, 1885-11-13
WYOMING OILS.

recently Deeh discovered an immense
spring OF almost pure petroleum oil. There
seems to be a natural refinery under
ground and the oil rolls forth in such puri-
ty that a quantity poured upon a plank
can be fired with a match. The spring is
one hundred and fifty yards IN length,
coming out of large bank. At any point
on the line of egress the oil can be dipped
up at the rate of a quart PER minute. The
location is just within the line of johnson
county. Messrs. Conant & Auten are the
fJrtunate discoveries. They have Just To-
cited their find and are now doing devel-
opment work, The surveyor they had
with them is an old Pennsylvania oil
worker, and he says he never dreamed of
such a spring as the one he has Just sun
yeyed. For the past year there have been
many whispers going the rounds of the
oil interests Of that section in regard to the
oil deposits o. the Big Horn basin. Now
this valuable spring has been discovered
there is said to be still another concealed
othANN Z h'aAf hlhIn ldlktis lnulCiAlOuh
multiply day by day that the oil fields of
the Big Horn basin will in the near future
come to the front in a blaze of light be-
fore which all past discoveries will utterly
pale.
Messrs. Conant * Auten's spring will
be known AS the Bonanza Oil Spring. A
hattering feature OF this oil is that it leaves
no asphalt or other residuum on the soil
it flows over, a fact heretofore unknown
in the oil experience of this section. FIX
perts value the Bonanza Oil Spring at
one hundred thousand dollars.
The Carter oil wells are located four
miles from Aspen and twelve miles from
Evanston. The LEADER is informed by
reliable authority that the company has
struck oil at a depth of 200 feet, a fifteen
barrel well of oil. The nearness of this
well to the railroad, and the probability
that the flow will be increased by an in
creased depth of drilling, makes it quito
an important discovery for that section of
Wyoming. There is also serious talk
about there of sinking one or more wells
for natural gas, as the country is known
to be full Of it.
Prof. Aughey, in his second letter to
the Mining Rer1eic, gives the following
interesting data on Wyoming oils:
The petroleum of the Rattlesnake basin
is unique in character. Its gravity is only
slightly less than water, or near zero in
the Baume scale. 1t burns only at a very
high temperature. Physical and chemical
tests have failed to detect any parafne in
it. The color is mahogany black. When
standing for some time it becomes Jelly
like in consistency. Its pungent and
petroleum like odor is lost on exposure.
Wyner and Harland, the public analysts
Of London, thus sun up the results of
their analyses of this oil:
This oil is valuable on account of the
hydrocarbon which can be obtained from
it by destructive distillation, by far the
most important being the heavy lubricat-
ing oil of specific gravity of $50. This oil
distills At a very high temperature, CON
siderably above the range of a mercurial
thermometer. and this, taken in conjunc-
ton with its high specific gravity, should
render ii an exceedingly valuable lubri
cant for heavy machinery. 1t is not
altered, and shows no signs Of solidifying
when subjected to many degrees below
zero, Centigrade,
Closely related to the Rattlcsnake oil is
that Of the Arago basin, a few miles fur
Their east. 1t has a higher specific gravi-
ty than any oil yet found in Wyoming.
1t is below zero in the Baume scale, or
over ! 200, and of course sinks in water.
1t is very dense, of a dark mahogany
color, aud can be cut with a knife like
soft butter. 1t gradually turns black on
exposure. 1t has little odor as ii comes
out of the shaft, though what escapes
from the face of the %escarpment has
slightly more pungeney, which, however,
II loses On exposure. Ii is a very high
fire test, and turns only at a high temper
allure. Il contains no parafne and does
not solidify at any ordinary cold below
zero. Though too thick for ordinary
lubricants, it can be manipulated by com-
bining it with lighter oil, so as to make it
OF great value. 1t can be brought to any
required consistency either By combining
it with the Big Horn or Seminole oils
In a southeasterly direction from the
above, and on the southern slope of tho
Rattlesnake mountains, oil occurs of much
less gravity, and darker color, but it has
not vet been sufficiently studied to give
its characters in more detail.
The Seminole oil, near the big bend of
the Platte river, is the lightest of Wyom-
ing oils. Its gravity is between 81. 80 and
30 degrees Baume. Il is Of an amber or
light green color. 1t contains no p%ara6ne,
aud its fash and fire test ARE both high.
1t Yields a considerable amount of kero-
senc. IL is a good l~ubriradng oil, and has
the property of liquiiying the heavy Rat
tlesnake oils, by which admixtnre any
grade Of lubricating petroleums can be
produced, One-lourh of this oil com.
bined With three-iourths Of the heavy
Rattlesnake oil. makes . mixture that