OUR SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM 



41 



but it has been found to be a very good substitute for gasoline 

 when used as a fuel for gasoline engines. It is said to produce 

 more power per gallon than does gasoline. However, it has 

 an unpleasant odor and is more inclined to produce a deposit 

 of carbon in the cylinder of the engine. At the present time 

 it is being used extensively only in 

 heavy auto trucks and in automo- 

 biles used in business. Figure 21 

 shows the relative amounts of the 

 products obtained from crude petro- 

 leum when distilled by the old 

 methods and by the new method. 





FIG. 21. Products of petro- 

 leum when distilled by the old 

 and by the new methods. 



VIII. OUR SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM 



50. The Rise of the Petroleum 



Industry. Petroleum was first pro- 

 duced in commercial quantities in 

 the United States in 1858. In 1860 

 about 2,000,000 bbl. were produced; 

 in 1913 about 240,000,000 bbl. were 

 produced. On the average the 

 production of petroleum in the 



United States has doubled about every eight years. Figure 22 

 shows the growth of the petroleum industry and also shows 

 the date at which each new field was discovered. 



51. The Oil Fields of the United States. The Pennsyl- 

 vania fields produced all of the petroleum up to 1886, when the 

 Lima, Ohio, field was discovered. The Indiana field was dis- 

 covered in 1897; the Texas field, in 1901; the California 

 field, in 1903; the Oklahoma field, in 1905, and the Illinois field, 

 in 1906. Figure 23 shows the known fields of the United 

 States. 



52. How Long Will Our Supply of Petroleum Last? Ex- 

 perience has shown that the supply of oil in each field is limited. 

 The Pennsylvania field is now nearly exhausted. All of the 

 older fields are rapidly falling off in the amount of oil produced 



