The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1902-11-27

For years back, oil in small quantities
has been found in Ford county. at
times where ordinary wells have been
sunk the water when found has been
spoiled by oil. Shale which has been
tested at different times has been found
to be saturated with oil so that it would
burn. The State Geologist of Kansas
and other authorities have given their
assurance that the country from Dodge
City northward is undoubtedly rich oil
field. According to the Geological his
tory of Kansas this field should be found
underIaid with the heaviest oil produc-
ing deposits existing in this country.
The belief in this is so firm that not less
than SO. 900 will in all probability be
expended in prospecting in this field dur
ing the coming year. The matter is now
in the hands of a committee of which
Mr.. A. B. Reeves of this city is chair
man, and the progress of the movement
will be watched with interest, not only
by the people of Ford county, but of the
entire state.
1t was stated in the GLOBE -REPUBLI-
CAN two weeks ago that at later date
more of the information gathered by MIR.
Reeves regarding the prospects for oil
and gas here would be given. Begin
ming upon his Investigation Mr.. Reeves
took into cons liberation
HOW OIL IS FORMED.
Modern geologists, perhaps all, agree
that oil is produced by the distillation of
veget table matter, and perhaps of some
animal matter, contained in shale, the
oil sinking from the shaIe into a sand
stone, in Indiana into a lime stone,
which acts as reservoir to hold it.
Shalc originally sea mud made up
of extremely fine particles of inorganic
matter and vegetation. The waves de-
posted it in layers and it has undergone
many changes. Some shale contained a
great deal more OF vegetation than other
shale contained. 1t would seem that
other things being equal, shale which
contained the most vegetable matter
would distin the greatest quantity of OIL
That the vegetation in this district was
extremely rank during the period when
the shale formed is found to be a
we'll established scientific fact The fact
is conclusively proved by the fossil beds
existing in certain parts of the field-the
largest fossil beds in the whole world.
Regarding this statement Mr.. Reeves re-
fers well known authority to ''WOos-
ter's Geological Story of Kansas Some
of these animals consisted of such speci-
mems the dinosauria, mosasaurus and
other animals resembling lizards, and
thirty and forty feet long, such as could
live only in very warm marshy country
having very rank tropical vegetation. n.
That this sort of vegetation existed is
proved not only by these animals but by
the fossil leaves of trees and other flora
showing gigantic size. The fact that
there is still enough oil in the shale that
has not gone down, to burn is further
evidence that the shale was rich in vege-
table matter. Hence iU would seem to
follow that the age when the shale was
deposited having been one of luxurious
vegetation and the district being one in
which vegetation had the rankest growth,
the shale ought to have contained eX-
traordinary amount of vegetable matter,
and ought to have distilled abundant
quantities of oil, provided the thickness