The Globe-republican., 1908-04-23
SHALL We PUNCTURE THAT O|LDEP0S|7
Nine Hundred Feet Of Oil Bearing Shae Under U.s. That We
Are Sure Of Sand Stone Under|es Each In
mense Body Of ShaIe
We Know That We Have Oil Bearing Shae That viii The Geological
History of the Formation This District is Almost
Evidence of the Presence of Vast Quantities of Oil
Gas Sha We Get 1t Up and Use 1t? What
Do You Know About That?

Whether the proposition to make a
thorough search in Ford county for oil
aud gas inspires sufficient interest and
energy to carry it through, or runs up
against enough carelessness and in
activity on the part of the people to side
track it indefinitely is "a question which
may mean great deal TO- this locality.
A few have shown encouraging
enthusiasm. Probably enough will do
30 to carry the project through.
1t is quite certain that oil and gas will
not come to tie top hunting people to
enrich. II will furnish energy for the
community after II is located and
brought to the top but not before.
There was an active interest taken for
time back in 1902, ia this matter, head
ed by Mayor A B Reeves, who has put
in good deal of study on the question.
The excitement over the oil fields Of
Southwestern Kansas just at that time
proved fatal to the search for gas here.
Everybody rushed their money to that
part of the country, and left it there
Mr.. Reeves theory that there are
e eat deposits Of oil near here was found
ed on geological history. The further
he Investigated, and the more authorities
he consulted the firmer his belief became.
Some of the matter presented at that
time will be of interest to those who are
now considering the oil proposition.
The Investigation was started by taking
into consideration, how oil is formed.
"Modern geologists, perhaps all, agree
that oil is produced by the distilation of
vegetable matter, and perhaps of some
animal matter, contained in shale, the
oil sinking from the shale into sand
stone, or as in Indiana into lime stone,
which acts as a reservoir to hold it
Shsle was originally sea mud made up
Of extremely fine particles of inorganic
matter and vegetation, The waves de-
posted 1t in layers and 1t has undergone
many changes Some shale contained
great deal more of vegetation than other
shale contained. 1t would seem that
other things being equal, shale which
contained the most vegetable matter
would distill the greatest quantity of oil.
That the vegetation Ia this district was
extremely rank curing the period when !
the shale was formed is found to be
well established scientific fact, The fact
is conclusively proved by the fossil beds
existing In certain parts of the fielc-the
largest fossi,beds in the whole world. |
Some of these animals consisted of such
specimens as the dinosauria, mosasaurus
and other animals resembling lizards, and
thirty.and forty feet long, such as could
live only in very warm warShy country
having very rank tropical vegetation.
That this sort of vegetation existed is
proved not only by these animals but by
the fossil leaves of trees and other flora I
gigantic size. The fact that
there is still enough. oil in the shale that
has not gone down, to burn is further
evidence that the shale was rich In vege-
able mater. Hence 1t would seem to
follow that the age when the shale was
deposited having been one Of luxurious
vegetation and the district being one In
which vegetation had the rankest growth
the shsle ought to have contained an ex-
fraordinary amount Of vegetable matter,