Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-02
OIL AT OUR DOORS.
Geologist Beardsley has. Faith in
Allegheny County Grease.
LARGE POOLS TO BE DEVELOPED
Not Much to be Feared From Russian
and Chinese Fields.
ASPHALT OIL FOUND IN THE FAR WEST

There is not a more unassum ing man in
Pittsburg than E. c. Beardsley, the geolo-
gist, who is connected with the firm of J. NJ.
Guffy & Co., and yet there are few men in
the city who have more of the practical and
book knowledge of the worlds formation
than he. Mr.. Beardsley believes in the
evolution theory. if the advocates of that
doctrine will allow him to introduce a
higher power when species are to be changed
and developed.
Mr.. Beardsley has great faith in the oil
producing capacity of Allegheny county,
and he thinks some day this territory will
become quite factor in the oil business.
In speaking along this line yesterday Mr..
Beardsley said:
NOT NoUGH OIL PRODUCED.
''The pro duction of oil these days is not
equal to the worlds consumption. The
stocks are constantly being reduced, and
there is a strong demand for fresh oil.
After the fluid stands for while it loses a
certain percentage of kerosene, and some of
the gases escape. 1t is impossible
to confne them. Within the past
week great activity has been displayed
in the Westvie9 field, out the Perrysville
road. I don't know how many rigs have
been erected, but the number is large, and
the wells will SO, be commenced.
"Oil is not new thing in Allegheny
county, though the development has been
recent. They have been getting oil in small
quantities in the Brush Creek territory for
some time, but gushers were unknown. This
is large county, and I believe its oil re-
sources are great 1t must lie somewhere
between Butler and Washington along GER
tain geological lines. Wherever wells have
been sunk close to this line some oil has
been found.
IF THEY COULD BE FOUND.
II am convinced there are large pools in
the county, if one could only find them,
and some of these days a fortunate man will
reach them. 1 still hold that the big gush-
ers are not thing of the past, but they are
harder to locate than formerly
Concerning the oil deposits of the world
generally, it must be admitted there are
heavy quantities in Russia, enough,
indeed, to supply the European markets
if they only had a few Yankees
with their improved appliances to
form OF government, however, and the un-
certainty of property and political rights,
no sane man will invest in the Russian oil
fields. AS for the Chinese, they claim they
have plenty OF oil, but they work it in
ludicrous manner.
DRAWN UP IN BUCKETS.
"From a magazine article l read some
time ago gathered that they dig we'll and
draw the oil out by the bucketful. They
take rope and round stock, not even a
pulley, and lower man with pail into the
we'll. When he has scooped up the oil the
fellows holding the rope commence
to run, and he is drawn up.
What they need is Yankee ideas; in fact if
both Russia and China were properly
handled they might become serious factors in
the production of oil. As it is, we haven't
much to fear from them.
''The oil business appears to have gotten
down to what we mig ghs call hard-pan in
this country. There is not now the
enormous production of former years, and
the roads were not so bad there would be
considerable activity in this county, and
even with the mud knee-deep operations
have not been entirely suspended.
PLENTY OF IT OUT WEST.
"Do you know there is plenty OF oil in the
Far West; particularly in Wyoming, Utah
and Colorado, but it belongs to later for
nation, aud is what we designate asphalt
Oii. WulAC thS is Lu6
paraffine variety and the best. Even now a
firm in Colorado is producing from !, 200 to
1, 800 barrels per day for the fun of the
thing, for they sell it at such low prices that
there Is no profit il tine business. 1 have
seen lots of oil flowing out of springs in
Wyoming Territory, and 1 was favorably
impressed with the country. It wouldn't
pay to develop the territory at present, be-
cause, located as it is between the two
oceans, the freight would eat up all the re-
wards of labor. Certainly the day will
come when these fields will be operated.
SIMPLY DRIED-UP OIL.
''The massive bitumen deposits in that
section are nothing but dried-up oil. There
is enough asphalt in the West to pave every
street in the United States. These asphalt
deposits have not been worked by capitalists
to any great extent but as the
country progresses they will be
used. Not far from Salt Lake City there is
an enormous outlay of asphalt, and gentle
man told me that he had estimated there
were 700, 900 tons in sight
There is plenty of coal, also, in these
sections. The veins are from 40 to 20 feet in
thickness There is one vein being operated
on the Colorado river that is 40 feet through.
The coal is what we call Ignite. 1t was
formed in the later rock periods, and if it
had laid long enough would now be good
anthracite coal. Its texture is woody, and
it can be lighted with match, but for all
that it makes a Drettv fair fuel -