ON KEROSENE OIL. 77 



ON KEROSENE OIL. 



BY E. T. SWEET, M. S. 



The introduction of kerosene as an illuminating agent has be- 

 came so general, that the leading charicteristics of a safe and val- 

 uable oil, should be well understood by consumers. It was with 

 this idea in mind that I commenced the preparation of the follow- 

 ing paper. As the sources of information in regard to the methods 

 of detecting dangerous burning fluids, are exceedingly limited, I 

 shall, after briefly referring to the manufacture of kerosene, and 

 summing up the results of a number of evperiments made at the 

 University of Wisconsin, in January, 1878, upon different samples 

 of commercial kerosene, particularly refer to the proper manner of 

 testing oils. While nothing original is claimed for this article it is 

 thought that its perusal will give general knowledge of the princi- 

 ples of testing burning fluids, and may awaken an interest in the 

 subject, and indirectly lead to the consumption of a higher grade 

 and safer kerosene than is at present in use. 



The fire-test is the only efficient method of distinguishing be- 

 tween a safe and a dangerous hydro-carbon oil. Experiment shows 

 that but revy few samples of commercial kerosene will stand the 

 tests required by law. Consequently instead of peifictly safe burn- 

 ing fluids, as dealers nearly always represent, immense quantities 

 of inferior oil are sold, which are liable to become ignited at any 

 moment, when heated a fev/ degrees above the temperature of an 

 ordinary room. 



Crude petroleum as it comes from the earth is a dark colored 



fluid, consisting of many hydro-carbons, compoundsof hydrogen 



and carbon. It has a density of about .880, water being 1,000. 



The raw or crude material is placed in immense iron retorts, 

 holding from fifteent to twenty thousand gallons each, and dis- 

 tilled. The distillation is eminently destructive, for it " cracks ' 

 or breaks up the oil into lighter hydro-carbons, which have differ- 

 ent boiling points, and consequently pass off in vapor at different 



