The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-04-09
EXTENT OF MINERAL WASTE.
From Third Annual Report Of Bureau
Of Mines.

necessary, or mineral resources
amounts to a national loss of not less
than $l,OOO,OOO a day.
In one respect at least a considera-
ton Of the mineral wastes has a basis
quite different from the consideration
of agricultural wastes Our crops rep
resent an annual production from a
reasonably permanent soil; our forests
may grow again, though a much long
err period Of time is required; and the
soils themselves may be reproduced
from the subsoil and the rock beneath.
But Of our mineral resources we have
lonly the one supply. This supply Is
to a considerable extent destroyed IN
Iuse; and at the present increasing
Irate at which we are using and vast
ing 1t our one supply will be either
exhausted or largely depleted while
the nation is yet in its youth.
The most urgent need for inves.iga-
ton and reform Is In connection with
the unnecessary waste Of oil and
natural gas that still prevails in many
Ipalts Of the country. Even with the
limited facilities at its disposal the
bureau has been able during the cur
trent year to stop waste of natural
gas valued at not less than 100000
900, an amount that exceeds by six
times the total cost Of the bureaus
Investigations to date. There Is ur-
gent need Of enlarged facilities with
which to push this work more rap
idly. A few years of further delay
and this valuable source of national
wealth will have been wasted-per-
manently lost.
| The individual operators in causing
this waste have followed their natural
bent for temporary gain. The states
have permitted this criminal waste
without protest, fearing that inter-
ference might retard development.
VIII the national government do the
same? The saving already accom-
plished was the result Of inquiries and
researches that enabled the engineers
| of the bureau to demonstrate to the
| oil and gas men in one, of the Okla
homa fields that much waste Of gas
could be prevented without stopping
the drilling for OIL.
If the funds at the disposal Of the
bureau had been large enough to pro-
| vide for more extended investigations
and demonstrations, the prevention
of waste would have been much
greater AS it is, however, in many
parts of the oklahoma oil and gas
fields the waste of natural gas that
! still continues is equivalent to $751;
100000 to $2O,OOO,00O per annum and
this waste in all of the oil and gas
fields Of the country now aggregates
tmore than $50,000,000 per annum. Of
the total waste of gas in the differ
ent oil fields of the country more
than so per cent Is believed to be cas-
lily preventable. AS regards the re-
naming 20 per cent, it is believed that
gasoline may be extracted from much
of 1t and the gas itself burned for
some useful purpose.
The need for enlarged investigation
is further shown by the fact that in
addition to this waste of gas the
waste of petroleum, and especially the
loss of the lighter oils, in pumping
and storage is much greater than is
ordinarily supposed. Moreover, the
injury caused in number of oil fields
through the flooding of OF land gas
strata by Underground water is an
other phase of the subject calling ur-
gently for inquiry and Investigation
| 1t Is estimated that the proposed in
designations into the waste Of oil and
gas would cost from $4,000 to s4O,-
900 per annum. and it Is believed that
the saving to the national wealth
would be more than a hundredfold for
leach dollar expended in such an in
|vestigation.
The waste in coal mining in ar
|other drain on our national wealth
which calls for serious and extended
inquiry and investigation. A pre:im-
mary estimate, based upon limited
inquiry and examination. indicates an
annual waste or loss Of coal in mining
and handling of not less than 25O0OO,-
600 tons per annum. This represents
a loss from our best and most easily
mined Goals and those nearest our
great centers of industry. What is
needed in connection with this loss is
a thorough underground survey and
examination at certain carefully sell
ected areas in each of the importan.
coal fields of the country. with a view
to determining the exact conditions
under which mining operations take
place and the possibilities Of adopt
ing less wasteful methods. With this
large amount of accurate information
laid before the public II will then be
possible to obtain the adoption of far
less wasteful methods of mining Such
an investigation, thoroughly conduct
ed, would cost about $4,000 per an
mum for three or four years. It is
beliveed that the results
Of such an investigation would mean
a saving in fuel resources having a
more than s5O,OOO,ooO per annum.
There is need Of similar investiga-
tons looking to a reduction in the |
wastes or losses in the mining pre-