Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-30
Western Union sWail Fuel for The Future.
A Government Scientist on Oil,
Gas and Coal.
OUR STOCK OF BLACK DIAMONDS.

1t Will Not LAST More Than Four Centur-
les, So Watch Those Trusts-The supply
of Gas and Oil Impossible to Estim ate
Geological and Geographical situation
OF the Stuf-Future Generations Will
Burn the Earth.
WASHINGTON CITY. July 50 The reported
discovery of rich coal oil deposits in the
Rocky mountains. near the northern border
of the United States, has revived the inter
esting question OF the probable quantity OF
fuel deposit in this country. The Post pub
fishes an interview with Professor W. j.
Niece. OF the United States survey, ON this
subject, in which he says: "The known de-
posts 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 20 the
geological survey. What wealth NAV toe
developed in them is very largely unkno wn,
but calculation of the amount OF anthra-
cite coal of the country, and the probable
consumption, results in a very well demon
strated conclusion that such deposits will be
exhausted within century, while bitumin-
Gus coal will not last longer than three or
four centuries if there are no more new finds
oil aud Gas an Unknown Quantity.
"When will the coal oil and natural gas
probably lie exhaustedf'
THAT is impossible To calculate We can
approximate the amount of the deposits of
the coal beds very closely, but with oil and
gas il Is different, as there Is no way to tell
how much a well will Weld We have only
to wait. and We have no warning OF the ex-
haustiun of a supply IN advance The
pressure forcing out the gas ar oil is exactly
the same throughout the time it is being
worked
Interesting Information.
as the report of the discovery OF oil in the
Rockies plauSibei'
1T il not at ali unlikely, as oil has already
been found in that region at very near the
altitude of 400 feet, which Is the figure
given in describing the location of the new
find. But 1t is rather more likely To be met
in a rolling country The formation of
these deposits is very interesting. As you
know the rocky strata Of the earth on plains
run quite level, or only uniulatiug, while in
mountainous regions they are often found
very much broken up. sometimes the rocks
standing on end or heaved up in a broken
mass. Now. the condition that best invites
understood When the rocky strata
is undulaIing IL forms great domes, which
act as reservoirs for gas, which accumulates
there a. we'll as oil The former, naturally
the lighter, is first found, and thereafter,
when that Is exhausted the oil below spDuts
up, and below that, heaviest of the three
articles, comes salt water 81 that when an
oil well gives up briny fluid 1t is safe to say
its wealth has been practically exhausted.
though in soma instances there is a second
yield, for limited period, OF oil
Long Look Ahead.
What will be done when these deposits
are exhaustedr
MY opinion is that that emergency VIII
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 10
| learn the Incredible amount of this matter
| there is The earth would yield many hun
| dreds of thousands of barrels Per square
mile, and it is not eNtravagant to say that
this amount would run up to ,01J,0DO bar
| rels per square mile for the United States At
present only a very small portion OF 1t can BE-
| extracted chemically, and l must confess
that don't see how it can ever be extracted
on a commercial basis. But it could in some
way De done "hen lue ueulalli "outu
| warrant it This with gas and petroleum
| will lie the great fuel of the future, and pro-
badly eventually the former alone viii be
| the article Of consumption
| Location of the Gas Region.
Where is the greatest gas region of the
| United States now locateii'
| at is included within 2,G41 square miles il
Indiana There the rocky strata of the
| earth forms a great dome. which not only
| contains gas, but also has an accumulation
| of oil
| Future supply of Petroleum.
| Where viii we get our oil in the futuref'
| THAT Is difficult to nswer, but the mos
| promising part OF the United States,
should say, is found on the western slope Of