Canadian Inventions – Kerosene

The range of clean burning liquid fuels available in the early nineteenth century was limited. Whale oil, extracted from the blubber of several whale species, was the most prominent source of energy for oil lamps and candles. Alternatives (such as plant oils) were also used with varying success, but often burned with excessive amounts of smoke. This changed radically in 1846, when Abraham Gesner developed a process for refining liquid fuel from coal and bitumen. Gesner called the new fuel Kerosene. Gesner was a physician with a passion for geology. Born into a farming family in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, he originally found work as a deckhand on a trading ship. After being shipwrecked twice, he decided to change careers. At the age of 27, Gesner left Nova Scotia for London, where he studied medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital. Completing his studies, Gesner returned to Nova Scotia and set up a medical practice in Parrsboro. It was at this stage that he developed a passion for geology. Gesner published his first mineralogy study in 1836. His work documented Nova Scotia's major mineral deposits, mapping out the key deposits of iron ore and coal in the area. A few years later he was appointed as the Provincial Geologist of New Brunswick (the first geologist appointed by a British colony) and commissioned to conduct a similar survey there. It was during this time that he discovered albertite, a bituminous rock that he named after Albert County, New Brunswick. Albertite was flammable. The rock burned with a steady flame that produced little ash. While experimenting with Albertite, Gesner noticed that a vaporous byproduct was produced when the rock was burnt in the right conditions. After several attempts, he was able to capture the vapour, condensing it into a clear, thin liquid in a retort. He named the liquid 'kerosene' and applied for a patent for its production. Kerosene burned cleaner than whale oil and was significantly cheaper to produce. After demonstrating his new process in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1846 Gesner established the Kerosene Gaslight Company and began installing lighting in the streets in Halifax. However, he was soon blocked from using albertite to produce the new fuel by the New Brunswick coal conglomerate. The conglomerate owned the coal extraction rights for New Brunswick and was able to obtain a court injunction by erroneously asserting to the court that albertite was a form of coal. Gesner moved to Long Island NY in 1854 and established the North American Gas Light Company. Demand for kerosene grew steadily. To keep pace, Gesner modified his process to use petroleum, a newly available resource, which could be converted to kerosene more efficiently. Eventually the North American Gas Light Company was absorbed into Standard Oil and Gesner returned to Halifax, where he was appointed a Professor of Natural History at Dalhousie University. Although Gesner himself was modest about his discovery, others viewed it differently, including Imperial Oil Ltd, the Canadian Standard Oil subsidiary, which erected a memorial to him in the Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax. Summary by: Richard Murphy