The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-25
POSSIBILITIES OF
 DEMOCRAT RIDGE Eastman Explains Why Knox DOlOmite Should
 Contain Oil

An interesting explanation of how coal oil is formed and why Democrat Ridge. near Birmingham, should be rich In the product is given by FL well Eastman of Birmingham. who for many years has been interested in the development of this resource of Ala bama, Is given in statement to The Age Herald. The statement follows:
 The good people do not realize tho vast benefits that will accrue to Bir-
 minSham if the Democrat oil and Gas company proves that the great Knox
 eoiomlte in Democrat Ridge is an oil
 reservoir. as hundreds of wells will
 be bored by other companies possess ing large areas with identical geolog fical features. It is d well ascertained fact that all porous rocks at suffi- ciont depth, we'll protected. contain oil or gas.
 'rhe porous rock must be embraced in an aticline and thoroughly covered by an impervious rock. so that the oil
 or gas may rise up above the water by reason of lower specific gravity
 and i'll the pores of the reservoir Elm inent geologists in every country who
 have investigated the coal oil prop osition uniformly declare the three features porosity. the anticline and impersious covering absolutely essen
 tial in the locating of an oil we'll
 The Knox dolomite is a great mag nesian limestone about 1000 feet thick and at the locality of the companv's Well is approximately $500 feet be-
 meath the surface. It's porosity is great.
 permitting it to contain at least one
 gallon of oil to the cubic foot It forms also part of the sequatchie anticline
 said to be among the most extensive anticIines in the world. Thus the three imperative geologic features are abund- antly complied with. IL is the eonsen-
 sus of scientific opinion that coal oil Is produced by natural distillation of er6ai1c matter. In the remote ages at the commencement of the paleozoic era the deep seas contained for untold cen. turies an incalculable amount of shell fish. out of which were formed the great coral reefs and lime rocks In each of these primitive animals was a particle of fatty matter By disin- tegratIon and natural distillation the particles were converted into oil Obey Ing the 1nviolable law of graVitation the oil having less specific gravity than water. was forced to move up- ward. Meeting with many delaying ob- stacles. ages perhaps were consumed in reaching resting place, a protected porous roclN into whose hospitable orifices it could creep, remaining se- creted until the civilization of the hu- man race advanced So as to demand It as an Illuminating and impelIing factor. The amount Of oil thus dis titled may be surmised from the vast | t1tt.. Vx..,Irs l...t
 of the earth for thousands of feet be-
 low the surface. The distillation the ory better accounts Tor the universal
 distribution of oil. Comparing the
 thickness of oil reservoirs To or 20 feet
 in other sections of the country that
 yield often thousands of barrels of oil
 daily with the Knox dolonite 400u
 feet thick in Democrat Ridge within
 "a few miles of Birmingham and it is
 scientifically and geologically safe to
 ssy that the yield of coal oil from the
 well within 20 miles of Birmingham ought to equal that of Mexico. The
 Democrat Ridge Oil and Gas company Is meeting, and perhaps will meet. with difficulties but the difficulties will be overcome. All are absolutely convinced that the Knox dolonite is an oil res ervoir. Perseverance will be amply re-
 warded
 "Tt may be well to add in conclusion
 tl/t the oil obtained from the great Mexican well Is low grade. worth 40 cents per barrel. The oil from the
 Knox dolomite is high grade. worth
 $2.50 per barrel. we'll of equal pacity of the Mexican well would yield a revenue of $60,000.0 900 per annum
 Fortuitously the European war rre demonstrated the utility of the auto
 mobile. The nations. great and small
 will Immediately equip their war es-
 establishments with every variety of
 heavy automobiles. creating an in-
 creasing demand for gasoline