by Bruce Wells | Mar 18, 2024 | Petroleum Pioneers
Abundant late-19th century natural gas supplies attracted manufacturers away from coal.
Natural gas discoveries of the 1880s revealed the giant Trenton Field in Indiana, which extended into Ohio. New pipelines and abundant gas supplies would attract manufacturing industries to the Midwest — where small towns competed with cities to attract new industries. It was an Indiana natural gas boom too good to last. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Sep 11, 2023 | This Week in Petroleum History
September 11, 1866 – Distilling Kerosene in Vacuum leads to Mobil Oil –
Carpenter and inventor Matthew Ewing patented a new method for distilling kerosene in a vacuum to produce lubricants. His innovation would lead to Mobil Oil. Three weeks after receiving his U.S. patent, Ewing and partner Hiram Everest founded the Vacuum Oil Company in Rochester, New York. Their first product was “Ewing’s Patent Vacuum Oil,” a leather conditioner. (more…)
