The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-26
In the Oil Fields

matter in no way resembling coke,
though 1t contains some fixed car
bon.
The extensive and remunerative
treatment in Great Britain of oil
shales in completion with natural
oils, has only been made possible by
the high price. well sustained. OF
sulphate OF ammonia, which latter
IL produced bN using waste sulphuric
acid from the oil refinery TO combine
with ammonia liberated from the
shale during dist!llation.
Again shales which yield the most
petroleum generally give the least OF
ammonia water, and vice versa: but
the nature of the product depends
also on the retort. temperature OF
distillation, and the quantity OF
steam admitted to the retorts.
There has been a good deal put
forward to support the exploitation
OF the sbale industry here. with re-
gard TO the shale deposits lately dis
covered and about to be worked In
Norfolk county, England, by the Oil
Fields company, ltd, but that term
Is a misleading one as far as this
article goes, Tor inc deposit there
is at n minor depth throughout. can
be worked largely from the surface
and instead of shale ought to be
called what IT Is. "Ozorkerlte," this
mineral having n specific gravity of
.S50-.950, whereas most other native
bltumens have density exceeding
unity.
IL Is n matter of record that the
companies that were working the
shale deposits of Scotland have not
paid satisfactory dividends for some
years, and that their present output
10 4.
nigh price obtained FOR suiphate or
ammonia, they would have to work
at financial loss and according to
the latest reports from London. the
Scottish shale companies have been
bought by the Anglo Persian com
pany, who hope by the admixture OF
Persian crude and shale oil, to OBJ
tain -a~better and paying product.
In certain district in Colorado.
a well known geological engineer
was asked 10 give an estimate for
the erection of "A plant for the dis
tillation of the shales in that state
and after a thorough study OF the
matter and an examination OF the
production, looked at all angles. gave
1t as his opinion that at that date. IL
would cost at the least 100000 20
build "a plant to distill the product
/ In a satisfactory manner. that price
not In any manner including work
of getting the shale to the plant, mot
| Including the purchase OF equipment
OF tank cars and tanks for oil stor-
age. and the numerous other incl
dentals that would have TO be OBJ
ltained before they could market thu
| final product after refining in COM
/ petition with oil companies getting
/ the same product from petroleum
| wells and he was laughed to scorn.
| The same company hired another
man and he expended over 100000
| In experimenting. and In the end the
plant was abandoning and the
money wasted.
II It were possible 20 obtain shale
and mine the same as the iron ores
.of the Mesaba are mined with a
rsteam shovel from the surface, the
cost would be materially lowered,
! but as IL has at the present time TO
be mined as is coal, with all the kim
dred expenses attached thereto, In
! the shape OF cost of labor. mine
drops, tramways, ventilation in the
| shape of shafts and the hundred
and one things that go 10 make a
coal mine owners life anything hut
a nest of roses, TO say nothing OF the
unionsm OF the labor unit, makes
the cost almost prohibitive at the
start, for II must be borne in mind
that the same class of skilled labor
is required in nearly all localities
to mine as 1t does to mine coal.
Good oil bearing shale Is a sub
stance. in most instances as tough as
rubber and as hard to cut and
handle. lies In the major part in
narrow seams, and lot of labor,
which has TO be paid for, is neces-
sary to get rid OF the other matter