288 FUEL AND LIGHT 



Petroleum. The word petroleum means literally rock oil. 

 This name was given it because the oil is obtained by boring into 

 soft layers of oil-bearing rock. Its existence was known for some 

 time, but it was not found in paying quantities until 1859, when 

 Colonel E. L. Drake, of Titusville, Pennsylvania, bored a well in 

 search of an oil which he expected to use as a remedy for rheu- 

 matism. Colonel Drake struck oil at a depth of sixty feet, and 

 his well produced him about two thousand gallons the first year. 

 Soon other wells were sunk, and oil in such abundance was found 

 that it became possible to use it for both light and fuel. Since 

 then oil has been found in West Virginia, southern Ohio, Indiana, 

 Colorado, California, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. 



Crude petroleum is of a dark brown or black color and has a 

 very disagreeable odor. On being heated the following liquids 

 separate and distill at the temperatures mentioned: 



Naphtha between 40- 70 F. 



Gasoline between 70- 90 F. 



Benzine between 90-150 F. 



Kerosene between 150-280 F. 



Lubricating oils between 280-400 F. 



The residue contains vaseline, paraffine, and coal tar. Good 

 kerosene should not flash or take fire till warmed to 150 F. 

 The flashing test varies in different States, and some require 

 that the flashing point shall be as high as 200. Many of the 

 lower grades of kerosene found on the market have a flashing point 

 of only 135. A lower test is dangerous. A simple test may 

 be made by taking a teacup one quarter full of cold water in 

 which a thermometer has been placed and adding boiling water 

 till the temperature reaches 110 F. Then add two teaspoon- 

 fuls of the kerosene and try to ignite the oil by passing a lighted 

 taper over it. If it ignites, it is not safe. Should it not ignite, 

 other temperatures may be tested in the same way until the exact 

 flashing point is determined. 



On account of its cheapness kerosene is the universal illuminant 

 used in the country. The crude oil is used for fuel in locomotives 

 on certain railway lines, on account of its cheapness and on account 

 of its being more cleanly than coal. 



