The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-10
-Dietz on Science
OIL INDUSTRY
FAIRLY RECENT
IN DISCOVERY
Today'S Giant Business
Was Started Less Than
IS Years Ago.
BY DAVID DIETL
scripps Howard Science Editor

With the oil industry more or
less in the center Of the stage as
the NRA swings into action. with
millions Of motorists discussing the
price Of gasoline and the gasoline
tax. and with many municipalities
engaged In rate battles with natural
gas companies. it is difficult 10 be-
lieve that Jess than seventy-flve
years ago not a drop Of oil nor
Whit Of gas were produced tor COM
mercial purposes.
In those days. little petroleum
was SKINNED of springs where II
oozed 10 the surface and used for
medicinal purposes A few gas
SPRING" were known But hat was
all
Attention is called 20 these inter-
eSting facts by Professrr Carey
Croneis of the Walker Museum OF
the University Of Chicago Croneis
paints a picture 81 the beginnings
Of the oil industry IN comparison
with the situation today
The pioneer wells Of the l350's
were drilled by hand Elaborate
machinery is used today The early
wells usually cost a couple Of hun
bred dollars Today. IL is common
place to sink 100000 into The drill
ing OF well and there are few
that cost S250.000
Colonel, Edwin L. brakes pio-
neer well in 1883 Welded twenty
five barrels Of oil day from a
depth Of seventy feet Today.
wells are IN existence which go
down a mile and three-qud.-te and
have potential capacity CT 100000
barrels day
Search More Exact
Al first. the search for oil was
somewhat haphazard affair. Some
Of the older prospectors. Corneis
tells. went on the theory that oil
and gas like gold are where you
find them
But through The intelligence of
man in general and II engineers
and biologists in particular. and. I
must confess. through sad expert
ence as we'll We have learned that
they are invariably found in GER
tain places. he adds.
DR. l. c White. state geologist Of
West Virginia for many years.
established by 1885 that the most
likely Of these certain places" were
localities IN which the rocks we're
bowed upward into what biologists
called anticlineS once this prin-
ciple was established. the number
Of wells drilled in vain began TO
decrease.
Croneis SAYS that many claims
have been put forward as to who
was the first 10 suggest the anticline
theory. but that the fact remains
that Or. White established the the
ory firmly and made il common
knowledge and therefore deserves
the chief credit.
Held Oil Troublesome
Among those who acted upon the
theory prior to 1885 was Henry
West. a Canadian public land sur
veyor, who seems to have been
aware Of it as early as 1865.
In a report on Geology. Oil
Fields and Minerals of Canada"
which West drew up in 1865 he
states that a certain map shows
each lot. concession. and oil-bear-
ing anticlinal"
Drake. according to Croneis. is
We'll known as a pioneer Of the
petroleum world but two others. ne
says. are not as well known as
they should be They are George H.
BlSSell. and Samuel NJ Kier.
Croneis quotes from letter
which appeared in the Meadville
Republican for March. 1865. Ac-
cording TO this letter. Kier first OBJ
tanned oil as a troublesome and I'M
welcome byproduct from a salt well.
Not knowing what to do with it.
he sent it TO a professor in Phila-
delphia who suggested that il be
refined and used as an illuminating
oil He did this and in partner
ship with two others who invented
lamps to use the oil. opened a store
in Pittsburgh