150 



set at work and stimulated to contrive appropriate appara- 

 tus for furnishing by it the most economical and beautiful 

 light. Ships rendered no longer necessary for chasing the 

 whale by the sudden introduction of an oil cheaper and 

 more available than whale oil have been freighted with the 

 rival oil and sent with it to European markets. All this 

 has happened since 1859. 



During the year 1862, the exports of this article in both 

 the crude and refined condition were as follows: 



Gallons. Valued at. 



New York, 6,783,563 $2,037,413 



Philadelphia, 2,607,203 529,575 



Boston, 891,616 457.859 



Baltimore, 1,120,000 500,000 



Total, 11,402,382 $3,524,847 



Allowing that one-third of this exported oil was crude 

 and the remaining two-thirds refined, and adding 40 per 

 cent, for loss by refining to the latter, we shall find the ex- 

 ports for 1862 equivalent to 14,443,017 gallons of crude oil. 



Estimating the exported oil to be about one-fifth of the 

 total product of the country, which will not differ very far 

 from the true amount, and we shall obtain for an approxi- 

 mation, 72,215,085 gallons crude oil, and deducting from 

 this the amount exported we have 57,772,068 gallons either 

 on hand or consumed in the United States. Or if we le- 

 duce this to its equivalent refined oil, we have 34,663,240 

 gallons. And allowing 33 cents as an average price for the 

 refined oil on hand or consumed at home, we have for the 

 total value of this product as follows, containing the amounts 

 in gallons of unrefined oil : 



Gallons. Valued at 



Amount exported, ]4,443,017 $3,524847 



consumed, 57,772,068 11,438,869 



Total, 1 72,215,085 $14,963,716 



1 I am indebted lor this computation and part of the data for it, to the valu- 

 able " oil circular " of Mr P. S Pease, oil dealer of Buffalo. 



V 



