The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-02
vIRGEh OIL HAS
ASPHALT BASE
Material Closely Resembles
Material Found at the North
End of Great Salt Lake.
ScANTY ACCOMMODATIONS
LOCATIONS BEING MADE WITH.
OUT GOING ON THE GROUND.

f. d. Rutherford. the local architect,
who, with associates. owns a big low
grade gold property in the old Silver
Reef district. net far from Leeds, in
Washington county, has returned from a
ten days trip to camp and side trip into
the new oil fields near Virgen City. AT
ter stating that his mining property was
developing in fine shape and that he felt
certain that a number of mllionaires
would emerge from the Silver Reef coun-
try, he gave his impressions of the new
oil discoveries.
while 1 have no desire to be cIassed
as knOcker' on the new field" said
Mr. rutherford, 4 believe it is due to the
pubic 10 correct some impressions that
have got out concerning it. Here is
bottle of oil from the only well that has
been so far made. L will not say that
different oil does not exist down there,
because that Is something that nobody
can uuthfulky say at the present time;
but 1t is certain that no oil with a paraf-
fine base has yet been discovered. This
oil IS very much like that found on the
north shores of the Salt lake, and has
heavy asphaltum base. I went in there
with l., J. Miner, the representative of
the Continental Oil company in the SOUTH
ern part of the state, who was anxious
to see what the discovery amounted to-
AT the well we found a tank of prob
ably 500 hOgsheads had been filled with
ground had been filled with the material.
In the latter, where the evaporation had
carried off the naphtha, the material had
solidffied until it was a natural asphalt
so thick that II required knife to cut it.
Promiscuous Locating.
"A great many people are flocking into
the country and locations have been made
over an extensive area. In st. George
today men are taking the map of Utah,
not a map of the county even, and are
selecting sections here and there and fill
ing locations upon them. This is being
done without the slightest knowledge of
whether the ground contains oil OF not
or whether the land is within fifty miles
or where there is an oil showing. This
means that if oil Of commercial value is
discovered there viii be all kinds of lit
lgation before titles are perfected. So
much for the OIL
accommodations Are scant.
Now let me tell you something else
that viii be OF value TO people going into
the field. No one should make the trip
down there without at least being pro-
Ylded with bedding; it would be better
if they could take their own food along,
as well. Down in that country the natives
all, or practically all, subsist on a strict
vegetable diet. Carrots, beets and cab
bage, with some squash and sour bread
are about the limit of what YOU get at
any place where they are willing to feed
you at all. Where they previously con-
sidered that 25c was a good price for such
a meal, they are now charging as high as
Zoe, and they are utterly indifferent
whether they accommodate you with
such fare at such a price or not Dur
ing the ten days 1 was down there 1 ate
cabbage until / never expect TO be able
to look cabbage in the face again with
out having my stomach rebel.
"6uIIfrog" cIark's Experiences.
Il bumped into H. H. C.BuIIfrogO Clark
and
just arrived in their auto when 1 left and
Dy now l presume they are on their way
back They found the country so rough
TO drive an auto in that I doubt whether
back in their machine. Going into St
George the party had an experience
worth relating. They were rolling along
the road at a brisk pace when they en-
cOuntered a crowd of fellows coming ont
OF st. George in a spring wagon or stage
Ihe auto was driven close up in front of
the rig when it swerved to one side and
the warning horn was vigorously footed
Two big huskies who were riding with
their legs dangling over the side of the
wagon jumped out to save their necks
from collision, and the only reason the
other occupants did not fall out was be-
cause they did not have time. All were
frightened out of their wits as they had
never seen an auto in their lives
Mr.. Clark told me of having had an
other experience in Nirgen City that he
will never forget, and which gave him a
great deal of pleasure. At the town mem
toned they found an old lady, 81 years of
age, who had never seen railroad track
or train. She was invited to take a ride
in the auto and her pleasure was not half
what Mr.. Ciark's was in having her as a
guest
Nearly everybody in Virgen City, To-
querville and st. George has secured
lands in the oil region and they are now
all dreaming of becoming milliOnaires
They tell of the prosperity that has come
through the discoveries and they don't
care a snap whether they ever do another
tap of work as long as they live There
are no accommodations down there, and
people who contemplate going in should
make it point to go prepared to take
care of themselves"