Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-04

that are open-to entry. sudVhere the rep
reaentatives 81 thc trust as wen as thou
sands Of independent wealth seekers are
riakins hay while the sun shines Much
Of the shoshoue Indian reservation. just
thrown open to- settlement, is known 20
he underlaid with petroleum, and holders
Of lucky numbers IN the government land
lottery have paid more attention 20 oil
prospects than 20 farming possibilities.
Hundreds more who failed In tho land
lottery arc locating placer claims on puo-
lie lands still open for entry. Under
the laws OF the United states lands known
10 contain petroleum or other valuable
minerais in commercially valuable guam
titics are not subject to homestead entry,
but may be located az placer mining
claims, Just the same as for gold, silver
or copper mining. These may be held
BY the performance Of the required
amount OF development work. or may be
patented and title acquired in that man
nor. Fearing that more oil lands may lie
withdrawn from entry, capitalists and
wouid-be capitalists are leaving no stone
unturned TO secure as many claims as
possible. In the Salt Creek field, Natrona
county. fifty miles from Casper. a rush
Is in progress not unworthy of COM
parison with boom days In Pennsylvania
and West Virginia. Derricks are going
up on every hand, and the search for
oieaElnous wealth Is being prosecuted
with feverish activity.
Wells IN wyomIng.
The SCI deposits OF wyoming have been
more or less known for fully half CEN
t,ity, bat no wells we're drilled until in
isst, when number were sunk in the val
ley Of the Popo ARle river. not FAR from
Lander. After the lapse OF twenty-five
years these wells stlil spout oil whenever
the gates are opened, and pumps have
never been installed because unnecessary.
In the same district several more wells
were drilled I'm 1901 and 1909, all Of which
proved good producers. These wells are
kept shut in, only being allowed to now at
infreduent intervals to supply the demand.
The annual production is not more than
5,OO0 barrels, for local consumption, for
fuel and iubricstiug purposes. The produc-
ton could be multiplied twenty fold from
wells already drilled II a market could be
found for the output with the compile
ton Of the extensions OF the Chicago &
Northwestern and the Union Pacific rail-
roads Il Is expected that the markets OF
Utah, Colorado and other neighboring states
viii absorb all that can be produced. The
oil OF the Popo Agile district Is neavy anu
viscid, having an ssphaltum base, and is
therefore suitable only for fuel ana a
lubricant In spite OF all precautions to
prevent waste the loss of seepage Is very
great, forming great pools or lakes of oil
In the nelghborhood Of the wells. One Of
these lakes caught fire and burned for
weeks, producing immense volumes of
smoke that we're plainly visible in the Big
Horn basin, $50 miles away. Natural
springs and pools Of oil scattered over
/ vast expanse of territory show where ma
lures underground reservoirs are filled to
Foveriowing and indicate the enormous ex-
tent OF the Popo Agile oil basin.
In sharp contrast with the heavy oil OF
the nelghborhood OF Lander is that found
ia Uinta and Sweetwster counties, having
a parafha base and making as satisfactory
an illumlnsnt as the best grade Of Penn
/ syivania OIL. This field was discovered by
accident in 1901. in well being drilled for
water by the Union Pacific railroad at
/ Spring Valley. The Oil was struck at the
depth of $50 feet, causing q tremendous
/ excitement at the time. When the dificul-
| ties of transportation and the long dis
| lance from important markets were re-
alized, the excitement soon died out. and
| hundreds who had located placer claims
failed to perform the development work and
allowed their claims to lapse. Concerning
this field David 4. Day, chief of division
! OF mineral resources, United States geo
logical survey, says that geological forma-
| tons are such that vast supplies OF easily
! refined oil may confidently be looked for.
Near Bonanza, Big Horn county another
pool Of parafiin oil. yielding 20 per cent
! high-grade illuminating oil, has been dis
/ MT ID,
been drilled, the old question of finding a
market and obtaining transportation ia
clllties proving bar to development.
Small OIL Refinery.
The only oil refinery in the state OF wyo-
ming IL a small concern, said to be eon-
trolied by Standard interests. located al
Casper, II is kept running 10 Its full ca
pacity by the output Of ten wells located
nifty miles away, In the northeastern por-
! ton of Natrona county, the OIL being
hauled the whole distance in tank wagons
This comes from the Salt creek oil field
producing the highest grade and purest To-
bricating rock oil known to exist and
yielding a fair percentage OF iliumins tins
oil. For sixteen years from twelve to
twenty wells have been pumped steadily
yielding from twenty TO nifty barrels pei
day, without dminution. Bull tcsms and
mule teams haul the product to the refinery
where II Is sold at 81 a barrel. The very
axis Of this field il traversed by the newly
completed extension of the Chicago 8
Northwestern railroad for a distance u
probably 100 miles. According to Charles
Thompson OF Casper, wyo., the era Of
the development Of the greatest known de.
positS Of lubricating oil in the world has
just opened. and more fortunes will b,
made In the Salt Greek region than were
ever made al Beaumont or Spindle Top.
In the west central portion OF Natrons
county are numerous springs and seeps 81
petroleum, indicating that great reservoir,
Of oil are concealed beneath the surface