The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-07-29

areas is not Justihable, although IN
some such areas the chances are ten
TO one that it will be found.
"Ol Finders and "Oil Witches"
In spite of all these facts some men
who call themselves "diviners" "oil
finders" oil witches" and other names
suggestive Of unusual powers pre-
tend TO be able with or without the
assistance of Instruments to detect
unfailingly the presence Of oil in pay
| ing quantity. Nearly all the methods
employed by these men are based up
on superstition or upon some supposed
super natural practice, just as were
the methods of the old-time alchemists.
who claimed the power to change lead,
iron. and other base metals to gold.
Some of these "oil witches" simply
use forked stick, like the peach tree
twig or the hazel wand of the water
witches" Others have elaborate instru-
ments, fitted with magnets and coils.
supposed to work through "magne-
tism." or provided with parts made of
platinum, gold. silver, copper. lead,
iron. or some other metal, supposed to
work through affinity of metals"
These men are usually ready to prove
the correctness of their guesses with
somebody else's money. but there is
hardly "A record of an "oil witch" risk
ing his own money on his certain
knowledge" and of the thousands of
devices tested not one has proved to
be of the slightest value as a means
of finding oil. Now and then. of course,
oil is struck at a place chosen by the
use of one of these devices, for in a
region where oil may exist occasional
success in finding it by any means is
Inevitable. A great many of the best
oil fields in the United States were
found by blind, random drilling, with
no attempted guidance either scien-
tihc or supernatural. AS one saga
cious old driller remarked, Even
blind pig roofing for nuts is bound to
find some if there are plenty of them
and he hunts long enough"
Some Erroneous Beliefs.
A number of erroneous popular be
liefs about the occurrence of oil de- !
serve particular mention 1t is some |
times said that oil occurs below the |
surface of the ground in some re-
gions just as water does in others. This |
would mean that a well in an oil re-
gion is as likely to strike petroleum |
as a well in a bearing region is |
likely to strike water-that the oil is |
in an almost continuous |
sheet beneath extensive parts of the /
country. This is not true Another |
statement frequently heard is that the |
oil forms an underground stream" /
and that "a lucky location for a we'll /
must lie over the STREAM" Expensive |
md frritless drilling has repeatedly /
shown that such streams" of oil do |
not exist A belief that is strongly |
held in some parts OF the country is I
that oil pools arc c0nusoteti-that (
some channel connects the pools in an
)l region. This belief is absolutely |
iisproved by the ranks of barren wells /
That encircle practically every pro-
iucing oil pool i'm the world. Another
wrong idea is that petroleum occurs
IN underground ponds or lakes. In
fact prospectuses of some oil COM
oanies refer to lakes and rivers of /
,il." giving the idea af great caverns
iled with oil. Not a single such cav
srn has been found in any oil field in
he United States oil is really con
aimed in the tiny openings between
grains of sand, in the pores and crew
ces of a crystalline limestone, or, as
II the largest wells in the compare
lively small openings of very porous
ock.
Where Petroleum Is Found
Petroleum is contained in the rocks
hat underlie certain parts of the coun-
ry. Most oil is found in beds of sand.
or limestone. but associated
With these beds there are invariably
hale Improperly called slate by
he oil mem and clay. In practically
very producing oil region of the world
,eds of limestone or sandstone lie
etWeen thick beds of shale or clay. A d
egion without these rocks has small
respect of containing commercially
aluable accumulations of petroleum.
certain other kinds of rock, such as {
\ NtAAANNf r,N'A'ot oNANAHAf anu NNeAi AalAIf
re distinctly unsuited to form oil II
eds and drilling in such cracks is a /
ure waste of money and time. OF D
curse. as there are exceptions to all a
Iles, a few recorded wells have struck c
il below rocks such as those indicated. / Z
at no paying oil field has yet been C
oened in such rocks.
In every oil field little oil is scat {
red SO generally through the oil &
caring beds that well reaching these n
EDS at almost any place is likely to @
IT "a showing" such as a rainbow f
'lored film on the drilling water, but n
! i'm paying quantities is found only
comparatively small pools" In
ese pools practically every tiny 8
,ening i'm the oil bearing bed is filed
18th oil or with the gas that generally
it.
The formation of an oil pool appears
depend on several conditions, though
her conditions that are not yet clear
recognized or defined may account
T. the absence of pools where the E