Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-09
PLENTY OF OIL
SHALE FOUND IN
WESTERN STATES
Can Be Made to Yield Oils
to a Greater Degree Than
Can Be Obtained From
Wells, Is Claim.
tpy The Associated Press.l

Washington, Aug. S.-Recent in
vestigations by the U. S, geological
survey are held by its experts TO
indicate that, in the Rocky noun
tain states, "there are enormous
quantities Of oil shales which can
be made to yield hydrocarbon oils
to q much greater extent than we
can hope to obtain from our oil
wells"
The shales are said to constitute
tremendous potential oil re-
serve.
1.-The oil shales of this country
says the report, contain enor-
nous quantities of oil, but large
amounts Of money will have to be
invested before the oil shale In
dustry becomes of commercial inn
portance. Estimates by various en-
gineers Of the cost of a complete
retorting plant, handling 900 tons
daily, are between 100000 and
100000.
Must Spend Large Sums.
SIN this country the oil shale
industry cannot be developed over
night and probably can not attain
success until large sums of money
have been spent in perfecting min
ing, retorting and refining meth
DDS. A company to be successful
must be able to employ the best
technical, business and engineer
ing skill available, be prepared tc
70 ~, 1orra cno1a md ho 81.
nancially strong enough to wal
several years for any large return
on the money invested"
The report declares that 1t il
unfortunate that a large number
of. the many companies organized
to deal with oil shale are devot
ing their efforts to stock selling
rather than assisting in building
a firm basis for the industry.
A summary of the report fol
lows:
There are no commercial oil
shale plants operating in this coun
try at the present time, although
there Is a well established industr.
in Scotland.
Many American shale deposits
are richer in recoverable oil thar
Scotch shales now being worked
and probably nearly equal in nj
trogen content, which is measur
of recoverable ammonia.
Market conditions for shall
products are less favorable in thi
country than in Scotland.
Greater quantities of American
shales are of greater thickness an,
better suited for mining thai
Scotch shales.
AS yet no process for obtainin
oil from oil shale has been used il
actual commercial practice in thi
country.
Indications are that the Unite
State cannot continue long to de
pend on demosetic petroleum pro
duction to supply completely tn
demand for petroleum products
and that sooner or later our o
shale1 will have to be used to hel
supply the deficit. 2 ~ 's-
The oil shale industry cannc
hope to supplant the petroleum in
dustry In large way for man
years, but will probably grow u
from local industries in favorabl
places.
Cost of Operations.
Costs of shale operations ca
not be reliably estimated unit
commercial practice in this coun
try furnishes the necessary data.
The quantity, quality and valu
of products and by-products to b
obtained from oil shale in thi
country are not known with an
degree of certainty.
The oil shale industry is a larg
scale, low-grade, raw material
manufacturing enterprise, requir
ing large capital, high technica
and business ability and probabl
making slow return on the invest
ment. Once economic condition
become favorable for the devel
opment of the oil-shale industr
and satisfactory mining, retortin
and refining processes worked ou
and markets established, Their
should he ordinary husinesS riS