The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-08-10
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE.
Prof. Notices Opinion Of the Coal, OIL
and Natural Gas Deposits.

Prof. Notices Opinion of the Coal, OIL
and Natural Gas Deposits.
The reported discovery of rich
coal oil deposits in the Rocky Noun
tains, near the northern border of
the United States, has revived the
interesting question of the probable
quantity of fuel deposits in this
country.
In an interview with Prof. j. w.
MCGEE, of the United States survey,
on this subject, he says "The
known deposits of coal, coal oil and
natural gas, the fuel of the day, are
not so great as many people suppose.
There are many localities of the
United States which are strange to
the geological survey What wealth
may be developed in them is very
largely unknown, but a calculation
of the amount of anthracite coal of
the country, and the probable con
sumption, results in very we'll
demonstrated conclusion that such
deposits will be exhausted within a
century, while bituminous coal will
not last longer than three or four
centuries if there are no more finds.
when will the coal oil and nat
ural gas probably be exhaustedY
THAT is impossible to calculate.
We can approximate the amount of
coal in beds very closely, but with
oil and gas it is different, as there is
no way to tell how much well will
yield We have only to wait, and
we have no warning of the exhaus-
ton of supply in advance. The
pressure forcing out che gas or oil is
exactly the same throughout the
time it is being worked.
rs the report of the discovery of
oil in the Rockies plausible?"
at is not at all unlikely, as oil
has already been found in that re-
gion at very near the altitude Of
$500 feet, which is the figure given
in describing the location of the new
find, but it is rather more to be met
in a rolling country. The formation
of these deposits is very interesting
As you know. the rocky stratas of
the earth on the plains run quite
level, or only undulating, while in
the mountainous regions they are
often found very much broken up,
sometimes the rocks standing ON end
or heayed up in broken mass. Now
the condition that best invites the
gas and oil deposits is very readily
understood Where the rocky strata
is undulating it forms great domes,
which act as reservoirs for gas,
which accumulates there as well as
oil. The former, naturally the light
er, is first found, and then often
when that is exhausted the oil below
spouts up, and below that the heav-
lest of the three articles, salt water
comes, so that when an oil well gives
up briny fluid it is safe to say its
wealth has been practically exhaust
ed though in some instances there is
a second yield for limited period
of oil. :"
what will be done when these
deposits are eXhaustedT"
"My opinion is that that emer-
gency will be met by extracting the
bituminous matter contained in
rocks and which is found all over
the country. 1t would astonish those
who have not given the subject
thought to learn the incredible
amount of this matter there is. The
earth would yield many hundred
thousand barrels per square mile,
and it is not extravagant to say this
amount would sum up to 100000
barrels per square mile for the Uni
ted States. At present only very
small portion of it can be extracted
chemically, and | must confess that
don't see how it can ever be ex-
tracted on u commercial basis. But
it could in some way be done when
the demand would warrant it, This
with gas and petroleum will be the
great fuel of the future, and proba-
bly, eventually the former alone will
be the article of consumption"
"Where is the greatest gas region
of the United States now located"
at is included within $500 square
miles in Indiana. There the rocky
strata of the earth forms q great
dome which not only contains gas.
but also has al accumulation of oil"
"Where will we get our oil in the
future?'
s'That is difficult to answer, but
the most promising part of the Uni
ted States, I should say, is found on
the western slope of the Appalachian
Mountains, running from Southern
Pennsylvania through West Virginia,
Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Tennes-
see into Southern Alabama This
is very broad belt, and l think in
the future it will yield immense
quantities of petroleum. There are
other isolated areas west of the Mis-
souri, river in the Rocky Mountains
which promise very well, though
they are much smaller in territory