The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-29

| ALABAMA is situated at the eNtieIiie
southern limit of the Appalachian noun
tain range, on the western slope of which
is found the principal oil belt of the
United States, containing high grade IL
Illuminating oil and very pure natural gas,
and which oil belt is known to the world
as the great Appalachian trough. This
oil formation extends from Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico. Taking OIL Springs, AL
leghany county, New York. as the begin
ming of this chain in the United States,
oil is found at depth of 800 feet, yield
ing only five barrels per days of high
grade Illuminating oil. From this point
the oil strata trends with several branches
ways found on the western slope of the
Appalachians. Passing the state line
near Bradford, Pa, we find this oil
stratum extending through the upper part
of Pennsylvania into Ohio, through Ohio
and into Indiana, where it spreads into a
great natural gas field, with extra fine
oil underneath the gas This branch
seems to stop in Indiana, but in the sur
rounding states have been found what ap-
pear to be sporadic pools, that have no
connection with the main stream.- An
other branch from the same source at
Oil Springs, n. Y, passes through the
lower part of Pennsylvania into West
bama. In every one of the states men,
toned the oil stratum has been clearly
traced, and 1t lies like an underground
river with many tributaries. Oil fields
yielding the highest grade oil have been
opened in this Appalachian trough from
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee
and at the present time Alabama is MAX
ing rapid development, thus completing
the entire chain of the Appalachians with
out a single break.
Beginning at a point near Mobile and
apparently coming from under the sea is
an oil bearing stratum entirely different
to that of the Appalachian group. Start
ing near Mobile it extends along the gulf
coast through southern Alabama, Mis-
sssippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona and the Pacific slope of Califor-
MIA This Is the heavy fuel oil, and 1t
will thus be seen that in western Ala
bama we find the extreme southern ex-
tension of the Appalachian oil-or the
high grade Illuminating oil-and in the
southern part of the state Is the begin
ming of the gulf coast oil field-the heavy
fuel oil-both being separate and distinc-
tive fields. This is not theary, but actual
facts demonstrated by good producing oil
fields AS every new oil field of the APP
palachian group has been opened 1t has
been found that the oil bearing stratum
dips southwark, and as it dips deeper the
flow of oil is proportionately larger, and
as nature tends to spread the oil in pools
we may expect to find the Alabama Oil
field and exceptionally good one, and
covering an extensive area.
Leaving Tennessee at the Alabama state
line where the last of the finished oil
wells and the pipe lines in that state. are
located, we enter north Alabama, and
can trace every essential geological fea-
ture denoting the oil bearing stratum
Anti-clinals all running from northeast
to southwest and every rock, shale, sand
and clay are found under exactly the
same conditions as in every other part
of the Appalachian group.
The Cumberland mountains of Tennes
see and the Sand mountains of Alabama
are but combinations of the Allegheny
mountains of Pennsylvania, and constitute
part of the great Appalachian range
of mountains extending from northern
New York in a southwesterly direction
down far into Alabama, distance o.
; nearly 1900 miles, with an average widtl
of from SO to 100 miles. All the grea
oil and gas fields of the north owe thei
origin to this great mountain range-tha
Is, west of that range and in close prox
unity to it, BY taking a map Of tn,
United States 1t is easily seen that tn,
oil and gas developments have northeas
t and southwest trend just as the Appa
lachian range has, and all development
Of oil and gas have universally followe'
! this trend and invariably development
of the best has been at the base, or nea
, the western spurs of this range.
Following the great excitement of find
, Ing oil at Beaumont In 1901, the Unite'
: States geological department sent Maj
John Otley to examine and report on tn
oil-bearing formations of the southern
: states, and he was most enthusiastic owe
a western Alabama. In his report he states
THE Essential geological features or tn
, Harsselle, Decatur and Moulton vale
sections are so pointed, and the struct
y ural arrangements are such that the pool
! will be necessarily broad and wher
, the catastrophes have been sufficient, blu
not too violent, deep pools will lbe found
4 In the course of his examination in west
+ ern Alabama and toward the Mississippi
n state line he found that by some grea
4 catastrophe the anti-clinal had bee
: moved from a straight and direct lint
a making sharp curve, and the two grea
formations of fuel oil and iluminatin
s oil met in this location, and he felt sur
\ it would again meet In the locality {
q Humble, Tex Some time later. In 1870
V In drilling for oil at Humble, Tex, fu'
!. oil was found in the upper strata. and d
rectly below in the same hole was foun
: the high-grade Illuminating oil, thu
v showing that somewhere near the tel
d minus of the Appalachians in Alabam
IS the two oil-bearing formations have ms
d and overlapped. This should not be ia
II from the Fayette and Marion count
| lines
e Entering Alabama on the Tennessee
l. state line 1t Is not difficult to trace tn
q oil-bearing formation across the mort
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