The Iola register., 1901-12-13
REPORT ON OIL and GAS
L. s. Geological Survey Makes Of
fetal Report Gets First
Place.

fields of the vest heretofore given
little or no attention in the govern.
ment reports. OF coure the story
could not be told without including
lola and Allen county, particularly
when it was an Allen county boy WELD
ing the pen. The report is eXhaus-
tive, and is full of mighty interesting
facts.
The gas, oil and coal beds of south
eastern Kansas are all deposits of an
cient days when the Mississippi valley
was under water. The bottom Of that
inland sea was the Mississippi lime
stone, which comes TO the surface of
the earth in eastern Missouri. Upon
this bed of solid rock which is between
300 and 400 feet thick, deposits of sand
and mud and vegetation we're made.
The limestone dips away from the
present surface of the earth, getting
deeper as you go west. Parallel with
the Mississippi limestoneXand above
it are layers of sand and shale and
| limestone. The heat of the earth and
the pressure from above transformed
the vegetable matter thus buriedl into
gas and oil and coal. One of the
heaviest streaks of limestone between
the Mississippi limestone and the
earth's surface is known as the Ft.
Scott, dipping to the west. Beneath
this stone most of the gas is found.
| The same stone outcrops at Oswego
and is traced down into the Territory.
The gas and oil close to the ledge of
this formation escaped into the air.
Further west it was held in the sand
rock or Cherokee shales. which are 450
feet thick and lie between the two
heavy tlimestones, by the Ft. Scott
limestone above and the solid shales
at the sides. Below some Of the thin
ner layers of lime stone small quanti-
ties of gas are found Halso, being what
is known as surface gas" in this
field.
! AS general rule these strata are
parallel, but Prof. Edward Orten,
State Geologist of Indiana, who Wis
tied this field, advanced the theory
that there was a double slope east and
west from lola. This Mr.. Adams says
may not be true, although il has not
been definitely ascertained. He thinks
a fold in the strata might produce a
sort of pocket. The outcropping of
the FIT. Scott limestone at TT. Scott
seems to discredit the belief of that
town that gas can be found there.
Had the Ft. Scott people been on
hand when the waters receded they
probably could have found plenty OF
gas.
The report devotes page to the
Iola-LaHarpe field, rating it as the
most important in this whole section
The factories here are mentioned, the
depth of the wells given at about 800
feet, and the flow of the best ones esti-
mated at 100000 cubic feet daily.
The extension of the field is predicted
as the demand increases.
Chanute is credited with gas wells
flowing four million cubic feet and oil
wells averaging seven barrels a day.
Independence is rated at about the
same. Cherryvale is given Il six mil
lion we'll, Humboldt, Coffeyvale,
Neodesha and all the other towns are
given a paragraph and rated but
none of them so high as lola.
AS a general thing, the report says,
the best oil wells have been found TO
the west of the gas wells, and some
times lower down. SO perhaps field
of oil may be developed west of town,
as would seem To- be indicated by the
Humboldt oil and the small finds made
in the wells just west of the Neoshc
river.
Mr.. Adams has been an expert geol-
, ogist for years and is in the employ
OF the United States government and
his findings cannot but prove OF inter
est and be accepted as authority by
those seeking knowledge of the Kan
sas oil and gas field. And incident
ally it ought TO call favorable motto,
to lola. her past, present. and future
and help along the good cause.
The report does not cOnfine itself tC
lola. but includes the oil and ga
D fields of the entire middle-west, incmd
. ing Kansas, Oklahoma ard Texas
, Copies may he obtained at thirty cent
, each from the United States Geologi
q cal Survey, Department of the Inter
p ior Washington, ID. G.
t Had Good Time
! a. j. Smell wanted To attend a part,
y but was afraid to do so on account O
pains in his stomach, which he feare'
would grow worse. He says; "a wa
elling my troubles to lady friend
who said. Chamberlain collie
-, Cholera and Diarrhoea remedy vii
:, put you in condition for the party.