﻿114 
  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  OIL 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  ucts 
  are 
  usually 
  separated 
  at 
  the 
  wells, 
  the 
  gas 
  being 
  utilized 
  for 
  

   heat 
  or 
  directly 
  for 
  power 
  and 
  the 
  oil 
  being 
  run 
  into 
  tanks. 
  This 
  

   tank 
  oil 
  still 
  contains 
  gas, 
  most 
  of 
  which, 
  however, 
  gradually 
  passes 
  

   off 
  on 
  exposure 
  to 
  the 
  air, 
  with 
  a 
  consequent 
  lowering 
  of 
  the 
  gravity 
  of 
  

   the 
  oil. 
  Before 
  transportation 
  by 
  steamer 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  pass 
  

   the 
  oil 
  through 
  a 
  partial 
  refining 
  process 
  for 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  

   lighter, 
  volatile, 
  more 
  dangerous 
  constituents; 
  this 
  is 
  done 
  at 
  present 
  

   in 
  the 
  refineries 
  at 
  Port 
  Harford 
  and 
  Gaviota. 
  

  

  COLOR 
  AND 
  ODOR. 
  

  

  Nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  is 
  dark 
  brown 
  in 
  

   color. 
  The 
  exceptions 
  are 
  the 
  black 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  Arroyo 
  Grande 
  

   field, 
  the 
  reddish 
  emulsion 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  Hartnell- 
  

   Brookshire 
  area, 
  and 
  the 
  brown 
  to 
  greenish 
  oil 
  found 
  in 
  certain 
  of 
  

   the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field. 
  The 
  heavier 
  oil 
  is 
  the 
  darker; 
  the 
  

   lighter 
  grades 
  show 
  the 
  greenish 
  hues. 
  The 
  darkest 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  Santa 
  

   Maria 
  field 
  proper 
  is 
  the 
  19° 
  petroleum 
  from 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   Western 
  Union 
  group. 
  Some 
  very 
  dark 
  oil 
  is 
  also 
  said 
  to 
  come 
  

   from 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field. 
  

  

  The 
  heavy 
  oil 
  gives 
  off 
  an 
  aroma 
  not 
  unlike 
  some 
  grades 
  of 
  lubricat- 
  

   ing 
  oil, 
  and, 
  doubtless 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  sulphide 
  in 
  

   solution, 
  has 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  disagreeable 
  odor 
  common 
  to 
  that 
  from 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  California 
  districts. 
  In 
  this 
  district 
  the 
  lighter 
  the 
  

   oil, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  the 
  sharper 
  and 
  less 
  agreeable 
  is 
  its 
  odor. 
  

  

  GRAVITY. 
  

  

  The 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  ranges 
  from 
  14° 
  to 
  about 
  35° 
  Baume. 
  The 
  

   heaviest 
  oil 
  (14°) 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  Arroyo 
  Grande 
  field; 
  18° 
  to 
  24° 
  oil 
  

   from 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field; 
  19° 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  group 
  of 
  Western 
  

   Union 
  wells; 
  24° 
  to 
  29° 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  field; 
  and 
  35° 
  oil 
  

   from 
  the 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Oil 
  and 
  Development 
  Company's 
  well 
  and 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  Wise 
  & 
  Denigan 
  wells. 
  The 
  average 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  from 
  

   the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  field 
  proper 
  is 
  between 
  26° 
  and 
  27°, 
  thus 
  putting 
  it 
  

   well 
  into 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  valuable 
  refinable 
  petroleums. 
  

  

  VISCOSITY. 
  

  

  The 
  relative 
  viscosity 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  oils 
  from 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  

   district, 
  together 
  with 
  similar 
  data 
  for 
  other 
  California 
  oils, 
  is 
  shown 
  

   in 
  the 
  table 
  on 
  page 
  116. 
  

  

  CHEMICAL 
  PROPERTIES. 
  

  

  Few 
  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  chemical 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  

   Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  available 
  for 
  publication 
  except 
  

  

  