The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-08
ELY EXCITED
OVER OIL FIELD
Rush Is Expected to Region
Fifty Miles South of the
Big Copper Camp.
fspeeial to The Herald.l


Ely. New. May "a rush is expected
to begin at once to a new oil region
which has been discovered about fifty
miles south Of Ely and near the Nevada
Utah Line. by Sol Snider and Sllas
Branch, two well known local prospec-
tors, who have just returned from that
district, and who hare made known their
discovery TO a number OF local men, who
have Immediately taken an active inter-
est in the exploration and development
of the region.
Snider and Branch have brought with
them large samples of oil shale and fos-
sill rock, which they say abounds in the
district. These samples have been as
sayed and tested by Fesler & Custer,
local assayers and metailurgists. VINO
state that the samples shown carry from
10 to IS per cent bituminous matter. In
some OF the samples the oil is so plen-
tifuI that it drips from the rock when
exposed TO the heat Of the sun. When
this rock Is held to the flame of an
alcohol lamp it bursts into flame.
AS soon as these samples were shown
TO the assayers they negotiated for a
large interest in the district. located in
the choicest part of the field. Their good
fortune was communicated at once to
a number OF local capitalists, who i'm
mediately took hold of the proposition
and wired to Pennsylvania for two ex-
perts, who are now on their way to Ely
to go over the ground.
Among the local men who have secured
an interest in the proposition are A ].
Fesler, A. e. Custer formerly of Salt
Lake.. Tex Richard, Ole Elliott. S. d.
Crump. Frank Rathbone,. A. B. Witcher
formerly of Salt Lake,, w. w. Thomp-
son, and others.
Snider, one of the discoveries, said to
The Herald that the oil country looks
equally as promising as the wyoming
fields, in which he has had wide ex-
perience, and in some points it exceeds
that country. He refuses TO tell the eX-
act location of the new territory, but says
that it is between fifty and sixty miles
from Ely, in a southerly direction, and
near the Nevada-Utah line. He says that
there is q well defined area fully ten
miles in length, in which the shale crop
pings are found on the surface.
The formation is composed of strata
of shale and sandstone, containing many
fossils, in alternate layers of fifty feet
in thickness.
The shaie when put into retort emits
a first class quality of fuel gas. In the
event that oil is not found in CONNER
cial quantities, the sha1e can be con-
verted TO gas on the ground and piped
to this camp, where it can be sold at
a profit.
The formation is so placed that all of
the mining can be done from the sur
face, making the handling of the shale
cheap and expeditions. About 1900 acres
of the most valuable land has been taken
up for the local capitalists who are in
terested.
The country will be given a thorough
inspection and exploration. and the de-
velopment will be carried on on a large
scale in order TO determine the actual
value and permaneney OF the field.
Snider says that. while there is no other
mineral In the range in which the shale
is found the nearby ranges are filled
with rich bodies of ore which can be
cheaply mined and handled. They say
that copper, lead. silver and iron are
found In abundance, and that the entire
district for twenty miles square is veri-
table treasure trove.