PETROLEUM. 

 TABLE VII. Average Daily Production. 



189 



Consumption. The consumption of petroleum has 

 increased steadily, and, while it did not keep pace with 

 the enormous increase in the production from 1876 to 

 1882, there has been no check to the increase since then, 

 while the declining production has caused a correspond- 

 ing decrease in the stocks held in tanks and pipe-lines. 

 The average yearly consumption may be given as 



26,000,000 barrels, fully three-fifths of which is ex- 

 ported as crude oil and its products, principally illumi- 

 nating oil. Table VIII. gives the monthly shipments 

 of petroleum from the oil regions of Pennsylvania and 

 New York. These shipments are accepted as repre- 

 senting the consumption during the years 1876 to 1888 

 inclusive : 



TABLE VIII. Monthly and Yearly Consumption. 



M..nth. 



1876. 



1877. 



1878. 



1879. 



1880. 



1881. 



January 



Kftiiiiiirv. 

 March 



JUD. 



July 

 August 



October 



November.. 



December... 



Total.... 



677,289 



619,193 



623,762 



603,037 



646,160 



921,862 



1,228,639 



1.203,402 



1,154,549 



524,190 



871.496 



1,190,983 



743,461 

 484,904 

 913,919 



775,791 

 774,234 

 741,512 



846,632 



, 



1 ,391 ,124 

 1,096,951 



1,563,797 

 1,268,971 



- 



. 

 600,019 



1,135,119 

 1,330,454 

 1,655,651 

 1,434,225 

 1,747,390 

 1,281,410 

 992,688 



663,998 

 702,729 

 973,879 

 1,136,188 

 1,331,469 

 1,369,314 

 1,625,035 

 1,8118,239 

 1,627,120 

 1,662,269 

 1,453,645 

 1,532,585 



395,151 

 1,613,371 



1,095,259 

 975,083 

 1,231,611 

 1,394,129 

 1,252,635 

 1,665,933 

 1,226,030 

 1,335,613 



1,061,616 

 916,028 

 1,276,740 

 1,348,398 

 1,563,438 

 1,729,697 

 1,925,532 

 2,214,877 

 2,131,950 

 2,080,467 

 2,066,906 

 1,969,581 



l,-|,MS[i.470 



15,677,492 



20,284,235 



Month 



1882. 



1883. 



1884. 



1885. 



1886. 



1887. 



1888. 



January 



February 



March.... 



1,67,134 



June 

 July 

 Augurt 



2,402,970 

 tfltlfM 



October.. 

 Norember . 



If.-i-iiilf-r . 



1,404,640 

 1,121,453 



1,357,815 

 1,250.824 

 1,641,899 

 1,908,379 

 UtMM 

 1,747,789 

 1,634.407 

 2,086,478 

 2,325,574 

 2,215,421 

 2,1)65,602 

 1,749,547 



1,686,9(51 

 1,723,281 



unuio 



1,643.336 

 1,899,329 

 1,827,555 

 1,740,021 

 2,000,371 

 2,202,087 

 2,610,283 

 2,078,261 

 2,382,244 



1,804,028 

 2,895.021 

 1,887,034 

 1,823.728 

 2,097,099 

 2,034,025 

 1,961,152 

 2,049,099 

 2,116,659 

 2,050,150 

 1,857,080 

 2,138,253 



1,991,561 

 1,032,794 

 2,055,730 

 2,070,468 

 2,032,672 

 2,117,489 

 2,418,961 

 2,059,299 

 2,157,323 

 2.441,848 

 2,724,796 

 2,550,891 



2,312,067 

 1,995,757 

 2,332,324 

 1,938,278 

 2,32^,564 

 2,165,439 

 2,000,173 

 2,220,768 

 2,342,227 

 2,573,008 

 2,46-2,082 

 2,608,841 



2,265,109 

 2,163,957 

 1,979,753 

 1,928,435 

 1,773,994 

 1,956,115 

 2,008,531 

 2,223,263 

 2,289,486 

 2,568,116 



Total.. 



21,979,369 



23,657,599 



23,713,326 



26,653,832 



27,279,028 



Stocks. Previous to 1870 there were no important 

 accumulations of crude petroleum, and the total stocks 

 at the end of 1873 had reached only 1,625,157 barrels. 

 At the end of 1874 there had been an increase to 

 3,705,639 barrels, but at the end of 1875 this had been 

 decreased to 2,V51, 758 barrels. During the next two 

 years there was little change, but from 1878 the increase 

 was almost unchecked until the maximum of nearly 

 40,000,000 barrels was reached during 1885. The 



accumulations had become burdensome, and the im- 

 mense iron tanks of the various storage and pipe-line 

 companies were taxed to their utmost capacity. Since 

 August, 1885, there has been a gradual decline in the 

 stocks, which during these three years has amounted 

 to about 18,000,000 barrels. Table IX. gives the 

 amount of crude petroleum, in barrels, in tanks and 

 pipe-lines at the close of each month in the years 1876 

 to 1888 and the yearly average : 



TABLE IX. Stock of Crude Petroleum. 



