The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-26
KANSAS NEWS.
Prof. E. HaWorth Explains
Where the OIL Lies.
Says the Belt Passes lola East
to Kansas City.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
Valuable Facts in Regard to
Sinking of Wells.
As Great a Profit Derived from
Gas as from Oil.

- tOlilplel1IS some manuscript LOT the
United States geological survey
descriptive of certain parts of Kansas
and especially the oil and gas region.
The manuscript is accompanied by
numerous maps illustrating the geo
logical conditions. What is known as
the lola quadrangle is discussed more
fully III DR.. Haworth's report than any
other section. The United States geo
logical survey. is making a map to
cover the entire area of the United
states. The unit of size is one-half
| OF degree of longitude to one-half q
degree of latitude. The maps are is
sued ordinarily on the scale of half an
1 inch TO the mile. It requires much
time and hard work to make com
plete map of one of these quadrangles.
A party of surveyors is first sent out
to make complete typographical sur
vey- With their typographical map,
the geo1ogist next visits the area in
question and writes his report. The
work of making a complete map and
report of the lola quadrangle began in
June, 1902. The typographical work
was done that summer and the geolOg-
| zeal work was in the summer of 1903
DIR. Haworth has practically completed
the report, and it will be sent out for
free distribution by the government in
about three months. DR.. George Ad-
ans, a graduate of the University of
Kansas, and DIR. Crane were associated
with DR.. HawOrth in the work. The
! government issues these reports at
large expense for the general good of
the public.
The report contains complete dis
cussion of the lola quadrangle in par
ticular. The general geology of the
area is described and all of the gas
wells and many of the oil wells were
measured. The economic geology of
the area and the production of oil and
gas, and the use to which they are put
are discussed. There is a general dis
cuSsion of the stratigraphy, with a
special reference to its relations to
surrounding territory and complete
surface mapping. The pressure of oil
and gas wells, the relation between
pressure and depth, capacity of wells.
locations of oil and gas sand, mode of
occurrence, productive and dry areas
and the results of gas and oil relative
to the great industries that have
! sprung up since their discovery are
thoroughly treated in turn. In speak
ing of the report and the geology of
the lola quadrangle, DR.. Haworth
said:
/ ''The area included in the lola quad
rangle is without doubt the most pro-
ductive area of equal size in the state,
so far as developments have shown. II
includes all the gas of the lola pool
and the oil and gas of Humboldt, Cha
mute, Erie and adjacent places Pro-
badly as great a profit is derived from
gas as from oil. We have enormous
zinc meters which smelt three-f1fths
of all of the metallic zinc in America,
II the largest Portland cement factory in
the west. which has been running
many years, and a second one now in
operation. There are numerous brick
factories in lola, Humboldt, Chanute
and many other lesser concerns which
in the aggregate bring millions of dol
lars into this part Of the state annual
ly. The gas fields were developed
earlier than the oil fields, particularly
in lola. 1t has been eight or ten years
since it was known that lola had such
large quantities of gas, but the oil de-
velopment is recent. Two years age
you could count on your fingers all ol
the drilling rigs that were in opera
ton; now we have 1000 wells within
the lola quadrangle alone and are
drilling new ones at the rate of more
than so a month
The geological formations and condi-
lions along the eastern part OF the
state are practically the same from
Kansas City to below the south border
of the lola quadrangle, and why gas
4 and oil have been so abundantly fOunc
around lola and not around Kansas
City, where the geological conditions
are the same, is a question that DR.
HaWOrth SAYS is hard to answer. The
oil and gas are found in what is known
as the oil or gas sands. According te
DR.. Haworth about nineteen-twenti-
| eths of the gas and oil so far founc
comes from in what is known as the
Cherokee shales. In Chanute, the Cher
Okee shaleS occupy the intervening
space from 500 to 700 feet deep. II
Kansas City the formation of sim1la
shale is at about the same depth, a
measured from the bottoms, or lies .
a depth of 700 feet from the top of tn,
bluffs. 1t extends, as in the othe
cases, a distance of about 200 feet. Th
stratum Immediately below the Chero
beneath which neither oil nor gas ha
yet been found. When asked today re
garding the similar conditions of tn
lola quadrangle and Kansas City, Prof
Haworth said:
by way of comparison, it may b
interesting to add that the formation
are practically identical, with the zon
trending northeast and southwest an
reaching as far north as Kansas City
| No one can tell why the territOr
around Kansas City should not becom
| productive. The general geologic con
ditions are precisely the same here a
they are within the lola quadrangle
and it need not be much of a surpris
should good gas or oil wells be foun
in near proximity to Kansas City
= The first gas well to furnish gas t
Chanute netted the owners about $50,
O00. which is only about half of wha
a similar well in the vicinity of Kansa
CITY probably would be worth. TIL
first Chanute well. DR.. Haworth re
l. ports, was about sixteen miles out G
: town and the gas was piped that dis
e tacce.
/ He estimates that at present rates i
II Kansas City. well similar to on
which first supplied Chanute and con
= tinued to furnish that town with "a
about four years would be worth q
least $4,000 Gas has been foun
within a distance of five or six miles c
70 Kansas City. but not in valuabl
. quantities The reason why gas is nc
u plpeo from the Iich 4eid OF the south
,e eastern part of the state is because c
le the large expenditure necessary fe
constructing the pipelines. Prof Ha
worth has figures submitted to him tha
> show the relative cost of pipelines
- Eight-inch pipes the size best adapte
to furnish a proper supply, would eos
from $1,000 to $1,000 a mile, making th