The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-09-06
RICH OIL FIND
PROMISED IN
WARD COUNTY

That Northwestern North Dakota is
underlaid with vast oil fields is the
confident belief of those who have
made a study of the geological con-
struction of the soil in the DesLacs
valley, a few miles west Of Minot.
This belief is supported by the fact
that prospect wells sunk by the Des
Laos Western Oil Company has dis
closed oil even at a very shallow
depth.
short time and 500 feet already sunk
into oil-bearing test wells. Hoa:1.ng,
The Des Laos Western Oil Com
pany, composed of North Dakota pco-
pie exclusively, ALREADY has on the
property more than 5000 feet of
heavy we'll casing ready to be sunk in
a short time and 500 feet already
sunk into oil-bearing test wells.
Boarding, tool and bunk houses are
already erected and the erection of a
new "a foot tower has just been COM
pleted.
While oil is still an unknown natural
esourse to North Dakota, there is
every indication that oil in commercial
quantities underly the vast coal beds
in the western part of the state.
Scientists have determined that the
North Dakota Ignite coal at the pre-
sent time contains from 6 to IL gal
Ions of crude oil to the ton, so that
the coal is certainly of the ~oil-bearing
xyor,okxy Tho or1y r,vnc%s0r fho+ non
be raised is how much oil has seeped
out of the 700, 900, 900, 900 tons of lig-
mite coal in the state. There is no &C
curate way of determining this, but
the chances are that vast lakes of oil
have collected below the coal, and this
thought has encouraged the Des Laos
Western Oil Company to explore be-
low the earth's surface with strong
hopes of finding a large s~ubterranean
lake of crude petroleum that will
startle the world.
William r. Jewell, the geologist who
has gone over the ground thoroughly,
is satisfied that the company is drill
ling on the dome of the entire field,
which not only includes the 700 ,000,-
100000 tons of coal in North Dakota,
but the 800 billion tons Of coal in
Montana.
When it is remembered that Penn
~sylvania, the greatest oil field in
America, only has 14,500 square miles
of coal, while North Dakota has 3d.
900 square miles Of coal, there cannot
be any mystery about the DesLacs oil
field. The basis of petroleum is coal.
There is not an oil field in the world
that is not connected with a vast coal
bed.
The argument that the Pennsyl-
vania coal is of a higher quality and
therefore the chances Of larger guam
titles are brighter does not hold good.
The California oil fields, rivel those of
Pennsylvania and yet these are locat-
ed in Ignite coal beds Of an inferior
quality to those of North Dakota. The
oil so far taken out Of the Des Laos
prospect wells is of remarkable pure
quality. there being very little resi-
due.
Samples of the oil analysed by State
Chemist Ladd shows q very crafty
ing vest and that the crude oil is of
a very high degree. Similar tests
BY Peter Kulaas, Mfnot Chemist,
shows the same results.
This, together with The report Of
Me- Jewell, now urges the company
to a greater effort in the search for
oil, which he claims is sure to be
found. Mr.. Jewell is we'll known in
the greatest oil fields in the world
and his advise has always been follow
ed with oil.
In proof of the excellence of the
quality of oil found in the Des Laos
wells, the company has on file affida-
Wits stating where people have run
their engines and automobiles on the
oil, introduced direct from casing to
cylinder and without any process OF
refinement except natural filtration
The oil has proven itself of such a re-
markable high test that it even gen.
Grated more power than standard
gasoline and left hardly any residue
behind.
The people in this part of North
Dakota are gaining confidence in the
proposition and the company behinc
it, and the stock sales have been sat.
i%sfactory. More stock must be sole
SO as to insure ample funds to prose
cute the work already started. A
block of $4,000 shares has just beer
placed On the market and will be SOLD
at $1.O0 a share. The stock is being
sold by popular sale in small blocks to
North Dakota people. No one indiv'
dual will be permitted to buy more
than 200 shares without a special in.
vestigation by the general office. The
purpose of this is to avoid the posi-
bility of a controlling interest passing
into the hands of eastern capitalists.
This stock is being rapidly sold anc
as o as disposed of a $4,000 oil
drill will be placed and the actua
work of drilling for oil commenced.
The men behind the company are