Gunnison news-champion., 1916-04-07


eapital into western Colorsdo's oil
ehsle fields is looked for this spring
| One oil eutht alone, according to
etats Oh Inspector James Duce, has
set aside s250,000 to be- spent in pre-
hminary investigation work in hesa
county. Millions will be spent in de-
selopment work if the shale fields Of
ths state realize half the predictions
shat have been made by eovernment
and state experts who have been sui-
city conducting oil distillation tests for
several months.
The increase in the price of oil and
gasoline has turned the attention of
capitalists toward possible new sources
Of production. The announcement that
Che oil shale fields of western ColoraAo
can supply the needs of the world IN
definitely has aroused the deepest in
terest on the part of capitalists end
oil prospectors.
As soon o. the snow disaPpears, it
u figured, there will be . rush of pros
pectors to the shale beds. These beas
Ore not TO BE estimated in acres, but
b. square miles. They extend iRts
eastern UtsA, bSt nsst II them ere in
eesseFn CslssoAs. 0nDa sAals hsAs
eTy1mues1 h sqpe1uUug1spA Wysu1no.
- ostimate has bees RoAe Il ~
avera0e depth Of these beds, bst the
supply of oil bearing shale is practi-
cally iRexhaustible. The possibilities
Of eli production, according to experts,
simply stagger the imagination.
H. existence of oil bearing shale
beAs in western Colorado has been
knsWn for years, but as long as oil
remained low in price and production
was increasing, it was figured that it
would not pay to work these beds. The
process of distilling oil from shale is
one that calls for . considerable out
lay q capitAl.
II is known that big concerns stand
reoAy TO spend millions for the build
ing of plants and the general develop
ment Of properties in the shale fields.
The mere fact that one concern alone
is to spend $250,OO0 in preliminary
work shows how intently capital has
been watching this newly developed
phase of the oil industry.
As . matter of fact the oil situation
has been q matter of keen concern.
Only o week or so ago one of the big
magazines contained an exhaustive ar
ticle by IN expert on the demand for
a substitute for gasoline. Experts be-
lieve that If the western Colorado
shAle beds are developed to their full
possibilities there will be no need Of
gasoline substitutes. One ton Of this
shAIe, it is figured, will yield ut least
ten gallons of gasoline by the present
methods of extraction.
Some Of these shale beds that are
several feet thick have yielded ut .
rate of more than one barrel Of crude
oil TO the ton of shale. Other shale
beds only six inches thick have yielded
more than two barrels of oil to the ton
of shale. Because of this great dispar-
itv in the yields it is difficult to fg-
ure any general average
1t is believed, however, that the
western Colorado shale beds will av-
ef1ee three times the oil product Of
toc CcOttlSn snare. Iet tHcst StOtSh
shAle beds have been worked for fifty
years At 4 profit. The Introduction of
cheap American petroleum necessita-
ted the practice of rigid economy in
the Scotch fields, but production has
gone steadily on. some 5000 men BE-
Ing employed in the industry.
Many Gistillation tests have been
made by the government in the shale
beds of this state and Wyoming and
Utah, and it has been estimated that
in Colorado alone there is enough
sAole in beds three feet or more thick
and richer than the Scotch shAle. to
yield at least 10000 900 barrels Of the
cfO6e oil. from which it would be pos
SHE TO extract 2.000 $50 barrels Of
gasoline.
h il pointed out that the develop
DeAt Of these western Colorado fields
wiH undoubtedly lead to the perfection
q 6sfter methods of oil and gasoline
ex4s1ction- The shale yields . gas
uAicA is excellent for Illuminating pur-
poser and which. it is figured viii fur
nisA al the heat necessary to distill
the on fyvyn fbe shale