The Florence daily tribune., 1901-05-20
FAKE EXPERT.

terview with one G. H McVay,
who claims to be an oil expert.
He refers to the "black oil" of the
Florence fields. and unblushingly
tells the people that the Florence
oil has an asphaltum base, He
says he expects to get green oil"
at Pueblo, worth several times as
much as the Florence oil.
Now the statements made by
Mr.. McVay regarding the grade of
the Florence oil shows a remark
able lack of knowledge of the sub
ject upon which he essays to speak.
The Florence oil is not black
oil" but it is fine green oil, and
is easily and cheaply reduced to
marketable state. Also instead of
having an ''asphaltum base there
is an entire absence of asphaltum,
and the base of the oil is parafne,
The value of crude petroleum con
sists not alone of high specific
gravity, but in being composed of
elements which are easily and
cheaply prepared for domestic use.
There are few places in the
United States where the crude oil
contains higher per centage of
illuminant, but in many of these
cases. the presence of sulphur,
asphaltum or some other material
SO increases the cost of refining the
raw product that there is no in
crease in profit. We think that
the Pueblo oil prospectors will do
very we'll if they find oil equal in
quality to the Florence product.
Mr.. McVay tells his people some
thing of the formation" between
here and Pueblo, and in this again
he shows that he is simpl y making
a bluff He anticipates striking
oil in Boggs' Flats at about 1900
or l4OO feet in the "Kane" sand.
We hope this expert will get all
kinds of oil in this red sand, but
investigation shows that he will
have to go at least two miles deep
to reach what he is pleased to call
the "kane" sand, by which he
probably means the jurassic forma-
tion.
But in this matter we wouldn't
pose as authority, so we asked Mr..
Aman Meore few questions. Mr..
Moore is probably the best author
ity on the geology of the Arkansas
valley, in the state. Following
are the statements which our inter-
negatives elected:
The Florence oil horizon is in
the Colorado cretacious shale,
which Immediately underlie the
Laramie cretacious sandstones
bearing the coal vein of the Rocky
Mountain region These shales
are about 5000 feet thick and the
oil horizon is found at depth of
1000 to $500 feet underlying the
Laramie cretacious sandstone or
near the middle of the Colorado
oretacious shales. Underlying the
Colorado cretacious shales will be
found the Niobrara group of the
cretacious formation which con-
sists of limestone shales everything
a stratum of limestone formation
which is about 100 feet in thick
ness. Underneath this limestone
is thin stratum of cream col
ored sandstone varying in depth
from few inches to fifteen or
twenty feet as exposed between
Florence and Pueblo. After this
sandstone comes the Benton shales
which are black and thinly lami-
mated, and in the center of which
will be found. alternately, layers
of limestone and shale for depth
of about fifty feet and then the
shales continue unbroken until the
Dakota sandstone is reached. The
Dakotas are about 800 feet in
thickness consisting of hard and
granular sandstone unbroken for
the entire depth of 800 feet except
by veins of freclay found near the
confer. Underlying the Dakotas
is the Jursssic period which con-
sists Of sandstone. red clay, thin