The Van Buren press., 1904-06-25
Surface Indications OF Oil.

in this county respecting the
prospecting for oil, we publish the
following from the last issue of
The Scientific American, among
the most, if not the most, promin-
ent journal of its kind in the
country. Any statement made
therein is based on well.estab.
lished facts. With every facility
at hand for thorough investigation
a statement made by them that
there are no surface indications
of oil, should carry with it more
weight than the statements of
interested parties that they have
infMlible means for locating the
valuable fluid:
The discovery Of new oil fields
in Kentucky, and the bringing in
Of gushers from time to time in
fields heretofore unsuspected of
being oil-bearing, has served to
create great excitement in the
part Of the public mind. Pros
pectors study the trend of the
land, and owners of real estate
become convinced that their hold.
mgs will produce oil in vast quanti-
ties, if only some company could
be pursuaded to drill. 1t is fact
that large oil producers do not
prospect; they leave that danger
Gus business to the professional
"wildcatter." and when he has To-
Gated a new, rich territory, they
buy him out.
The greater part of the facts
with which geOlogists have to
deal possess for the general public
a recOndite character, They con.
cern things which are not within
the limits of familiar experience,
and are usually treated in such a
manner as to befuddle the under.
standing of the unschooled in geo.
logical lore. Perhaps no question
pertaining to geology has been so
earnestly and so often asked as,
"What are the signs that reveal
the presence Of oil ~ But the
Sphinx of geology remains silent,
Notwithstanding wealth beyond
the dreams of avarice waits upon
him who, Judging from surface in
dications, might infallIbly point
out the presence of oil beneath
so eager are men to have the
question answered, that they strain
the facts that are well known to
exist, and pursuade themselves
that they have discovered the
secret sign which nature has sci
upon her treasure house, When
this thirst for wealth takes hold
of one, nothing will quench its
fire but actual experiment.
1t may We generally said upon
the highest authority, and in the
light Of experience in every OF
field in the world, that surface in.
dications cannot be relied upon
to reveal thepresence ofpetroleum
in the underlying strata. 1t would
seem that nothing has been more
positively and definitely settled
than this; and yet with the spread
of discoveries of new fields, also
spreads the belief that such and
such localities are situated over
inexhaustible quantities Of the
fluid. Every day brings confirm
alton of this.
Now, in count tless ncighhor
hoods, and practically in every
state in the Union, there ar,
"signs" of oil that incIe the finder
TO eXtravagant statements and
rouse his widest hopes. The
spring that trickles from the rocks
bears upon its clear water little
| globules of oil, apparently brought
from the depths of the earth; the
slagnant pond nesting among the
hills has an oily cast, and u smel
Of oil prcyades the air about the
place, These signs are taken tC
mean that there Ia an immense
reservoir of oil, 80 full that II Ii
fairly bursting, and some of The
overflow has appeared upon the
surface. No heed is given to the
fact that in order 10 reach the
surface those few drops Of oi
would have penetrated hundreds
/ of feet of rock and shale whicl
oyertop the oil.bearing strata IL
every field and form m impcrviou'
cover to prevent the escape Of oil
Those surface indications men
toned are common manifestations
They indicate the presence Of de
caying or decayed vegetable ol
, animal matter In the aepths from
which they spring, A rotling car
cass IN the pond will create II gas
and ultimately glohules Of oil vii
float TO the surface. In the ab
scnce of animal matter, then, tn,
appearance of the oil sigus may
be accounted for 10y rotting vcge
table matter, which has Accumulate
ed year after year, until the chemi
cal change has been effected, and