Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1919-03-11
NEW PAPER AT BOWIE
Interesting Exposition Of Oil Basin
in First Issue

i in First Issue
The Bowie Chronicle. an eight-page
FIVE column newspaper. made its first
appearance at Bowie, Ariz., on Feb.
10, being the second paper in that
field. Bowie has only afew hundred
people, but is beginning to boom be-
cause Of the oil well going down near
there, and the new paper is exceed
ingly well patronized--in fact the
Bowie merchants are carrying more
advertising than those OF Deming,
with many times Bowie's population
and they pay the same rate that
Deming pays. The Chronicle is pub
lished by G. A. Sterling and J. o.
Spurgeon,
The first issue of the Chronicle
contained a most interesting, discus
sion of the Bowie oil basin, which
we produce in part for the benefit Of
the numerous Deming people who
have become financially interested
there
"The Bowie oil basin. petrolifer-
Gus area, lying about fifteen miles
north Of the city, stands first as a
potential asset and basis for the flu
ture prosperity of this community.
Upon its development and what rich
promise II carries Of wealth soon to
be unlocked. we may with all conf
dence found the highest hopes.
"The fact that oil seepages at the
surface have long since been known
to exist and that cattiemen have re-
ported from time to time finding
their stock coated with oil from the
water holes affected by these seep-
ages first drew the attention Of pros
pectors to this region. II is not to be
expected that the crude appraisment
Of the casual prospector would be ac-
cepted by the thoughtful public in
acclaiming the Bowie basin, MS an oil
field.
II remained for the trained eye of
the geologist to see in it those UNI
mistakable phenomena that mark
these places where munificent
Providence has laid down the most
priceless gifts to mankind-petro-
leuis
ThouIh no official or formal geo.
logical 9urvey of this field has been
undertaken by the state bureau of
mines, several capable biologists
have reported favorably upon it in
the interest of several groups of in
vestors who have acquired property
there, notably citizens of our neigh
boring city of Bisbee and several in.
corporated companies, conspicuous
among which is the U. S. Oil & Re
fining Co. From the fact that the en-
gineers have acted for private inter
ests and have not authorized the use
of their names, we are withstrained
to withhold them. We are at liberty,
however, to give in outline a resume
of these reports--a concensus of
their joint conclusions upon this field:
The country embraced in the Bowie
oil basin is composed of sedimentary
rock of the tertiary age, the forma-
ton in which 50 per cent of the
worlds oil deposits occurs. The Dako-
Ia sand stones, notable as oil bearing
strata in Wyoming and Colorado are
present in this field occurring at
shallow depth due to surface erosion,
thus bringing these oil bearing strata
nearer the point of the drill and
cheapening the labor of reaching
them. These sands occur in alternat-
ing strata of shales and some lime
and are ideal Judgment places for oil.
Thus in prospect well drilled last
summer by the U. S. Oil & Refining
Co. in this field at a depth of $40
feet oil sands were encountered of
workable dimensions at small cost,
that in other fields where erosion is
not so great might have been so