The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-10-08
fabulous
Wealth Remains Un-
developed in Rich
Indian Territory

Ardmore, !. T., Oct. 7.--If the sur
face dirt could be scooped of Indian
territory down to bedrock the propos
ed investigation of the Dawes commits |
sion and the struggle to control the
agricultural lands would be forgotten
in the excitement that would follow.
Indian territory is so surprisingly rich
in mineral deposit. That prospectors
declare that even the mining experts
who have examined the surface in
dicatons have only a feeble idea Of
what lies below Each nation has
mineral wealth peculiar to itself The
Cherokee country is most resourceful
in oil natural gas and zinc; the Creek
! noil, gas and coal; the Choctaw in
coal, asphalt and pine timber, while
the Chickasaw country seems to be
the .y1.er of an upheaval that pro
duced oil, coal, copper, manganese,
iron, asphalt, gilsonite, red and yellow
ochre, granite and, possibly, quick
silver It is the mineral bargain
counter Of Indian territory The ex-I
tent of the different deposits is not
fully known, and persons with definite
information are concealing it as care
fully as possible, They hope to lease
the land and, in five or six years. buy
il from the citizen who took it as his
allotment Publicity would invite too
much competition. Capitalists in the
east have high salaried experts in the
field examining the country, foot by
foot and have had them at work at
intervals for the last three or four
years. Persons who get in on the
ground floor will make fortunes.
In the chckasaw Nation.
The best asphalt deposits in Indian
territory are in the Chickasaw ma
tioa An expert from Columbus, o,
who examined the field several weeks
ago said that no better asphalt could
be obtained. His company had taken
specimens to eastern chemists for
analysis. Mining in the Chickasaw
country is confined at this time most
ly TO asphalt, which is taken from
leases controlled by foreign syndi
Gates The principal mines are at Ra-
via, Dougherty and Loco 1T Rayla,
in the eastern and rougher portion OF
the nation, asphalt is found in two
forms, one being crude asphalt that
has oozed from the depths of the earth
Z s-a mixed with sand; the other be-
ing in a limestone formation The
frst is about so per cent and the sec
ond about 12 per cent pure. Further
west, where the land is near level the
sand asphalt is in greatest abundance
Many towns in the Chickasaw ma
ton are building sidewalks Of native
asphalt at about the same cost as
granitoid When properly built the
walks grow harder and frmer with
time and practically imperishable
Sidewalks in use at Ravia for three
years are better now than when laid
The work is done by local contractors
IN primitive way The crude asphalt
is hauled from the mine and dumped
into the street. The sand asphalt is
black. gummy ard greasy. Persons
unfamiliar with crude asphalt would
never suspect its presence in the
limestone formation. which IS a dirty,
blush gray in color A contractor at
Tishomingo heated his limestone as
phalt in a big iron kettle till the stone
grew soft enough to pulYerize easily
when pounded with maui. Fire was
built under a long V-shaped trough of
sheet iron in which the two kinds of
asphalt were mixed in the right pro
portion and turned and heated till
the mixture became friable enough to
be screened. The screened asphalt
resembles extremely coarse brown
sugar. moist and smoking hot This
is placed on the sidewalk and tamped
armly and evenly. A thin coating OF
more hnely screened asphalt is then
applied and the surface smoolhec duu
polished with hot shoyellike irons
In twentyfour hours the sidewalk is
firm enough for use.
Asphalt in Layers.
one Of the most productive asphalt
plants Is at Loco, about fifteen miles
from Comanche Il rs owned and op
Grated by the Tar Springs Asphal
company, financed by Oklahoma an'
Eastern capitalists. who control
large mineral lease The plant wa