Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1902-12-12
n ELko OIL L
What - California Mining aud Oh Man
Thinks Of Them. and the Develop
ment which Ilns So Fur
Been Made.

Of the famous yellow Aster" gold mine
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
well. on the line between the S. w. Il of
section "a, and the S. +. 4 Of section %,
about two miles from this town.
Mr.. Burcham said: a am conversant
with the California oil fields. and have
made n careful study OF them, and I can
t%ruthiully say, That rs far rs surface
indications go, the showing here in
Elko county, far surpasses anything ]
have seen i'll California, and | firmly
believe you have here one Of the great
'est deposits of paraffine oil that has
been discovercdin the United States.
and from the re4larts OF experts whom
l have had examine the iielG, and es
peciallyI those who were convers.
mt with the Pennsylvania fields, the
showing here is even larger and better
han in that state.
We have here at this point, and extend
ing Tor miles. both North and South. nm
ideal formation, consisting If deposits
Of conglomerate, sandstone. fossil lime.
stone and shale, upon the granite bed
rock Of the country, and from all in
dications. the deposits ARE from 5000 tn
5000 or more feet in thickness upon
this granite.
Lying directly upon the granite. we
find deposits OF a coarse conglonleratc.
and upon that. a very large deposit Of
fossil limestone, containing innumerable
fOssilized specimens OF salt water origin,
such rs 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 II fine
grained sandstone, OF Il thickness mp
parently OF more than 1000 fee, AMI
upon this last deposit, is found the
large beds Of clay shalcs, and strata ni
limestone, containing only fresh water
fossils.
Through these deposits Of clay shalcs
are found strata OF ~ called -Oil
Snales," five feet to Es much us thirty
feet in thickness All OF these strata
have an almost uniform dip to the east,
Of about twenty degrees, and 1t is the
same way with the clay slnles.
These -Oil Shale' strata, crop ont mt
intervals for II distance Of more than
four miles, and wherever they have been
fn,p1 an tl,o a,.fn,. 1h. anI CI,.t.I -,
found to contain Il high percentage 81
parafline oil. ] have numerous anlly.
ses made OF this shale, and it has been
found to contain from 3G"6 tn as high as
52So oil, and this oil when refined has
contained about 1879 Of parafine with.
nut a trace of the asphatum which most
OF the Wyoming oils contain, i'll nddi-
zion to the paraiiine whlcb makes them
such a desirable oil.
The residue from the d~istilntion Of
this Shale consists almost wholly Of
carbon, with only FROM 60 tn SO. Of
lime and silica.
| havo carefully studied those lie
posits Of "Oil shale". and the co Inclusion
have reached, rs well as the opinion
Of scientific men | have consulted about
the .mRtter, is That the deposits we're
formed by the deposition OF vast amount
Of vegetation which were after wards
compressed into their present state. by
Bubmergence, and the deposition upon
them Of the fine silt. etc. which nov
form the beds Of clay slIales found here,
and these vegetable deposits. being
open and porou', and reaching down
to the deposits Of sand hld congIom.
crate below formed, when oil WIS form.
cd from the immense deposits OF ami.
mal lite. which formed the large hcds
OF fossil limestone now found here, the
only avenue through which the oil
could escape to the surface, from this
large reservoir sand and conglomcratc.
everything the fossil lime, and this oil in
escaping to the surface, lost nearly all
OF the lighter grades through voIatili.
2atioD, having behind the pnraIllne
bnsc, md n small amount of the heavier
ollie, which soon filed up the pores Of
the strata, and having hardened. formed
the 90 called oil Rlialcs uf this day. and
this ahale has become 80 compressed
and hnrdened on the surface. that thero
il now ro movement Of the oil through
I, but ! am strongly Of the opinion that
when depth has been reached on this
ehale, to where the internal heat II the
Garth IN suliiaient to warm and soften
this surface hardened pnrallinc md oil.
that q good flow ~ oil will br god even
before tho suud reservoir below has been
reached.
] did think at my iirst visits !.urG that
the oil reservoir below would ncCc sgi.
tate a very deep well to tap il. but s,ncc
studying the formation, through which
the we'll Of the Rocky Mountain Cam
pany Inns pnssrd. and the constantly ~.
ctensng percentage Of oil found in the
oil shnlo strata which they have passed
through, do not believe that this mniir
reservoir lies at n greater depth below
them than 1000 feet at tho uticrmosI,
md AN confident that they will Obtain
"a nr,gInIIu It,v. - III ,, tI... - 4.