLINE FOR USE OF AUTOISTS
New Sources Being Sought Scientists
Work Increasingly to Improve Product
100000 Work to Supply Demand.

A history of the development Of the
use of gasoline Is outlined as follows
in A sketch prepared by the American
Petroleum Institute of New York
City:
When you drive up TO the nearest
filling station and say. Fiji 'er up.
il takes but n few turns Of the crank
TO give you power and freedom. But
back of those 10 or Is gallons OF gaso-
line Is vast industry which makes
II possible to serve you. Out IN the
tlesolate parts of the earth biologists
are seeking favorable structure Tor
new oil deposits. gangs OF drillers Dor
ing for oil in the fetid. humid tropics
or in biting zero weather Of the plains
and mountains: engineers and SCI
entists working increasingly TO I'M
prove the product: an army OF re
timers. pipe line and tank car men and
marketers. Through snow or sleet or
wind or rain. 500 900 men and women
in America must do their part that
your demand for gasoline be promptly
met when and where you ask IL.
While petroleum has been known
for centuries it's use in commercial
sense goes back to but just previous
TO the Civil War. one mile southeast
OF little lumber village in western
Pennsylvania there occurred an Incl
dent on August -. 1859. which
brought in the new era. Late that
sultrv afternoon William r Smith and
his son. Sam. drew out an iron bit
from a we'll hole and started 10 meas
ure the depth, which previously had
shown seia feet. Within few feet
OF the top gurgled a black, oily fluid.
"efy, fiv1 IL al
and young Sam raised several barrels
of oil. and at sunset the old man. with
a sample of the rock oil. ciambered
on mule and set out post haste over
the intervening mile toward Titusviile
,o spread the news that brakes folly
was after all a dream come true.
First OIL Well Bored.
Two years previous Edwin l.
Drake had visited this section TO de
termine the prospect of producing
petroleum from the ground owned by
the Pennsylvania Rock oil Co"
oil seepages along OIL Greek had led
him 10 believe large quantities OF pc
troieum lay IN subterranean cavities
and could be reached by digging wells
through the OVERLAPPING rock. In the
Spring OF 1859 he started digging. 1t
encountered. the pick.a d.shovel meth
cd was soon aba ndoned. Drake then
conceived the idea OF using an iron
drill and driving down an iron pipe
with the depth Of the hole. Makeshif,
machinery--a steam engine for mo-
tive power. hemp rope attached 10
the drill and crude wooden wtndasS
constituted the drilling equipment.
brakes effort became the laughing
stock Of all western Pennsylvania.
Bu, when Uncle Billy Smith arrived
I'm Titusvslie on that momen'ous Sat
urdav night, those who came To
scoff renamed IL pray.
on Industry Modern.
The petroleum industry is young
when measured In the terms of the
modern usage ot It's prcducts--within
the sran of many who are alive to-
day. among them Sr.year.old Samuel
r. smith. who worked with his father
on the Drake we'll, Rut when meas
ured In terms vi years. modern dis
rovery shows that petroleum was
known and priced among the prehss
toric peoples ~ Central America and
Mexico and the mound builders OF
this country. In the Old World IL goes
much further hack, Tor there are rec
ords OF it's uses fer heat and light by
the ancient peoples of Persia. Asia
Minor, China and the Caspian regions
The employment ~ hitum.n ar as
phalt dates hack ia the first pertna.
nent hahita,lons ON the hanks ~ the
E,,phsa,es River. where this material
was used 10 repair leaks in beats cs
dugout canoes Abraham ment,uDs ttS
use by the ancient SumeriNns ana the
knowledge III itS properties PASSED on
to the Nahylunians. 81 that The stones
of Nehucha dnexgArs palace were
hound together with h!tumen~~~even
the pitch used In ca.ktng Noah's ark
VAS probably the same material from
the Dead SEA-.
Practically all Of eur modern Ne
tioleum Nomenclature IN NJ actual
Greek and Roman origin. Towns, rlN
ers and districts have heen named
after petroleum which Indicates i's
early occurrence
Georaius Agticola, In his famous
work, DE Re Metalliea. published IN
iSs6, gives a general summary II the
ancient method ot the manufacture et
petroleum and shows how II was pre-
pared in his day, His mention, VI
cart grease. which was VI animal ~
vegetable origin in ,hose days, heins
MIXED with petroleum to temper us
Niscostty, IL without doubt the hrss
reference Ia the mtnetal oils eetng
used for camnounhing
A popular mtsconeertton Is that re'