Note 010 — Chapter I
Reading edition
The uses of petroleum have been known from time immemorial; but the quantities laboriously gathered from springs like those here described were economically insignificant. The importance of the industry dates from the discovery, in 1858, that vast quantities of oil could be obtained by drilling wells. The excitement which ensued was comparable to that caused by finding gold in California. Among United States exports, petroleum products now rank near the top of the column.—Ed.