Weekly journal-miner., 1917-04-25
OIL FIELD |. IS ATTRACTING ATTENTION
MEN OF WEALTH BACK JUDGMENT OF EXPERT THAT INDICATIONS ARE GOOD FOR BRINGING IN SOME PAYING WELLS.
(From Thursdays Daily.)

has caused the spectators and ln- vcstors hereabouts to think about something other than mining stocks. Oil makes quick fortunes and for that reason many like to take a chance
 Local interest in the Chino valley oil field has materially increased this week since the arrival at the Hotel St. Michael of F. L. Mullen, vice president, and w. w. Hays, secretary treasurer, of the Arizona Del Rio Oil Company. the new concern which holds tract of land adjoining that of the Chino Company.
 Mullen and Hays, whose homes are in Oatman, brought with them re port from Engineer Etienne A. Rit- ter that is almost startling.
 Ritter bears reputation through out the West of being painstakins engineer with an almost uncanny iudgIhent of mining and oil proposi- tions. That reputation has recently been enhanced materially by his ac- tivities in the oil fields of Wyoming. Ritter has advised the Midland and several other big Wyoming compan- ies. and they have made millions by following his recommendations.
 The Chino valley field has been given Ritter's unqualified endorse ment.
 Upon examining the Chino field. Ritter found it wholly unlike those of California. He likens ii to the car. bonifcrous fields of Oklahoma and says that if oil is found there it will be a paraffine base petroleum. Cali fornia produces only asphalt base oils, which are regarded as inferior.
 Four conditions arc necessary for oil according to Ritter. First IS the presence of oil indications, such as saturated rocks, gas and seeps. Sec ond is the existence of porous sand stones or limcstoncs between beds of impervious shales. Third is the ex- istence of a scaled anticline, or arch. Fourth is a good drainage area, from which the oil could have been drawn and accumulated under the arch.
 Ritter found all these conditions, which he described at length in his rather voluminous report. He found oii-saturated strata on the property of the Arizona Del Rio Company. He found a number of porous beds of sandstone and limestone between shalc. Tn regard 10 the anticlinc he said:
 The oil field is traversed from tho north to the south by an important anticliuc. which forms the range of the Black Forest mesa. The center of the arch is OF the ground of the Arizona Dci Rio Oil Company. l am certain that the anticline IS well closed 10 the cast and to the west and I believe that ii is also closed to the north and to the south"
 On the subject of drainage area. Ritter reportcd
 The Black Forest mesa anticline Is hankcd to the east and to the west by two large synclincs made by the val lcys of the Chino and Hell river val lcys It assures for it a sufficient drainage area, from which the oil could have been concentrated into pool below the crest of the anti cline"
 In summing up his findings, En, gincer Ritter wrote:
 The field m which the property ot the Arizona Del Rio Oil Company is located is a new and unproven one. but it has a number of geological features in its favor, as can be seen from the study of this report. In con clusion, the Arizona Del Rio Oil Company owns a property as well To- cated as it can be, in an oil field yet completely unprovcn but which pre- serts a number of favorable geologi- cal features"
 It was on the strength of Ritter's report that George Babbitt, the Flag staff millionaire, and several other wealthy citizens of Northern Arizona became interested in the Arizona De- Rio Company. Rabbit is a director, as is Charles Prochnow, another Flagstaff business man. ]. s. Amund- sen, head of the Arizona Stores Com pany. Kingman, is president
 Amundsen, by the way, is now in Los Angeles arranging for drill rig which will be shipped to Del Rio at the earliest possible moment. Drill rigs are hard to get but as he is off, fcring a heavy premium for early de- livery he will probably be successful.
 The capitalization of the Arizona Del Rio Company is $l,000,000, divid- l ed into 100000 shares. Sixty per cent of the stock IS in the treasury.