ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16431, 27 January 1919, Page 8

ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM.

♦ TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Six—ln your leading article of the 22nd. inst. you deal with the efforts that are being made to discover areas of oil production in England. You very rightly emphasis© the importance of such efforts. The Empire .id almost wholly dependent upon foV3g?iM>untries for its supply of oil, aaU-tliis position is being more acutely, ielt as time rolls on. . . With regard to tbeyprigin of petroleum you state thixt there are two theories of its production—the animal and the vegetable. These two theories do not by any means exhaust the sources of petroleum. There is a third theory, tho chemical origin,-'rt'hich to many students of the question*"is the most important of the three. . This theory was advocated, by the Russian chemist Mendeleef In 1877 considered that tho bulk of beneath the surface oC was the result of water ooirviifjj ii*. contact with .the headed metallic'carßkl< tho interior

of the earth. x The action is very similar to the production of acetylene gas from calcium carbide. This production is familiar, to all motorists. . Water is dropped on the calcium carbide and chemical action ensues. The affinity ;jbetween the oxygen of the water .and...tyi,a calcium (lime) of the carbide causesj them to combine,

forming oxide of calcium. Tho hydrogen of tho water and the carbon of the carbide combine, forming tho acetylene gas. If tlus gas were put through a compressor, at a pressure of aoout LoUuih to the square inch, it would form a very high quality petrol. This combination of hydiogen and carbon takes place in the interior of the earth. "Water admitted to the interior of the earth comes into contact with the heated, metallic carbides, and 'forms superheated steam, of which the oxygen has combined with the metal, probabiy iron, forming hematite, or oxide of iron, and the hydrogen has combined with the carbon, forming petroleum gas. This gas, forcing its way upwards, has been forced into pervious strata under a pressure that has been sufficient to liquefy it, and deposits of. petroleum have been formocL In the United i States of America there are many wells where the pressure has not been sufficient to liquefy tho gas ( and where only gas is produced. This gas is passed through a compressor and converted into oil. The principal oilfields of the world are on lines parallel with the mountain ranges. California, Mexico, Chili, Peru, GaUeisi, Russia, Persia, Burmah, Japan, Sumatra, Java, all exist under thesp conditions. . Having studied the question for some considerable time, I came to the conclusion that it was probable that petroleum - wpuld be found in large quantity beneath the Canterbury plains on a line parallel with the Southern Alps. In 1907 I endeavoured to promote a company to test the question. This

J attempt was a failure, as I could not obtain sulhcient support to float tho oampany. iu 11)13 another attempt was mado, and a compauy formed, whicn, although delayed by tlio recent war, has porseverod under great difficulty, and at tho present time lias domoustrated to the satisfaction of scientist] that there is petroleum, both as oil and as gas, beneath tbe Canterbury plains. W'hether it is in sufficient quantity to ~.e payable has stiil to be proved, but there can be no question as to ita presence. The first indications were obtain, ed at 1358 feet, and have continued to manifest themselves to the present depth, 1820 feet. j if wo are successful in obtaining" petroleum in \ quantity, it will make: | Canterbury wealthy beyond anything wo can imagine, and unless the oil inI dustry developed to an extent hardly probable, it would interfere very little j with our other industries. One' acre'is j ample for a well, and even 10,000 wells would only occupy a very small, proportion of tho three or four miUica acres of Canterbury land. —Yours etc.. A. JOYCE, ' Manager Canterbury Petroleum Prospecting Co., Ltd. Ashburton, January 24th, 1919. -