Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1902-12-05
n ELko OIL FIELDS.
what = California Mining and On Man
Thinks of Them. and the Develop
msnt which Has So Far
ISeen Made.

OF tue famous leuOW Asttr SOIu ulue
OF Randsburg. California, who has been
here for the past few days looking into
the operations and prospects Of the
Rocky Mountain Oil Il Development
Co. who have been engaged for the past
few months in putting down an oil
we'll. on the liue between the $. w. Il OF
section "a. and the 5. +. a Of section 81,
about two miles from thus town.
Mr. Burcham said: Il am conversant
with the California oil fields, and nave
made a careful study OF them, and l can
t%ruthiully say, that as far rs surface
indications go, the showing here in
Elko county, far surpasses anything |
have seen in California. and | firmly
believe you have here one OF the great
eat deposits OF parafine oil that has
been discovered in the United States,
and from the reports of experts whom
l have had examine the iielG, and rs.
peciallyI those vino were convers-
ant with the Pennsylvania fields, the
showing here is even larger and better
than in that state.
We have here at this point. and extend
ing Tor milee, both North and South, an
ideal formation, consisting Of deposits
OF conglomeratc, sandstone. fossil lime
stone and shale, upon the granite bed
o Of the country. and from all in
dicatiops. the deposits are from 5000 to
5000 or more feet in thickness upon
this granite.
Lying directly upon the granite. we
lind deposits OF a coarse c~Onglomerate.
and upon that, a very large deposit OF
fossil limestone, containing iDnumerable
fossiliZed specimens Of salt water origin,
such as coral, etc. showing that at some
remote period this entire country had
been covered with water. On top OF
this limestone, is found another deposit
OF pebbly conglomeratc, and a tine
grained sandstone. Of Il thickness ap-
parently OF more han 1000 fee, anil
upon this last deposit, is found the
large beds OF clay shales, and strata OF
limestone. containing only fresh water
fossils.
Through these deposits Of clay shales
are found strata OF 80 called -Oil
Snales," five feet la ss much rs thirty
feet i'll thickness Al Of these strata
have an almost unitor III dip to the east,
Of about twenty degrees, and it is the
same way with the clay shales.
These OIL hale' strata. crop out at
intervals for Il distance Of more than
fOu miles, and wherever they nave been
found ON the surface. the -Oil Shalc' 10
found to contain q high percentage Of
parnfline oil. ] have numerous analy.
ses made OF this shale, and it has been
found to contain from :IC"o to as high as
500 oil, and thiso oil when refined has
contained about 40so Of pardtiine with
? out d trace OF the asplIatunI which most
OF the Wyoming oils contain, in addi-
uon To the pardtline winch makes them
such II desirable oil.
The residue from the diatilation Of
this SlIale consists almost wholly Of
carbon, with only from 80, la So. OF
lime and silica.
have carefully stuffed the &c de.
posits oi "oil %slale". and the 90 Inclusion
! have reached, as we'll Ms the opinion
"f scientific men ] have consulted about
the..matter, il that the deposits were
formed by the deposition OF vast amount
81 vegetation which were after wards
compressed into their present state, BY
submergcnce. md the deposition upon
them OF the fine silt. etc. which nov
form the beds Of clay shales found here.
and these vegetable deposits. beng
open and porous, and reaching down
to the deposits Of sand hld conglom.
crate below formed. when oil was for M
ell from the immense deposits OF AMI.
maj lite, which formed the large beds
of fossil limestone now found here, the
only avenue through which the oil
could escape tn the surf Zee. from this
large reservoir sand AMI conglomeratc,
everything the fossil lime. and this oil in
escaping to the surface. lost nearly all
OF the lighter grades through vOlatili.
zation, Having behind the paraiiiuc
base, and q small amount 81 the heavier
oils, which soon filled up the pores Of
tho strata, aud having hardened. for med
the so called oil shuirs ~ this day. and
this shalc has become 80 compressed
md hardened Oh tho surface, that there
IL now no movement Of the oil through
1t, but ] am strongly 81 the opinion that
when depth has been reached on this
shale, to where the internal heat uf the
Garth is suili3iont Ia warm and soften
this surface hardened parafliuc and uil.
that Il good flow ~ oil will he gcd even
before tho sand reservoir below has been
reached.
did think nj my first vista here TINT
the oil reservoir below would q ssi.
tnte a very deep we'll to tap it.. hut since
studying the formation, through which
the we'll Of the Rocky Mountain Com
paDy has passed, and tho constantly III.
ctcaa'ER pcrcc".a8J ~ oil touud IN the
oil shale strata which they have passed
through, ! do not believe That this mniu
reservoir lies at u greater depth below
them than 1000 feet ut the u%ttcrmoa,.
aud ] am confident that they will Obtain
Il profitable flow II oil III their we'll be-.