Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-09
NEVADA LOOKS
TO BROWN GOLD
OIL MAY SOON BE AMONG THE
STATES PRODUCTS
COMPANY AT INDIAN SPRINGS
SHIPS DRILLING TOOLS
Preparations for Boring Great Depth
Are Completed, and Pioneers
Will Spud in on Their First
Well Immediately
tspeclal Core soondenee.l

GOLDFIELD, New, March S.-South-
ern Nevada Is destined to take rank.
as a potential oil producing section in
the near future II the expenditure OF
large sums of money in boring for the
brown gold" has that effect, as 1t al
most invariably has had. An oil rig,
with complete equipment for drilling
TO great depth, is being shipped this
week from Golddeld TO the indian
Springs district, forty miles north Oh
Las Vegas, by Manager Ira Macfar-
land for the Pioneer Oil company OF
Nevada, which will begin drilling at
once at a point four miles south of
the Indian Springs ranch, which he
has leased from the railroad company
for term of years. Two other com
panies have acquired land in the same
neighborhood and will begin operations
shortly.
As early as the year 1879 engineers
in the employ of the United States ge-
ological survey classified this land in
their reports as oil land, put until
after the completion OF the Las vegas
& Tonopah railroad, which passes
through the center of the tract, no
attention was paid to the district by
oil men and only within the past year
has surface prospecting by experts re-
suited in impressing upon them the
conviction that oil will be found there.
The section is widely removed from the
quartz mining districts and Is entlrely
sedimentary in formation.
The surface indications are pro-
nounced to be highly favorable for q
good quality OF oil with strong asphalt
groupings forty feet wide in places and
at other points the oil sand crops at
the surface and is heavily impresnated
with asphaltine and paraffin, the lat
ter being particularly in evidence and
Indicating a better grade than the Or
dinary.
Natural Gas In Evidence
Natural gas is encountered through
out the district and is under such
heavy pressure that It Is impossible
to dig a 3O-foot well. The strata OF
sand and asphalt when broken emit
strong odor of petroleum, and near
the groupings are large quantities or
fossil oyster clam and other shells,
some of which are partially embedded
in the soft. broken formation.
In addition to the possibilities OF
finding oil In this section the develop
ment of it's agricultural resources VIII
be an important feature. The tract
owned by the Pioneer company, en-
bracing many square miles, lies at the
head of the Vegas valley and below
n some fifteen or twenty arteslan
wells have heen bored. Not one Of
these has failed to get strong now
of water, the best being IL miner s
inches, at depths varying from zoo TO
800 feet.
interest in the reclamation of desert
land by means of artesian wells mas
resulted in over 100000 acres Oh laIlu
having been located under the Carey
act In Vegas and Pahrump valleys
alone during the past few months ana
the locatorS, coming from all parts Oh
Nevada and Southern California, are
in the great majority or cases as
sured of an ample flow of water sup
nIv from comparatively shallow wells
10 irrigate their land. 1t is estimated
that the Pioneer companys territory
embraces at least 10000 acres OF lanu
which can readily be irrigated.
The soil Is deep and rich and the
climate mild on the small ranch
leased as a base OF operations Tor the
oil company Is an orchard Oh ,n'.,. aoous
two acres yielding unusually heavy
crops of apples, peaches. pears, pruneS,
nlums and figs. About one-half of TINS
area last year yielded ten tons of ap-
pies of excellent quality.
Four Crops of Alfalfa
-Four crops of alfalfa are cut annu-
alIv on this ground, the yield being
from four to five tons an acre. Inc
land is admirably suited Tor ralslnB
melons and nearly ell species of fruits
and vegetables. Forty miles to the
east. where conditions of soil and CHI
mate are Identical is the Moapa val.
lev. where cantaloupes are raised that
excel in flavor, weight and shipping
qualities the renowned Rocky Ford
product and where melon farmers are
making as high as $1,000 an acre annu-
alIv from irrigated land.
These valleys are large basins, nav
ing no outlet for water other than by
evaporation, and there is no water
flowing on the surface, but at many
points may be seen small MOUNDS OF
silt and sedimentary matter forced up
nv subterranean springs, and in Whlcn
tHe water ascends nearly to the top or
the mound. Within the newt two or
three wears great change will be
Wrought in this now barren, desert
country, and with q direct outlet over
railroads east, west and north to large
centers of population ready market
for the produce from this potentially
rich section will never be lacking.
A very few years hence these sandy
saee-coyered wastes will be populat-
ed bv hundreds of homeseekers. enjoy
ING life and we'll being in an ideal ell
mate. aids to and witnesses OF pros
nerous, new country in the making.
Oil prospecting, however, Is receW-
ing the chief attention and with one
good we'll to prove the field 1t Is be-
lieved the country will go rapidly to