St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-29
Anthracite Coal Will Be Ex-
hausted in About One
Hundred Years,
While the Bituminous Ar
ticle Will Go Three or
Four Centuries.
Millions Of Barrels Of Btu
minous Matter to be Found
in Rock.

WASHINGTON. July 2S.-The reported
discovery of rich coal oil deposits III the
Rocky mountains near the northern
border of the United States, has revived
the interesting question of the probable
quantity of fuel deposits in this coun-
try. The Post to-day publishes an in
terview with Prof. W. J. MCGEE, of the
United States survey, on this subject,
in which he saws: 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 calcula-
ton of the amount of anthracite coal of
the country and the probable consump-
ton results in a very we'll demonstrated
conclusion that such deposits will be
exhausted within a century, while
bituminods coal will not last longer
than three OF four centuries II there are
no more new finds"
when will the coal Oil and natural
gas probably be eXhauSted?"
That is impossible to calculate. We
can approximate the amount Of deposits
of the coal beds very closely, but with
oil and gas 1t 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 exhaustion of supply
in advance. The pressure forcing out
the gas or oil is exactly the same through
out the time it is being worked"
rs the report of the discovery of oil
in the Rockies OlauSiDl6?'
1T is not at all unlikely, as oil has
already been found in that region at
very near the altitude of 1850 feet,
which sthe figure given in describing
the location of the new find. But it is
rather more likely to be met in
rolling country. The formation
of these deposits is very interest
ing. As you know, the rocky strata of
the earth on plains run quite level or
only undulating, while III mountainous
regions they are often found very much
broken up, sometimes the rocks stand
ing on end or heaved up in a broken
mass. Now the condition that best in
vites the gas and oil deposits is very
readily understood. Where the rocky
strata is undulating it forms
great domes. which act as res
ervoirs for gas, which ac-
cumulates there as we'll as oil. The
former, naturally the lighter, is first
found. and then often when that is eX-
hausted the oil below SpOutS I'D. and
below that, heaviest of the three ar
ticles, comes salt water. So that when
an oil well gives up briny fluid, it is
safe to say its wealth has been prac-
tically exhausted, though in some in
stances there is second yield for linn
tied period of OIL"
"What will be done when these de-
posts are exhausted"
'My opinion is that the emergency
will be met by extracting the btumi-
nous 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 incred-
ible amount of this matter there is.
The earth would yield many hun
dred thousand barrels per square mile,
and it is not eXtravagant TO say that
this amount would sum up to mil
lion barrels per square mile for the
United States. At present only very
small portion of it can be extracted
chemically, and l must confess that /
don't see how it can ever be extracted
on commercial basis. But it could in
some way be done when the demand
would warrant it. This, with gas and
future, and probably eventually the
former alone will be the Article of con-
sumption"
Where is the greatest gas region of
the United States now located?"
at is included within 1900 miles in
Indiana. The rocky strata of the earth
form great dome, which not only con-
tains gas, but also has an accumulation
of OIL"
Where will we get our Oil in the
future?"
THAT is difficult to answer, but the
most promising part of the United
States, should say. is found on the
western slope of theAppalachian mount
aims, running from Southern Pennsyl-
vania through West Virginia, Eastern
Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee. into
Southern Alabama. This is very broad
belt, and | think in the future 1t will
yield enormous quantities of petroleum.
There are other isolated areas west of
the Missouri river in the Rocky mount
aims, which promise very well, though
they are much smaller in territory COW