The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-06-22
Billions Of Barrels of
Oil Locked in Rocks
BY GUY ELLIOT MITCHELL
of the United States Geological Survey

Is the United states facing a gasoline
famine2 Shall We be required TO for
go automobiling to meet the stern ne
eessities Of war and of unitarian traf-
nc? Are our petroleum. helds showing
81 gns OF sxhaustion2
The output Of petroleum has not yet
begun to diminish; statistics show that
II is stIIl increasing: yet the DOWN. ard
trend OF production from the pres
ent oil nelds is plainly in sight
The war has made sudden and an
enormously increasing demand On the
OIL felds OF America. and though the
industry has never been 50 feverishly
active as IL Is now and the output new
er large. the truth ia that the de-
mand has not been entirely met.
Many OF the host of larges vessels
that we are now building Will be
equipped with cf-burning furnaces
and the vast swarm OF airPlanes that
We are building. as well as the thous-
ands Of automobiles ard trucks that
we are turning cut will consume an
enormous quantity of gasoline.
1t IS 5ast ct this juncture that we
have made = discovery that has dis
closed what is undoubtedly enc Of our
generations to come will enable the
United States 10 maintain its suprem-
scy over the rest Of the world as a
producer of crude oil and gasoline and
incidentally of armenia as highly val
liable by product. We have discover
ed that we possess mountain ranges Of
rock that will yield billions of bar
rels of oil.
For many years travellers going west
through the Grand River Valley Of
Colorado and into the great Uinta Ba-
SIN OF eastern Utah have looked from
the windows of their Pullman cars on
the far-stretching miles and miles Of
Book Clin Mountains. little realizing
that in these and adjoining mountains
plainly exposed tc view. lay the great
est oil reservoir in the country-the oil
shales Of Colorado, Utah. wyoming and
Nevada.
ROCKS THAT BURN FREELY
These shales. 1t Is true. were known
to yield oil. Campers and hunters
r building Hres against pieces Of the
rack had been surprised TO hnd that
they igEited and burned. and investi-
garon showed that they contain oil,
The fact was looked upon. however.
as only another of the natural curios-
tiles of the great West and little or No.
attention was paid to it because Of the
seemingly inexhaustible pools OF crude
petroleum found elsewhere under great
areas.
In connection with its investi cations
Of the undeveloped mineral resources
Of the country the United States Geo
logical Survey has recently made spe-
cial studies and tests Of thees oil rocks
and has brought to light two import
ant facts: First. that our western
shales are phencmenally rich in oil
and second. that in foreign countries
particularly Scotland. much inferior
shaIes are today successfully mined
and worked as source Of oil and 9TH
er commercial products. The in
dustry in Scotland is seventy years old
and is still in a highly hcurishing con-
dition
OIL PROFTTABLY DISTILLED
FROM sHALE IN SCOTLAND.
The Scotch shales run only about
IS gallons of oil to the ton: vet the
principal operating companies Compel
.nE with the petroleum industry paw
annual dividends averaging Is per cent
Rock producing even as low as 20 gal
lans of oil a ton is yielding good div1-
bends. That shaies in ire western
United States are far richer in oil than
those of Scotland.
In the Scotch plants the rock is heat
ed in retorts arranged in banks Of four
over a single fre-box and a unique
feature OF the process IS that the gas
derived from the shale is the fuel used
forobtaining the oil and other pro-
ducts. The retorts are grouped in
benches of 81 and each retort reduces
about tons CT rock a day. Some 5.
100000 tons are treated annually. The
vapors pass from the retorts into con-
densers in which the crude oil is de-
posted. and thea on into chamber in
which the ammonia is collected.
QUANTITY OF OIL IN
AMERICAN sHALEs ENORMOUS
The total production of petroleum in
the United tSates up TO 1918 has been
Assoc 900 barrels. and the possible
future production. or the total reserve
in the ground-and some OF il lies
very deep-is estimated BY the Federal |
Government at about 1000. Ood. 800 bar !
rels
How does this petroleum campars
with the known oil-shale reserve? /
The quantity OF oil that can be ex-
the petroleum reserve becomes almost /
insignificant by com parison. As /
result of only a partial Investigation. /
il is estimated that the oil in the shale ]
ranges OF Colorado alone amounts to (
10000, 100000 barrels There are |
rnountains-indeed ranges OF moan /
tains-which for many miles carry |
thick beds Of rock that yield 80 10 so /
gallons Of oil to the ton.
More recently the State geologist Of !
Colorado has reported that n north ]
western Colorado beds Of commercially !
work-roek that average more than 30 /
feet OF thickness and that will yield /
a least SIS gallons Of oil to the ton /
are found in an area extending over !
1900 square miles. These figures /
show a content of $4,000 600 barrels Of !
oil to the square mile. or a total of So I
00o. 900 900 barrels for the area. Eth |
er twenty billion or thirty six billion /
is sufficiently impressive.
No man who owns a motor-car will |
tail to rejoice that the United States !
Geological Survey Is pointing the way |
70 supplies OF gasoline which can meet !