The Glenwood post., 1918-02-23
Joseph Bells, Chief Operator
Of Grand Valley Protests
to Congressman Taylor
INTERESTING LETTER

Much opposition has recently devel-
oped against what is known as the
Ferris -Phelan bill in congress which
provides for the leasing of all oil and
gas lands on the public domain. The
discovery was only recently made that
this bill, if passed, would initiate
against the development Of oil shale
placer claims, such as are now being
developed all over Western Colorado.
At the last session of the Colorado
legislature Senator Napier of this city
introduced a senate concurrent resolu-
tion No. 4, which was passed and which
protests against the Ferris-Phelan bill
and memoriaiizes congress to amand
the same so that it will not work to
the injury of those who are seeking in
good faith to develop oil shale proper
ties.
A few days ago Joe Bells, the fore
most prospector of oil shale properties
in Western Colorado, forwarded to
Congressman Taylor the following com
munication on the subject:
N..-- Feb. 1s. 1918.
Hon. Edward T. Taylor,
House of Representatives,
Washington, D. c.
Ny Dear Sir:
In reference to the reported legisla-
ton now pending before congress in
rsSsrsnce to including oil shades under
the petroleut, regulations or the failure
to specifically exclude shales from said
regulations, I respectfully state:
These shales are not the kind or
character Of land that the amendment
to the Placer Act of Feb. IL, 1897, was
intended to cover. The situation that
brought about this amendment was the
ruling of the general land office and
the decision of the secretary of the in
terror that oil (petroleum) was not a
mineral within the meaning and intent
of the original Placer Act, notwith-
standing large acreages Of oil bearing
land had previously been exploited AMI
patented from the public domain.
p These decisions were afterward re-
versed but it caused to be hurriedIy
rushed through congress the above re-
ferred to amendment. The meaning
and purport of this rather ambiguous
section has already been adjudicated in
some of the state courts and it refers
to lands that are>oil bearing and to ac-
quire which wells must be drilled or
sunk.
Our shales are at the surface and
in plain sight. Chemical ANALYSIS
winch we call wet assay will show
negligible amount of oil but large
percentages of various dry hydro car
bons, which can 'be turned into oil
parafin and ammonia sulphates, ETC.,
by the proper application of the proper
amount of heat.
Wrong processes of treatment land
regret exceedingly that several such
plants are already in course of con.
strnction), will destroy the valuable
oils and by.products and leave the re-
suit of the whole effort so far as oil is
concerned with practically a burnt up
Oil content that will have little or uo
commercial value. But this young giant
OF an industry that is just awakening
into life, We hope will survive the fol.
lies of few mistaken operators.
The point want to call particularly
to your attention is the fact that our
shales are not "oil' within the mean.
ing of the oil amendment to the Placer
Act just referred to. We are forced to
mine these shales, crush them to proper
size and transport them to a mill or
plant convenient to proper amount Of
water, where, with the aid Of machinery
from ton to thirty per cent thereof IVA.
Fying in amount Of dry solid hydro.
earbons) are manufactured, into what
we call crude oil, as ono Of the pro.
ducts but containing many elements
that our "well crudes" do not contain.
p; In this first step Of manufaetu,e We
z got Of two products, nitrate wsts.
|, (which 10 prssipitated Into smmeaia
salphatss) and the crude. oil which Il
J. too heavy to flow in pipes at, suAns.
time temperature, without addelp heat,
Z because o. ~ heavy eeatent Of high