Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1901-08-02
Ahuu, IN. orIrIn Of OH.

structor OF Geology al washington
University. has the following to say
about the origin OF petroleum:
Petroleum ia one OF the results Of
a great catastrophe. Scientists agree
that in some period in the worlds
history there was an Ipheaval Of
some kind which completely changed
the character OF the earth's surface.
As a legacy to the world. Death left
petroleum. Geology teaches US that
animal ard vegetable life were ruth
lessly destroyed III this great cata.
clysm. Countless millions OF fishes
were carried on the crest of the Hood.
Then the waters subsidized and the
fish we're left flounderinR in the mud.
They could not release themselves.
They sank deeper and deeper in the
thick deposit which closed over them
and hardened rapidly. The fate Of
animal and vegetable life on land was
the same.
The clay gradually hardened into
rock, which inclosed these animal aud
vegetable forms, and held them firm.
ly imbedded. In some places this
hardening process WAS so rapid that
air was completely excluded from the
buried forms before the decompOsi-
ton set in. The animals. fishes and
plants remained i'll their rocky depos-
tories in a state Of perfect preserva.
ton for centuries. But improve.
ments made by man or natural shift
ing OF the strata gradually caused
conditions which admitted air to the
imprisoned fossils. Disinteg ration
ensued. The result was petroleum.
1T is probable that this decaying
matter which has been en- cased i'll
rock for millions OF years does not al
ways result i'll the formation Of Pc
troleum. The presence OF other
chemical elements are necessary to
this, but What they are is one OF the
mysteries Of science. All that chem.
lists know is that petroleum is Il mix
turc Of carbon and hydrogen. But
they do not know the proportion III
which these elements are combined
to make it. Attempts to analyzc it
have always failed. and no means Of
manufacturing it aztIficially has ever
been devised. Petroleum is not
formed exclusively IN any particular
stratum OF the carth's crust. On the
western boundary Of Wyoming there
ID a ledge OF rock Of the tertian
period. II You scrape Il piece OF tins
rock you will find that it smells
strongly Of petroleum. Borlngs
have been made out the re-, and
enough oil is being taken out to sup
ply the demands Of Wyoming aud
Idaho. The tertian ape was the one
immediately preceding the present
period Of the worlds life. This
shows that the oil OF Wyoming is OF
comparatively recent origin.
The oil OF Pennsylvania IL found
III strata Of the devnnian period.
This WAS u part OF the p]Ilc0ZJoIc age.
the earliest OF winch geulosians have
am record. This shows that the oil
in Pennsylvania was formed millions
OF years before that of WyominR
1T has not yet been determined in
what stratum the oil recently dis,
covered in Texas originated. II may
be found that it is neither irassiC
nor deyonian. These great differ,
ences in the time at which oil origin,
ates at various places shows that
there Is NJ set rule by which ge"log.
lists can govern themselves in AN at
tempt to determine whether or not q
certain locality is oil bearing. It il
certainly not found in the tertian oI
devonian strata everywhere. Rocks
of these periods found IN Southwest
Missouri, for instance. show no trace
Of petroleum.
The decomposition OF animal and
vegetable matter is found TO have
taken place just rs in Wyoming nnt
Pennsylvania, but there was an ab
sence Of those unknown chemical ele
menis which were necessary to pro
duce oil in this process. From this il
follows that there are no surface in
! dicatione which will point infallibly
to the presence Of petroleum.. BOr
ing alone will settle the question
Even boring il not always satisfac.
tory. The drill might 90 straight to
} the source Of n petroleum supply
without showing Il satisfactory re.
suit