Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-05
Ogden Company Said to be NcgO-
tiating With a Strong Syndi-
cate OF Eastern Men.
OPINIONS FROM DON MAGUIRE.
Favorable Section for the Production
Of Oil aud Asphaltum-Field is
Well Defined,

IL was stated today that there Is a
possibility of deal being contaminated
whereby strong eastern syndicate
will become identified with the Great
Salt Lake & Promontory Oh & AS
phatum company which is drilling for
oil on Promontory Point on the north
end of the lake In Boxelder county. A
proposition was made to the directors
of the company several weeks ago.
They held a conference and decided to
hold out for more money and gave
answer to that effect. The fasteners
then dropped the matter, declaring
the ogden company was inclined 10 be
a little too stiff in the ma tier of price.
A local oil man said this forenoon that
he was in possession of information
which inclined him to the belief that
negotiations have not entirely ceased,
In the event the deal Is closed some
big machinery will be placed on the
ground and operations carried on on an
extensive scale,
A committee of Salt Lakeites recently
visited the well and brought home some
Of the product coming out of an old
two-inch pipe sunk into the ground 10
a depth of sixty feet several years ago.
Each member OF the party was favor
ably impressed with the country but
were a unit in expressing the opinion
that before the property could be made
payer II would be necessary to at
tain considerable depth and that any
where from $4,000 TO $4,000 would have
TO be spent before the company can eX-
10, Ia
Don Mcguire, the ogden mineraloglst.
visited the Promontory field late last
fall while engaged in collecting the
mineral exhibit for the st. Louis
worlds fair and came away salts
fed that this part of the state has a
great future. In writing of his OBJ
servations there he said
II found there one of the most ia
vorable situations possible for the pro-
duction Of both oil and asphaltum. The
anticllne Of a very strong measure OF
sandstone and also one of limestone
shows an outcrop underlying the ba-
saltic formation, and upon reaching the
water edge | counted a large number
of islets from the center of which as
phaltum Is issuing forth In consider
able quantities, and from the very mar
row funnel that serves as a vent we
find coming forth stall quantities Of
volatile oil.
"Tha scene az one stands on the north
shores of the Great Salt Lake Is most
interesting NJ this time. A hundred
small islands raising therein comes
from tho SHALLOW water show the points
from which the asphaltum comes forth,
and these small cones extend down
along the west shore Of the Promontory
60, oil t.p mil and "a distance
Of two miles from the lake shore in
deep water The asphaltum field Is
well define,
"The liuud asphaltum which Issues
forth Is Identical with that now mined
along the seashore at Santa Barbara
and at San Buena Ventura in Cali
fornia. Years ago. before the develop
ment OF the Santa Cruz and Santa Bar
bara asphaltum regions, ] visited the
Outcrop at those points, and the con-
ditions that then prevailedfhere, now
prevail here at the north end Of Great
Salt Lake.
Here asphaltum Is in evidence over
a large area and Il seems marvellous
that up to date so little has been known
relative TO the discovery. That the
locality is destined to become the CEN
ter Of an extensive asphaltum mining
industry l have no doubt, and that the
persons now in control will make money
here seems certain. The country for
miles back from the lake shore has al
ready been staked out and also far into
the lake. However, very little work
has been done up to date outside Of
the mere act Of location.
II look upon this discovery OF as
phalt, N In Great Salt Lake as one Of
the greatest and most interesting eyer
made in Utah, proving as II does, be-
yond question, that the Great Basin is
the receptacle of wealth equal to that
found in Texas Trinidad and the coast
OF southern California.
inspecting the discovery Of a genuine
and extensive asphaltum field as above
described, we managed to remove a
very good exhibit for the ST, Louis
exposition from the asphaltum outflow
as 1t now shows along the lake. and
also from a few of the small islands
far out in the water