El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-02
BREWSTER AND
Fl PAsO OIL
FIELDS
An Expert of Los Angeles
Expresses Opinion That
There Is a Belt Here.

| Fred L. Wilson, mining geologist
and oil and water expert, of Los An
geIes, Cal, who has been in the field
| of west Texas for the past three
| months for Boston and California cap
| italists, is at the Zeiger, where he said
| Friday morning:
| In tracing the oil and water from
| the base of the Guadalupe mountains
| in northeastern Ell PaSO county TO the
! Rio Grande a distance of about 200
| miles southeast there were several
sections of country that appealed to
me being of value from an economic
/ and geological standpoint. There is
no use of asking for information in The
| oil prospects of Brewster county, as
| there is no information to be given cut
about these fields.
Underground Waters.
Beginning at the Sierra Guadalupe,
or Ell Captain, the water rising in these
mountains and at the bases of the
mountains, is a good clear, cold water,
forced up from the Subterranean
streams that flow along the east side.
and along these mountains, passing
through from the southern portion of
these mountains in 4 sOutheasterly di-
rection through sulphur and gypsum
beds, 40 miles southeast of the Guada-
1upe mountains
Here the subterranean springs are
brought so neac the surface thar por-
tions of the stream ara exposed in
the natural caverns waere you can hear
the waters rushing underground. Some
OF this water issues as springs through
out the sulphur bells, about 20 miles
northwest of Toyah. The waters have
become impregnated with sulphur, and
the chemicals through which they pass
ed, and changed their temperature.
ArteSian Belts.
This flow of water continues in a
southerly direction from Toyah, form
ing other artesia1 belts 10 Inc south,
where the water VII be found--ao. so
highly impregnated with sulphur, ow-
ing to the formation through which II
passes precipitating the sulphur. In
its course to the south it gives up some
of the heat that was found in the Toyah
field
Sulphur Deposits.
There are in the Toyah basin extern
sions, vast deposits of sulphur, enclosed
in the lower cretaceous formations.
The extent of sulphur in these beds,
figuring them at an average of Is per-
cent sulphur, is between 100000
and 20,O0O,00e tons.
Gypsum Fields.
Vast deposits of gypsum of COM
rnercial value are also found. Without
a doubt these gypsum deposits are re-
lated TO the sulphur beds The sulphur
is a product OF the gypsum. And yet
there may be some doubt as TO these
sulphUrs as a whole being derived from
the gypsum deposits, owing TO the
presence of sulphuric acid of so high
a percent. found in somes of the water.
That this sectiop of country was at
one time a great lake. there can be
n doubt It is probable that organic
matter coming into this lake through
streams that existed at that time, pre-
cipitated the sulphur to a certain ex-
tent, while secondary enrichments are
represented by the higher grades of sui
phur that are found there now.
Possibilities of Oil.
In the sulphur district, near the GEN.
ter of what is known as block 100, Ell
Paso county, are found indications of |
an anticline. Here are also found pc /
troleum shales, and other indications |
that are favorable TO oil. In this vi !
cinity the oil shales viii be encounter
ed at from $50 to 500 feet and oil at I
nearly a 1000 foot depth. Only drilling /
will prove the amount of oil under /
there. But I believe that the best of |
the Toyah oil field will be found north |
west from the present operations of /
the Texas company. This will be in the |
line of the sulphur fields of which 1 !
spoke
West Of these sulphur beds are
found the salt lakes
Natural Gas There. |
Il noticed especially the gas indi-
cations in the vicinity of the sulphur
beds, there being a few gas blowouts
o. cones I was told that in one of
these cones a hole had been sunk
a few feet, from which supply of gas
sufficient for Illuminating purposes
had been developed. These sulphur beds
are about 50 to 40 miles northwest of
Toyah.
ct have successfully traced the oil.
gas and artesian belt through Brewter |
county, clear into Mexico. This basin
has been disturbed or interrupted, IL
viding it into smaller basins 1 am
confident the most extensive oil basins
will be found to the south of the Toyah
field"
PEACOCK COMPANY SELLS