Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-05-06
BIG INTERESTS BUY INTO
ElKO SHAlE LANDS

vi ueClued interest anu importance
was the deal, recently consummated,
whereby control of the Crane Shale
Oil Corporation was purchased by H.
G.. Humphries and associates. The
company is not only the owner Of the
noted Crane continuous process for
the extraction of gasoline and by
the field in a large way to develop
some 1000 acres of oil shale land at
Watson. Utah, pronounced by DR.. Da-
yid T. Day, consulting chemist Of the
United States Bureau OF Mines, as be-
ing one oFthe richest oil shale depos-
its in the United States. The officers
and directors of the corporation as
now constituted. consist Of the follow.
ing: President, c. T. SteyensonS
vice-president, VIM. Woodburn; sec
retary and treasurer, ]. w. Davey;
general manager, Alex NJ. Boyle and
II. c. Humphries, James T. Goodin,
Judge George A Bartlett and Jay
Clemmons.
The demonstration plant, which the
company ordered constructed some
time ago, is nearing completion at
the hands fthe Nevada Engineering
Works and within few days will be
installed at the engineering depart
mcnt OF the University of Nevada
this that the Crane process. designed
to revolutionizc. as il were, the mat
| ter of handling oil shale, may be
! shown to best advantage. After an
exhaustive investigation, DR.. David T
! Day said Of this process in cOmmu
nication to the company:
/ 1T must also be borne in mind thai
you are equipped with a process de
| ycloped by Mr.. A. G. Crane, and i'm
proved by your own engineers to q
stage where 1t must be reCOkoncd up
on as valuable asset II is beyonC
/ question that this process is adautabl,
10 many kinds OF shale in the United
States with an elasticity not character
istic OF the Scotch process"
The distillation OF oil from shale i!
attracting a good deal OF attention anC
bids fair to become one OF the mos
important industries in the Unite'
States. While the industry has beeI
pursued successfully for years il
France and Scotland. the United
States Geological Survey, Bulletin Ga
shows that the economic study OF OF
shales in this country was begun onl!
in 1913 by Or. David T. Day and E G
Woodruff and was first described il
} L. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 5Sl
as follows:
} THE results OF this preliminar,
, work showed that the shale OF tn
| Green River formation in COlorad
and Utah would yield oil in CONNER
cial quantities when subjected to dc
structiyc distillation.
The oil shale of the United State
has received very little attention
chiefly because petroleum has beel
/ abundant Before petroleum was dis
covered in Pennsylvania in 1859 tn
Mormons distilled oil from shale nea
, Juab, Utah, where the ruins OF an oil
still can yet be seen.
"In Scotland, however, seyera
: wcllestablished plants mine and dis
e till shale of carboniferous age. Ii
e 1908, according to Ellis, the oil shall
t industry in Scotland employed abou
I SO 900 men, of whom nearly 1000 wer
= miners; and in the preceding year tn
Z production OF oil shale in SCotlan
). amounted to 2,775,779 Oong) tons, an
q the average yield OF crude Oil was
y UmpcriaD gallons TO the long to
!. (2i6 United States gallons to tn
{ short tom The operations have pal
o dividends in spite of this low yicl
I because OF the Chcapness of labor, tn
c value OF the by-products and lack {
d competition with petroleum.
: THE cost OF mining shale in SEQ
t land Is reported by the same author
o be Sl00 n ton; the cost of distillin
e the crude oil making the shale is
e cents ton, and the cost OF maxim
It ammonius sulphato (the principal b
4. producO from the shale is 40 cents
II ton.
AN mining in Scotland Is uDd'
/. ground and in many of the mines Il
II shalo beds dip at angles OF 80 to
ri degrees and there are numerous faul
- which greatly increase the expcn
10 OF mining. At many places in Col
10 RADIO and Utah however, the rich sha
n. has only light over burden and cou
a be- mined with steam shovel"
n Dr David r. Day, consulting che
is list OF the Bureau OF Mines. who
taking a deep interest in the develC
->-~->--s-N-->-~->--N%~-