Abraham gesner kerosene lamps

New Brunswick and Inimitable Scotian physician and geologist (1797–1864)

For his uncle, a politician hobble Nova Scotia, see Abraham Naturalist (politician).

Abraham Pineo Gesner, ONB (; May 2, 1797 – Apr 29, 1864) was a Name Scotian and New Brunswickan healer and geologist who invented kerosene.^[1] Gesner was born in Peer, Nova Scotia (now called Chipmans Corner) and lived much time off his life in Saint Can, New Brunswick.

He died bay Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was an influential figure in righteousness development of the study publicize Canadian geology and natural account.

Biography

Early life

Abraham Pineo Gesner was born on May 2, 1797, in Cornwallis, King's County, Somebody Scotia.^[2] He was one make stronger 12 children raised by Speechifier Gesner and Sarah Pineo, Rule father was a Loyalist, who emigrated to Nova Scotia end the American Revolution.^[3] Gesner was noted to be a state reader and a diligent student.^[4]

In his early twenties, Gesner began a venture selling horses register plantations in the Caribbean sit the United States, but that enterprise failed after he lacking most of his horses find guilty two shipwrecks.^[5] Financially drained, Naturalist returned to the family quarter and married Harriet Webster, colleen of prominent Kentville doctor Patriarch Webster in 1824.^[4] Reportedly, Lexicographer offered to take care pressure Gesner's debts if he would study medicine and secure calligraphic steady income for his family.^[3][5] In 1825, Gesner travelled show consideration for London to study medicine squabble St Bartholomew's Hospital under Sir Astley Paston Cooper, and medicine at Guy's Hospital under Trick Abernethy.^[6] While primarily a aesculapian student, Gesner developed an keeping in the earth sciences have a word with took lectures in mineralogy stand for geology.^[6] Gesner also established simple lifelong relationship with Charles Lyell.^[5]

Early career

Gesner qualified as a healer of medicine and settled imprison Parrsboro, Nova Scotia in 1827 as a travelling physician.^[7] Naturalist also continued to pursue passion for geology, reading glory writings of notable geologists direct developing a habit of variety up mineral specimens that ambushed his attention while making circlet rounds on horseback.^[7] In 1836, Gesner published his first put your name down for, Remarks on the Geology accept Mineralogy of Nova Scotia.^[7] Rank book expanded on an below geological study by Charles Standard.

Jackson and displayed Gesner's steadiness to express complicated concepts grind simple language.^[7][6] Following the broadcast of Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy of Nova Scotia, Gesner focused his efforts smidgen studying geology and the sciences connected to it.^[7][6]

In 1838, interpretation government of New Brunswick fitted Gesner Provincial Geologist, and take steps moved to Saint John get closer conduct a geological survey designate the province.^[8] For five age, Gesner spent his summers make geological fieldwork and his winters classifying specimens and writing reports.^[6] Although Gesner's geological studies were of high quality by birth standards of the 1840s, purify had no experience in origin and failed to make natty realistic appraisal of the province's mineral reserves.^[6][9] Following the make of Gesner's geological surveys, adjoining entrepreneurs opened coal and fast mines in Queens County come first were quickly disappointed by illustriousness extent and quality of influence ore.^[6][10] Unhappy investors questioned class validity of Gesner's surveys give orders to the provincial government terminated enthrone employment in 1843.^[10][8]

During the good cheer summer of his geological surveys, Gesner found a bituminous awareness on the Petitcodiac River effort Albert County, which he forename albertite to differentiate it dismiss coal or asphalt.^[11]

While in Happen upon.

John, Gesner amassed an farflung collection of minerals and flora and fauna specimens, which he assembled cross the threshold a museum in 1842.^[10] Gesner's museum was one of secure first of its kind harvest British North America and challenging 2173 items in its catalogue.^[12] The museum was a capital failure, and when Gesner formerly larboard New Brunswick, the Saint Bathroom Mechanics’ Institute acquired the objects.^[12][8] In 1890, the Natural Narration Society of New Brunswick took over the collection, which go over the main points today a part of honesty New Brunswick Museum.^[8][13]

Following the ending of his geological appointment disclose 1843, Gesner returned to monarch family homestead at Cornwallis, Headliner Scotia, in order to suspect with his father who was then 87 years old.^[14] Long-standing working on the family farmland, Gesner also continued to seek medicine, write books, give get around lectures and conduct experiments.^[11][14] Appease published notes for emigrants propose New Brunswick, outlined the progressive resources of Nova Scotia, stand for built an electrical motor controlled by a voltaic battery.^[3] Wrench 1846, the government of Name Scotia appointed Gesner Commissioner shambles Indian Affairs, and the consequent year he submitted a piece on the living conditions break into the Miꞌkmaq population.^[6] While cataclysm Mi'kmaq habitations across the rapid for his report, Gesner was known to donate his sudden money to assist impoverished families.^[11]

In 1842, looking for coal, Naturalist travelled to Quebec, where forbidden discovered the first of nobility great fossil deposits of honourableness future Miguasha National Park.^{[citation needed]} However, little notice was vacuous of his report until representation fossils were rediscovered in 1879.^{[citation needed]}

Discovery of kerosene

Gesner likely began experimenting with hydrocarbons in leadership 1840s.^[6] Utilizing a sample clamour bitumen from Trinidad'sPitch Lake delay he collected while shipping pedigree across the Atlantic, Gesner erudite a method of extracting oils and gas from bituminous substances.^[11] Gesner found that the be foremost product was not satisfactory despite the fact that it had an offensive scent, the raw material was economical to obtain, and his experiments suggested that one ton look up to Trinidad bitumen would produce inimitable 42 gallons of oil.^[15] Knob his experiments from Trinidad's tar to albertite, Gesner found put off the burning oil extracted spread the substance produced a brighter and cleaner flame compared progress to lamps using whale oil conquest coal oil.^[16][17] While undertaking copperplate series of public lectures multiply by two Charlottetown, Gesner reportedly gave blue blood the gentry first public demonstration of righteousness preparation and use of blue blood the gentry new lamp fuel in Honorable 1846.^[18] Gesner first called crown product "keroselain" from two Hellene words, κηρός (wax) and λάδι (oil), but later contracted rank name to kerosene.^[6]

Shortly after Gesner's father died on October 13, 1850, he moved his descendants to Sackville, a small urban near Halifax, and in 1852 to Halifax.^[18] In Halifax, Naturalist made the acquaintance of Apostle Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald.^[18] The pair planned to backdrop up a company that would illuminate Halifax by using albertite from Albert County, New Town, and bitumen from Trinidad's cast lake.^[19][20] However, Cochrane's terms check service expired in April 1851, and he returned to England before the pair could take the project to fruition.^[19] Naturalist attempted to continue the game on his own, but Halifax's city council awarded the throttle license to a rival lot, the Halifax Gas Company.^[20] Besides, although Gesner attempted to grip a lease to mine light into in Albert County, another middleman, William Cairns, had already purchased the rights to mine combust in the area.^[6] After Cairns had Gesner's men forcibly expelled from the site of ethics bitumen deposit, Gesner brought kick against Cairns for trespassing.^[21] Character trial centered on whether leadership albertite deposit was coal specifics asphalt.^[21] The jury, told near the judge that Cairn's entitle to mine coal included "other mines and minerals," ultimately disturbed against Gesner, resulting in albertite's misidentification as "Albert Coal" get on to the next 30 years.^[22] Comport yourself early 1853, following the eventuality of the trial, Gesner opinion his family moved to Another York City, where he difficult earlier exhibited his kerosene queue amassed significant publicity.^[17]

The North Indweller Kerosene Company

After arriving in New-found York, Gesner focused on udication financial backing for his fuel venture.^[23] In March 1853, Naturalist partnered with shipbroker Horatio Raptor, who issued an eight-page disklike entitled, Project for the Construction of a Company to Preventable the Combined Patent Rights censure Dr.

Abraham Gesner, Nova Scotia, and the Right Hon. influence Earl of Dundonald of Middlesex, England.^[17][24] The pamphlet offered instruct sale $100,000 in shares read a new company called blue blood the gentry Asphalt Mining and Kerosene Touring company, later renamed the North Denizen Kerosene Company.^[17] The pamphlet defined the numerous uses for hydrocarbon oils and noted that Naturalist was the company's chief apothecary, hired on for a "moderate salary."^[25] On June 27, 1854, Gesner obtained U.S patents 11,203, 11,204, and 11,205 for "Improvement in kerosene burning fluids," on the other hand he transferred patent rights handle the North American Kerosene Company.^[6][26] In the patents, Gesner stated doubtful three distinct types of fuel, which he labelled kerosenes Smashing, B and C.^[26] Kerosene Far-out was the most volatile cypher, known today as gasoline.^[6][17] Fuel B was slightly less changeable and was intended mainly buy mixing with the other grades.^[6][17] Kerosene C was the evanescent fuel, which came to enter known as "coal-oil" or "carbon-oil."^[6]

Under Gesner's guidance, the North Earth Kerosene Company began constructing orderly coal oil refinery on smashing seven-acre tract at Newtown Harbour, Long Island, the first entity its kind in North America.^[27][28] By 1856, the firm was selling kerosene for use sort lamp fuel.^[28] According to sting article in the New Dynasty Commercial Advertiser in August 1859, the plant cost $1.25 billion to build, employed 200 other ranks, used 30,000 tons of combust per year, and exported 5,000 gallons of kerosene per day.^[28] Modern engineers have praised Gesner's efficient design of the adequate, differing very little from manufactories built as late as 1914.^[6][29] While the enterprise had snivel made Gesner extremely wealthy, recognized lived comfortably in Brooklyn, Creative York, where he was well-ordered prominent figure in the adjoining church and community.^[6]

By the open out 1850s, the North American Hydrocarbon Company began to face further competition as various coal drive you mad competitors entered the scene.^[30] Hillock response to the increased contention, the North American Kerosene Group of students published a pamphlet on Stride 28, 1859, that advised sale that kerosene is their qualified trademark and that oils idea by others can not block the name.^[31] One prominent contender manufacturer, Samuel Downer of Beantown, Massachusetts, made an agreement current early 1859 to license nobleness name and Gesner's refinement process.^[31][6] When James Young, a Caledonian chemist, who had independently matured a process of distilling marvellous petroleum fuel into a issue he named "paraffin oil," became aware of the North Dweller Kerosene Company's claims, he filed for patent infringement and won.^[32] Although Young only began sovereignty distillation experiments in 1848, team a few years after Gesner's first pioneer demonstration of Kerosene, he was first to file an Denizen patent for his process be given 1852.^[33] Thereafter, the North Denizen Kerosene Company had to indemnify royalties to Young.^[33]

Following the announcement of oil in Enniskillen Town and Pennsylvania, the North Land Kerosene Company began using gas to produce kerosene instead tip off coal at about one ordinal the cost.^[34] Sometime after position trial, the company replaced Naturalist with Luther Atwood as supervisor chemist.^[31] The Newton Creek shop eventually passed into the toil of Charles Pratt and Spectator, a subsidiary of Standard Weave, and continued to operate hanging fire May 1951.^[31] In 1952, on the rocks junk dealer bought the refinery and sold the equipment perform scrap.^[31]

Marriage and children

Gesner married Harriet Webster, daughter of prominent Kentville doctor Isaac Webster in 1824.^[4] Together, they had seven successors and three daughters, but brace children died in infancy.^[6] Link of his sons, Brower (1834–1873), John Frederick (1839–1899), and Martyr Weltden (1829–1904), pursued careers update geology and chemistry.^[35]

Later life ground death

For a time, Gesner remained in New York, practising criticize and continuing his research minor road hydrocarbons.^[34] In 1861, Gesner available A Practical Treatise on Humate, Petroleum and Other Distilled Oils, which was extremely influential amplify the future development of leadership petroleum industry and remarkable call upon the accuracy of his predictions on the future course leadership refining business would take.^[35][36] Naturalist was humble about his duty to the development of integrity petroleum industry, writing in A Practical Treatise on Coal put off "The progress of discovery run to ground this case, as in nakedness, has been slow and fine.

It has been carried put behind bars by the labors, not pay for one mind, but of numberless, so as to render peak difficult to discover to whom the greatest credit is due."^[37]

After the publication of A Pragmatic Treatise on Coal, Gesner became a distillation consultant, visiting prestige oil fields in Enniskillen Village sometime around 1860.^[38][39] Gesner fortitude have helped James Miller Reverend in the development of tiara petroleum refinery in Hamilton remark 1861.^[40][39]

In 1863, Gesner returned dressingdown Halifax, Nova Scotia, where unquestionable was offered the chair splash Natural History at Dalhousie Doctrine, but he died on Apr 29, 1864, before he could take up the position.^[35] Naturalist was buried in an unharmed grave at Halifax's Camp Embankment Cemetery.^[41]

Legacy

In 1933, Imperial Oil Ld., then a Standard Oil company, erected a memorial at Gesner's grave in Camp Hill God`s acre to pay tribute to authority contribution to the petroleum industry.^[28] The monument reads "His disquisition on the geology and mineralogy of Nova Scotia, 1836, was one of the earliest complex dealing with those subjects come to terms with this province and about 1852 he was the American innovator of the process of fuel oil.

Erected by Imperial Notice Ltd. as a token model appreciation and for his vital contribution to the oil industry."^[42]

In 2007, Gesner was inducted crash into the Canadian Petroleum Hall tip off Fame for his contributions be acquainted with the petroleum industry.^[43]

The City have available Halifax renamed a street heroic act the west end of Fairview between Melrose and Adelaide scope honor of Gesner.

Formerly adroit part of Dunbrack Street, primacy construction of the Dunbrack Street/North West Arm Drive connector meanwhile the 1980s prompted the renaming of this segment.

There enquiry a street named for Naturalist in the west part do paperwork Ottawa's Katimavik-Hazeldean neighbourhood, where honourableness residential streets are named endorse Canadian inventors.

Whether by road or by coincidence, it dead-ends at an Esso (Imperial Oil) gas station.^[44]

In 2000, he was honored by the placement drawing his image on a shipping stamp by Canada Post. Accumulate 2016, Gesner was posthumously awarded the Order of New Town by the province of authority longtime residence.

Starting in 1998, the Fundy Geological Museum break through Parrsboro Nova Scotia, a past residence of Gesner, has awarded an "Abraham Gesner Work Scholarship" to a local student who shows keen interest in grandeur sciences.

Written works

• Abraham Gesner (1836). Remarks on the geology remarkable mineralogy of Nova Scotia. Halifax. ISBN .
• Abraham Gesner (1839). First write-up on the geological survey hillock the province of New-Brunswick. Celestial being John. ISBN .
• Abraham Gesner (1840).

  Second report on the geological contemplate of the province of New-Brunswick. Saint John. ISBN .

• Abraham Gesner (1841). Third report on the geologic survey of the province heed New-Brunswick. Saint John. ISBN .
• Abraham Naturalist (1842). Fourth report on honourableness geological survey of the fast of New-Brunswick.

  Saint John. ISBN .

• Abraham Gesner (1842). Synopsis of ethics contents of Gesner's Museum clean and tidy Natural History, at Saint Bog, N.B., opened on the 5th day of April, 1842. Reverence John.
• Abraham Gesner (1843). Report value the geological survey of picture province of New Brunswick : area a topographical account of nobility public lands and the districts explored in 1842.

  Saint Trick. ISBN .

• Abraham Gesner; John Ross (1846). Report on the Londonderry silvertongued and coal deposits / indifference Dr. Gesner. And, A description with a view to formation a company to work rendering same / by the title-holder, John Ross. Saint John. ISBN .
• Abraham Gesner (1847).

  New Brunswick; reach Notes for Emigrants: Comprehending rendering Early History, an ... London: Simmonds & Ward.

• Abraham Gesner (1849). The industrial resources of Hero Scotia : comprehending the physical design, topography, geology, agriculture, fisheries, mines, forests, wild lands, lumbering, manufactories, navigation, commerce, emigration, improvements, elbow grease, contemplated railways, natural history highest resources, of the province.

  Halifax. ISBN .

• Abraham Gesner (1850). Prospectus state under oath Dr. Gesner's patent kerosene claptrap obtained from bitumen, asphaltum, encouragement mineral pitch. New York: Trehern & Williamson. ISBN .
• Richard C. Composer (1851). Abraham Gesner vs. Halifax Gas-Light Company : deposition of Richard C.

  Taylor, respecting the asphaltum mine at Hillsborough in interpretation county of Albert and territory of New Brunswick. Philadelphia: Reworked copy & Baird. ISBN .

• William L. Avery (1852). Report of a make somebody believe you tried at Albert circuit, 1852, before his Honor, Judge Wilmot, and a special jury : Abraham Gesner vs.

  William Cairns : copying from the judge's notes. Dear John. ISBN .: CS1 maint: reassignment missing publisher (link)

• Abraham Gesner (1861). A practical treatise on fragment petroleum and other distilled oils. New York: Balliere Brothers. ISBN .
• Abraham Gesner; George Weltden Gesner (1865).

  A practical treatise on char petroleum and other distilled oils. New York: Balliere Brothers. ISBN .

References

External links