Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-12-20
HIGH VALUES
FOUND IN SHALE
Test Runs From Mountain of
ShaIe Show Phenomenal
Values in Oil and By-Prod-
uCtS

from shalc from the claims owned by Z
Frank Middleton. Bruce Brothers and F.
Nick Simonsen. located in Burner Ba- I
sin about four miles due east Of EIko. /
and in every instance phenominal eX-
Traction was made. The result in the .
poorest sample tested showed an oil .
content of forty gallons to the ton,
and from this it has run as high as one
hundred and five gallons to the ton. /
The average is better than sixty gal
Ions 10 the ton.
As stated in a recent issue OF this
paper the claims referred to are
Vcritable mountain OF shaIe. Different
from most OF the shale bodies in this
7 section which lie on an incline in
ledges OF various thickness. the shalc
in the claims referred To above lies
perfectly HAT. and from all indications
it is several hundred feet in thickness.
\ shaft is now being sunk TO deter
mine the extent of the body and it
is down nineteen feet. At that point
the shale Is richer than on the surface
and there is nothing TO indicate that
il will not continue TO indcfnate dis
stance. The shale is Overburdencd
with decomposition about a foot thick
due to exposure to the elements. The
shaft shows that al a depth OF about
six feet there is seam of clay about
eight inches in thickness. and from
there down il Is an unbroken solid
mass.
The claims are on knoll standing
up couple of hundred feet above the
surrounding country This knoll
contains from sixty to seventy acres
on every foot OF it shalc is cncoun.
tered at depth Of not moro than
eighteen inches. In the washes at the
bottom on an sides shalo is exposed
indicating that tho body is at least a.
deep as the knoll. Near the bottom
on the east side well was sunk for
oil a number OF years ago to a depth
of over two hundred and fifty feet
and the clippings dump from this well
indicate that the shalc body extends
to great depth. Every mining man
who has looked at the claims agrees
that there is every reason to believe
that millions of tons can be mined
with steam shovels
During the past couple of weeks but
little work has been done on the shaft
du" to the fact that drilling is extreme
j ~ difficult. in fact almost impossible.
' because the shalc is very tough and
springy. An aucur operated by ma.
. chincry has been ordered and is now
+ in transit and this will solve the drill
D ing problem. As soon as II arrives
work on the shaft will be prosecuted
D vigorously and il will be sunk Cou
= pie of hundred feet. II the shalC
II continues to that depth and holds the
: same oil content and other by prod
= ucts, It will reveal one OF the greatest
shalo propositions in the world.
= II is a well known fact that tn,
. ahalo in this section is tho riches
u in the United States if not i'm TN
d world. In Bulletin 6il-F, issued b!
Fl" entitled "On Shalc in Northwestern
Colorado and other states" there Is {
n table showing the results of distilla
tiGn OF samples of oil shalc collected
. I'm 1914 from Utah. Wyoming. and Ne
n" vada This table shows from ElkC
! shalc an equivalent yield of S6.S gal
r Ions per ton. while the greatest yiCl,
OF any other shalc Is 29I gallons. Th'
\ highest yield OF amonia sulphatc IRON
l. ElkO shalo Is 1S2 pounds per ton
d while the highest yield Of any Other
u ghulc Is nine pounds. The highcs
}" yield Of gas from Elko shalC is giycr
|" nj 1891 cubic feet while the highCs
"a Yield OF any other shalo Is 2.95S cubic
so feet. The paralnn content is not CiVcl
ie but from various tests which hav'
rs been made it has been found tina
Il. about thirty per cent of the oil cN
h" traction Is paraIIlu.
In. According to statements OF chemist
ghalo containing from hNc 10 ten E'
Ions per ton Of oil of paralnn base ca
lzl be- prontably worked. and shalc col
n tanning twenty-five gallons Is consi
III crcd high grade. Where the bodies aI
extensive and can be operated vii
steam shoycls the shalo can be wor
cd at considerably less than one doll
ton.
A number Of men representing cal
tai have tried lately to tie up tn
property on lease and bond. but 4
owners say Il Is not for sale at pr'
cnt. They intend to fully detcrmil
the extent Of the shale body and I
values contained at depth. and th'