HAWORTH. |] Origin of Oil and Gas. 197 
in rocks regularly laden with organic matter, while not a single 
instance is on record of hydrocarbon gases in mines confined 
to the crystalline rocks. The explanation for absence of such 
gases in crystalline rocks given by Mrazck and quoted above by 
Doctor Day is unsatisfactory to students of crystalline rocks, 
for it is well known that enough “quarry sap”’ exists in all 
rocks in a measure to hold in oils and gases were they present. 
In fact recent experiments by Chamberlin show that other 
gases do exist in crystalline rocks in relatively large quan- 
tities, and deep mines, in Cripple Creek particularly, are both- 
ered with nitrogen gas badly, but not with hydrocarbons. 
(See chapter VII, this report.) 
Now, it is very difficult to understand the universal presence 
of hydrocarbons in coal-mines, with practically no other gases 
with them, and the frequent presence of nitrogen and other 
gas in crystalline rock mines, with no hydrocarbon gas present, 
if the gases were generated far below the surface and gradu- 
ally worked their way outwards. Advocates of the inorganic 
origin of oil and gas should give a more satisfactory explana- 
tion of the conditions above named than they have yet been able 
to do, or admit the difficulty in the way. 
Recently considerable interest has been awakened by the 
discovery that many of the petroleum products have the power 
of rotating the plane of polarization of light in a manner sim- 
ilar to the way sugar, tartaric acid, lactic acid and other or- 
ganic compounds produce the same effect. This property of 
petroleum has been used by Prof. Karl Engler, of Karlsruhe, 
Mr. M. A. Rakusin, petroleum engineer of Moscow, and others, 
in their arguments in favor of petroleum being of organic 
origin. In an article recently published!” by Dr. Max Rein- 
hard and N. Botez, the subject is mentioned as follows: ‘‘The 
question of the optical activity of crude oils and their distilla- 
tion products plays an important role regarding the origin of 
petroleum. Particularly, Professors Engler and Rakusin see 
therein a strong argument for the organic origin of these valu- 
able products, and which at the same time seem to favor ani- 
mal origin of these materials.” 
The products of distillation of the Kansas oils were studied 
with reference to their rotary power by Mr. Frank Brock un- 
der the direction of Professor Bushong, and the results are 
included in the chapter on the chemical properties of Kansas 
107. Revue du Petrole, January 8, 1808, Bucharest, Roumania. 
