Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-05-08

source from which western motorists
will obtain their future supply Of
gasoline, if oil in paying quantities is
found, as now seems certain, for tests
of Olympic oil shows that it contains
from II to IA per cent of high grade
gasoline, says the Sunday Tacoma
Ledger This percentage is four
times as high as that of California
and ranks with the best paraffin base
oils of Pennsylvania, says the West
ern Motor Car, in it's May number
1t is not likely that the opening up
of the Olympic oil field will reduce
the cost of gasoline to any great ex-
tent, but it will unquestionably make
some difference The production in
the eastern fields has been steadily
decreasing for several years, in spite
of energetic efforts to open up new
fields and new production. On the
other hand, the demand has increas-
ed by leaps and bounds, owing to the
immence growth of the automobile
manufacturing business and the use
of oil and gasoline in every class Of
boats and ships, for rail transporta-
ton and other uses too numerous to
mention.
Needed Only Transportation.
The possibility of the existence of
large field of very fine paraffin
base petroleum in the western part
Of the Olympic peninsula has been
realized for a great many years by
the scattered settlers, timber cruis-
ers, oil experts and geologists who
have travelled along its rocky coast
or through its dense forests. Out
crops Of sandstone and shale satur.
ated with oil, seepages Of oil, seep-
ages of gas and sulphur snrings oc-
cur at numerous points all the way
from Grays Harbor to Neah bay, from
the coast to the heart of the Olym-
pic mountains, and IT," only reason
why the state of w" 'N"ton does
not, like California, reap rich har-
vest from it's buried treasures Is the
lack of transportation.
Many years ago the old settlers tell
of the large vote polled by the home
steaders who had cast their lot in
the "Farthest West" only to be driv-
en- away by the withdrawal of the
whole peninsula in the name of con-
servation. To my mind no greater
crime has been committed against
the people than that withdrawal. The
quality Of the oil on the western
slope Of the Olympic range will prob
ably average better than any equal
area west of the Cascade mountains
Cattle range and fatten in the heart
of the forest to the finest condition
the year around. Practically the
whole peninsula is covered with one
of the finest stands of timber in the
world. Today, as a result Of conser-
vation, I doubt II there are 200 people
in this district, 25 miles wide and 70
miles long. 1t is the avowed intention
Of the timber companies to freeze
out what few esttlers remain, and
think it would be safe to say that
not less than IS per cent Of the land
in the above territory is owned by
less than two score of corporations
or large individual owners, who will
not only do nothing themselves to-
ward developing the great welath OF
the peninsula, but who throw every
obstacle in the way of those who are
doing all they can single-handed. So
today, instead of green fields own
ed by prosperous dairy farmers, hum
ming sawmills and producing oil
wells, we have in the name of con-
servation a very few wealthy men
who boast of the hundreds of square
miles of land which they own there,
and the great profits which they ex"
pect to reap when they have decided
that the proper time has arrived to
make the consumer and purchaser
pay the highest possible price for
their oil, timber and land A repre-
sentative Of the corporation having
the largest holdings on the peninsula
told me that his company consider.
ed that the west coast would make
the finest dairy section in the world,
and that they expected to realize hun
dreds Of dollars an acre from their
Cost Of Freighting High
The oil prospector is endeavoring.
in the face of almost insrrmountable
obstacles to develop the Olympic oil
fields. The cost Of freightirg in ma
chinery and SUI plies is very high and