The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1919-11-29
aEO sHALE PLANTS
PREPARE TO OPERATE

rlko correspondence Reno Gazette:
rss production of oil from shale is
80 newest Nevada industry in Ne
-. as well as in the United States.
s,.v.da leads in this industry as two
.,.nts have been constructed here for
-, nurpose and both have made
thor runs that have proved, accord
me to the men in charge that the dis
,IIation of high grade oils from shale
!. not only a commercial possibility
but a fact.
The Catlin Oil Shale Company has
.vacted a plant about a mile and a
s.,f directly south of the city of
r,ro. The plant consists of a super
,satted drum around which are
placed in verticle positions eight 9TH
A. smaller drums In which the shale
a placed for distillation. Steam is
used TO heat the shale and carry the
oils in gas form to retorts where 1t is
condensed into gasoline and the diff
terent grades Of motor oil. the final
stem in retorting being the recovery
~ maritime. The Catlin company
have already distilled over 5000 gall
Inns of oil while experimenting with
the plant and the different stratas of
sbale. This company has q small
village at its workings which consists
Of the plant proper as well as the
shops necessary for the carrying on
Of the work. a hotel and several cot
taees. A large number of men are
employed at the plant and as soon as
the machinery is perfected, which
will be but a short time, the regular
PRODUCTION of oil will be started In a
large way. say the operators.
The other plant, financed by the
Southern Pacific railway and other
interests and erected under the SUI
peryision of the United States bureau
Of mines, Is located a mile south of
the city of Elko and was recently
fred up for test runs on the different
shales In this locality. Many shale
stratas have been opened up and
tested and nearly all OF them show at
least a barrel of oil to the ton Of shale
and some of them run as high as
three barrels to the ton. This shale
plant is a patented process and has
been In use in Scotland for a number
Of years. AS all shales differ some
what, slight alterations had to be
made to get the best results from
the local shales.
The Catlin plant is a new process
and is one that has been invented by
r. M. Catlin who has made several
trips to the oil shale fields OF Europe
before making an attempt to reyolu-
tionize the industry by building this
plant. 1t is much faster than the
other processes In that there are but
two steps through which the gases
must go to be refined while there are
six to eight steps in the other pro-
Catlin, who invented the pro-
cess, also invented the modern auto
matte shotgun while he was connect
ed with the mines at Tuscarora in the
old boom days OF that famous camp.
Eminent biologists have estimated
there is enough oil shale in the
lntermountain country to supply the
world with oil for eight generations
least, once a process for handling
1t is perfected.
Cost records show that IL costs an
average OF S2.57 a ton to mine, retort
and refine oil shale which averages
one barrel of forty-two gallons to the
ton, according to the company. The
price of the refined products
from one barrel of shale oil amounts
to $3.50 divided as follows: Case
line, fifteen gallons at eighteen cents,
lubricating oil, twenty-five
gallons at thirty cents. $3.50, and
the other products consisting of par
affine wax, asphaltic residue and am
sulphate, at $2.70.
That Nevada will be the leading
State in this new industry is not
doubted by those In close touch with
the growth of this new and immense
Industry.