1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
161 
OIL ESCAPING INTO SPRING. 
Little Help for a Troublesome Condition. 
A. S., Pennsylvania. —What can you tell 
us about Illinois black oil, as to damage to 
soil and water? I know of a case where an 
right-inch pipe line runs through a mans 
farm conveying this oil to the East. This 
line sprung a leak, and owing to the hard 
dry condition of the top soil this leak was 
not discovered for some time, it being im¬ 
possible to tell for how long. It found its 
way to the main vein of water leading to a 
spring located about 700 feet from where 
the leak occurred. The oil penetrated to the 
depth of about 20 feet or more through the 
rock and clay and into a vein of water. To 
try to better conditions they dug down to 
vein of water a few feet above spring, and 
' found a running stream of oil, which has 
continued to flow after the leak was re¬ 
paired almost three weeks. It is thought 
12 barrels of oil have been caught during 
this time. They have also quarried a num¬ 
ber of holes through the rock to the water 
vein and found the water mixed with oil in 
every case. Will this spring ever clear itself 
of oil? If so, how long would it take in 
this clay and shale rock? Can you tell me 
whether or not this oil is used on macadam 
roads in some States to prevent dust? This 
was one of the finest springs in this section 
of the country, and a never-failing supply 
of water. 
Ans. —This appears to be a case where 
the ground under the pipe line in the 
immediate vicinity of the leak has be¬ 
come more or less completely saturated 
with oil. It is like a case of seepage of 
water from an irrigation ditch, where 
the ground beneath the ditch comes to 
be saturated with water from the natural 
water level in the ground to the bottom 
of the ditch. If the leak from this pipe 
line was confined to a single point the 
oil would trickle down through the pores 
of the soil, until it reached the water 
level, when it would build up toward the 
pipe line, gradually rising to the surface, 
but all the time spreading out in a more 
or less cone-shaped form, just as a pile 
of sand spreads when it is built up con¬ 
tinuously from a central point. The 
open pore space in the soil would ul¬ 
timately become filled with the oil and 
the volume of oil that would be required 
to fill it might be very considerable, as 
the pore space in soils may be as great 
as even 40 or more per cent, and not 
likely to be less than 20 per cent. This 
means that the soil filled with oil might 
contain anywhere from .2 to .4 of a 
cubic foot of oil for each cubic foot of 
soil filled. There is no way of foretelling 
how large the cone of soil which has 
become charged may be. If it is 20 feet 
to water the base of the cone might have 
a diameter of 100 or more feet, depend¬ 
ing upon how long the oil has been leak¬ 
ing and how freely the oil may spread 
through the soil. If the leak is per¬ 
manently stopped there is little doubt 
but that in course of time the oil would 
gradually drain away and through the 
action of the rains the soil would in 
time become sufficiently freed so as to be 
imperceptible in the water of the spring, 
if the volume of the spring is large. 
If the volume of the spring is small the 
time required would be in all probability 
longer, but how long no one can say; 
quite likely several years. If a large 
part of the material below the leak in 
the pipe is a shaly rock, so that the oil 
is chiefly in the fissures, there might be 
less of it than would be indicated by 
the statement made above, and it might 
sooner cease to drain appreciably into 
the vein of water feeding the spring. 
The oil is probably of the same type 
that has been used experimentally in 
laying dust on macadam and other roads. 
F. H. KING. 
Husk and Cob Meal for Horses. 
So far as 1 can learn no experiments 
have been carried on along this line. Corn- 
and-cob meal seem to be a very good feed 
for horses, as the presence of the cob makes 
the feed a trifle more bulky, yet I fear that 
the addition of the husks would make the 
feed too bulky for horses at hard work. It 
does seem, however, that crushed snapped 
corn would make an efficient and economical 
feed for wintering horses doing little work. 
The saving of the labor of husking and 
shelling is a factor worthy of consideration 
at this time, owing to the scarcity of help. 
H. H. KILDEE. 
YU A JTf To Buyers of Buggies 
** *** A • Everywhere—Before ' 
Buying Any Vehicle Get My 1910 
Free Book of Styles and Prices. 
H. C PHELPS 
Manufacturer of Cele¬ 
brated Split Hickory 
HERE are all kinds of general mail-order houses filling 
orders with buggies of unknown brand. There are all kinds 
of local dealers selling buggies at high-profit prices. I am 
the actual manufacturer of the celebrated Split Hickory Vehicles. Mine is a 
Vehicles ' ~ personal, man-to-man business. I make to your order just the vehicle you 
want (out of 125 styles) and sell it to you direct at factory prices. 
The actual dollars-and-cents saving I make you runs from $26.50 and up on a 
Vehicle. I give 
30-Day Road Test On Any Split Hickory 
All the papers and all manufacturers know me to be responsible and know my work to be the 
highest quality and prices the lowest. I have saved buggy buyers three million dollars in the last 
ten years. My big volume of business permits me to offer greater saving prices for 1910. I want 
to hear personally from anyone wanting a high-grade vehicle or harness. I issue this challenge 
to buggy dealers everywhere—I will duplicate the quality of any 
high-grade buggy they offer to any buyer at 25% or more 
off their price. If you are going to buy a vehicle, 
don’t you want to save that 25% or more? 
Let me prove this claim by sending you my 1910 190-page book 
quoting you direct factory prices. The $26.50 to $40 I save you 
is worth as much to you as to a buggy dealer, even though he’s 
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about my proposition before you give away this money. I offer 
more than any dealer—30-day road test. 
2 YEARS’ GUARANTEE 
I have the largest direct factory in the world. Over 100,000 
Split Hickorys in use. Thousands of testimonials from de¬ 
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harness to choose from. H. C. PHELPS, Ohio Carriage Mfg* Co. 
Ohio Carriage Mfg. Co., Sta. 290 , 
Columbus, Ohio. 
As to my standing and responsibility, 
I refer ip any agricultural paper, 
any commercial agency, 
any banlc or express com- 
ny and to over 100.000 
satisfied customers 
Saving 
Guaranteed 
On Retail Price 
Of Any Vehicle 
No. 
2240 
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are the best made, best grade and easiest riding 
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The, Only Harrow That Will 
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When you examine the construction of this 
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GENERAL AGENTS 
KEMP & BURPEE MFG. CO., Syracuse, N. Y., 
and 
JOHN DEERE PLOW CO., Indianapolis, ind. 
Manufactured by DUANE H.NASH (Incorporated) 
137 Central Ave. Millington, N. J. 
PATENTED 
THE WEEDER IN HARNESS 
Changes ibe ordinary drag Weeder inlo a 
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Cuts deep or shallow as directed. Skims 
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