Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-13
OIL STRIKE N IOWA
Evidence That the Find at Fred.
rika is Genuine is lncreas.
ing Daily.
Twenty Barrels Of the Product
Have Been Already Taken
From Wells.
Assistant Geologist Leonard Dis
cusses the Find-Fears
Quantity is Small.
Special to Times Republican.

/ Special to Times Republican.
Tripoli. March 15.-Once more Oil has
been struck in Iowa. For some time
past the little village of Frederika, five
miles north of here. has been in fever
of excitement over the finding of oil of
a very high grade in wells that We're
being sunk for water. When depth of
about thirty feet had been reached the
| oil appeared in considerable quantities.
Between fifteen and twenty barrels of
| it have been saved. The find is believed
to be genuine, and several companies,
having secured options on land in the
vicinity, are putting down prospect
holes.
| Des Moines. March 13.-When ques-
| toned as to the correctness of the news
contained in the above item, Assistant
State Geologist A. G. Leonard stated
yesterday afternoon that oil had I'M
doubtedly been found in wells near
Frederika, and that as far as is known
! 1t could not have come from any source
except the earth beneath. Il am still
1
| in natural oil of such purity is almost
unprecedented. 1t is said to be per
cent pure kerosene and in appearance
and odor can not be distinguished from
high grade Illuminating oil. 1t is, in
fact than any oil sold in the
stores a2'rederika. Some have adj
vanced the theory that it is filtered and
purified in passing thru the rocks. but
do not see how this can be possible
without the action of heat Neverthe-
less, if the ground has been sailed 1t
has been sailed on a grand scale, and
| it is hardly likely that pure kerosene
would be used. The kerosene tanks in
the village have not been known to
leak, save one which was in grocery
store. and that can not account for the
large quantities discovered. The peo-
pie of Frederick are not especially
wrought up over the find, but they have
great faith in it and are convinced to
man that it is genuine. This seems to
be the case with every one who goes
there.
"rhe strongest testimony is that of
an old Pennsylvania oil man of great
experience. He spent week in look
ing the ground over and went away
firmly believing that the discovery is
not fake. For many years oil has
been reported in that part of Bremen
county, but it was not until last sum
mer that it attracted other than local
attention. The glacial drift in the vi
cinity is only about eleven feet in thick
ness and at a depth of between twenty
five and thirty-five feet they strike
a anti u
oil seems to come in. 1t is, of course
possible that the sandstone beneath the
lime is slightly oil-bearing, but even If
that We're the case there would not be
much chance for a large deposit. Ger
tain rocks in Iowa, as for example the
Trenton limestone and some bitumin-
Gus shales, do undoubtedly contain q
small quantity of oil, which seeps to the
surface where they outcrop. but the
probability of finding 1T In paying
amounts is small. The fact that many
wells have been sunk to great depth
for water without striking Oil, is only
negative testimony, but it carries a |
good deal OF weight. Some years ago 1t
was believed that reservoirs OF oil only
existed where there was strong folding
of the strata. This theory was exploded
by the Beaumont discoveries, where
the rocks have mild Dip as they have
in Iowa, and where there appears to be
a lense-shaped mass of sandstone of
small area, surrounded on all sides by
impervious shales, which has acted as
a reservoir. The same condition pre-
walls in the Kansas Oil fields and may,
of course, be disclosed here. sin
cerely hope that the ground at Fred
erika will be thoroughly prospected. 1t
is a strange case"