The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-07

like the cattle farming and mining
stretches out west.
The region is broad. extensive and guam
titative enough ia take the labor. energy.
the best means and the most adaptable,
improved facilities of millions of people.
in Il greater era Of growth change, and
constructive energy, than we have seen
in the mighty achievements Of the past
fifty years. Here is gas to burn, cheaper
than the farmer boys can split the wood;
oil in such abundance that it is difficult
To get the piping and tanks, and the
drilling outfits. as fast As it flows. and
is taken from the wells as they are open
ed and cased up; and beds OF biJuminous
coal. six hundred to a thousand feet
down. as much as ten feet thick. These
VIII afford heat lighting. gas. fuel and
motive power at hand in force and album
dance to outlast another such building as
the rise of fifty new centers, that will
prove in time equal to the worlds great
cities. and q more and conteuted people,
than any two nations of western Europe.
Here are energies. pent up and held in
the Businesses OF the earth, compressed,
and stored mp power. equivalent. under
control. to drive every wheel hammer
and spindle, ever invented and used by
mankind. in horse power by millions, for
so long that calculations and estimates
wear us ont in misunderstanding foot
ines and findings Humboldt. Watts.
Stephenson. Faraday. Franklin and Full
ton could have examined. but could they
have measured the fuIness Of strength
and the eXhaustIess resources Of this ma
jestic thousdnd-mile basin?
In shape stretch ana limitation. as
known ana defined. it Is an irregular
strip. as shown in the work and progress
or development. in Macy PAGES, running
Ia general south and southwesterly
course. from as far north and east. rs
the Des Moines river. in Iowa through
Missouri. Kansas and the Indian Terri
tory. 10 the Red river in Texas; and
hence Outward Its continuity and di-
rection are often broken and thrown out
Of the regular line. but seldom moro than
"a few miles in any locality II varies.
from twenty 10 "a hundred miles in width.
in an extension from the pcs Moiues
river for "a fun thousand miles 10 Red
river and down as far as Waco. Texas.
and from this rrospe- ting may further
develop SIS extension. drawing into p
curve. 10 the Beaumont district adding
two hundred miles. to the Gulf Of Next
CO.
This abundant storage Of soft coal oil.
and gas. can De accounted - in theory.
ny those who believe these are the ppo-
ducts Of the decomposition OF carboaa-
ceous formations. which are dissolved and
separated under intense. melting heat Tor
centuries and as Wei by those who be-
ljeve in the salty. marine ad-aixture:
where the sea and salt deposits flow over.
intermius.e and preciri-a-a. and are COW
cred under hundreds 81 feet NJ heavy
clays. sands and sJrati6ed rocks. Here
in the Kansas Indian Territory reid
evidence 5 plain that both these process
ses were in operation Ak about the same
period; 10 the west lies thu bed q the
sreat marine belt. once vast sea. cross
ing the middle Of the state. north and
south. that in comparatively recent cen
turtles lett its millions OF tons annually %
decomrosed animals, fish ard plants, Al
/ tering through ana washing over into the