PETROLEUM. The production of petroleum be gall in western Pennsylvania in 1859. The United States soon became the chief source of the world's supply of this article. The recent de velopment in Russia, however, has since 1897 placed that country ahead of the United States in rank. The production of the country increased slowly to 6,293,194 barrels in 1872• and then more rapidly to 45,823.572 barrels in 1890, and 69, 389,194 barrels in 1901, the value in the last year being $66,417,335. The output in Pennsylvania reached its maximum in 1891, when it amounted to 33.009,236 barrels. Since that year the product has declined in that State until in 1901 it was only 12.625,37S barrels. About 1886 Ohio came into prominence in the produc tion of petroleum, the output advancing rapidly to 17,740.301 barrels in 1891, and 21.648.083 bar rels in 1901. The petroleum industry began early
in West Virginia, but did not develop rapidly until in the last decade of the nineteenth century, the output increasing from 492,578 barrels in 1890 to 14,177.126 in 1901. The industry also developed slowly in California until 1899. in creasing its output more than twofold in the fol lowing two years, the product in 1901 being, 8.786,330 barrels. The production in Indiana did not begin until 1889, but has advanced stead ily until 1901, when it amounted to 5,757,086 barrels. The last State to develop its resources of petroleum is Texas, the output having ad vanced from 50 barrels in 1895 to 4,393,658 bar rels in 1901. In 1902 and 1903 important dis coveries were made in Louisiana which is destined to become a. large producer of petroleum. See Map under PETROLEUM.