It is also interesting to note that the crude oil from different localities, and even from different formations in the same locality, not only varies greatly in its own properties, but the manufactured products derived from different grades have very different properties as well. From some crude oils special lubricating oils can be made which cannot be manufactured from other oils. The same is true of the paraffins derived from different oils, some, for example, being especially desirable for one purpose while paraffin derived from another crude is more suitable for another purpose, due to its different properties and action under treatment. Thus, the refined oils from different crudes show a great variety, some lamp oils possessing much greater illuminating power than that derived from other crudes and this not due to the method of manufacture but to the actual difference in the properties of the refined oil derived from the different crudes. In Roumania and Russia the wells produce enormous quantities of sand with the oil, particularly when they first start flowing. The Roumanian wells frequently start flowing sand as fine as flour and more like the dust of a country road. This sand may hardly smell of oil at first and at this stage it covers the ground like a volcanic ash, sometimes breaking in the roofs of neighbouring houses. In the course of a few days the sand begins to show more oil but piles up around the mouth of the well, giving it the appearance of a small volcano. As the quantity of oil increases it reaches a stage where the oil and sand will flow away from the well together and the oil is settled out in dams before being pumped to the tanks. Later, the percentage of sand becomes less until it is almost negligible. The action of the sharp sand is similar to that of a sand blast, necessitating much ingenuity in changing the pipes and valves for handling the well while it is flowing. The diversity that is characteristic of petroleum in its geological and geographical distribution, and in its adaptability to the needs of humanity, is also to be found in the nature of the crude oil deposits. It differs in colour, density and other qualities in almost every field. In America, with which this book chiefly deals, three distinct basic types are recognized; the mixed base (paraffine and asphalt in combination) found in Ohio, Oklahoma and other States; the paraffine base, which is characteristic of the paler crudes of Pennsylvania and West Virginia; and the asphalt base common to the fields of California and Texas. The special qualities of the crude fix in a large measure, the character of the products each yields when subjected to refining and manufacturing processes. CHAPTER III DAWN OF AMERICA’S PETROLEUM INDUSTRY