The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-28
OIL FIELDS.
A. Shipley Says There is a Big Sectit
That Will

A. Shipley Says There is a Big Section
That Will Produce.
Alph Shipley came in last night from the
new oil fields north of Flsthead lake and
brought with him a large bottle OF oil
says the Missoula Gazette. 1t burns
readily and has the proper smell, and having
been got right out of the ground
by Mr.. Shipley himself is proof sufficient
that the oil is actually there. Indications
as to tho extent of tho fields and the uuan-
tity OF the oil are also quite hatterIng. All
the conditions exist favorable to q large
supply. as known by past experience
in other known and developed oil fields
throughout the world. Thu extent of the
fields is considered by Mr.. Shipley. who has
been up there for a long time, to be not
less than fifty miles along the north fork
of the Flathead river and at least twenty
miles wide. Natural oil ia the product of
the sandstone of the coal measures, or at
least it only occurs where this sandstone is
found and to all appearances seems to flow
from it. The presence of oil 10 indicated by
its oozing up through the gravel everything
the bed rock. This gravel it saturates and
the hurried traveller passing through
the country might see it time after
time and always mistake it for water unless
the odor happened to be sufficient to at
tract his attention. Upon Investigation
tins oil which has saturated the gravel
proves to have come from a bedrock of
sandstone, and in Pennsylvania the stone
ID bored to Il depth of sometimes as much
MS LOU feet before tho oil begins to flow.
The Oil brought down by Mr.. hipIey ves-
terday was found in the bed of Il stream
which was nearly dry. Mr.. SLiplev noticed
that the gravel Ill the bed IF the stream
seemed saturated with moisture, and az he
was looking for OIL he decided to investi.
gate. He found the moist gravel smelled
strongly of coal OIL. and he dug n hoIe in
the gravel which filled up with water, but
on the surface of the water tloated (
quantity of oil. He scoopnd this OFF with ,
spoon. and succeeded in getting Il bottle OF
large size quite full. He also found in sev.
erel places the sandstone bedrock, anc
there can be 40 doubt. from the oil satur
ated gravel found in verious parts of tn,
fields, that the sandstone lies nearer the
surface than III the Pennsylvania fields
John 9. Leonard, an oil expert, says an
other favorable indication is that j,
these fields the sandstone strata dips into
@he mountain instead of out of it, and it il
nnder such conditions that the purest OF
aud strongest flow is found. Mr.. SIMPLE
has been investigating the fields in partner
ship with DIR. Parsons, of this city. an
has located something like 1900 acres O.
this side of the British line.
The credit of the discovery of these field
probably belongs to Fred Bowman, VIII
went in there early last spring in the inter
ssts Of . company composed of himself. W
r, Ramsdeli, Albert A. Evans, John {
LEONARD, Isnos G. Pollard, John G. Lew
and James Literal. This company la
made several locations and has also four
Q gas we'll which NJ. Shipley has seen an
which he knows is there because he lit tn
gas. But little prospecting and lie
cntiBg has been done, howeve
and the extent Of the field
gives promise OF . genuine boom for tt