The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-08-11
GRAND FINALE OF
SHALE DISCUSSION

Dear Sir:-It seems to me, from a
perusal of the latest effusion of the
Elko Independent in regard to oil
shale. that the editor of that sheet is
In the rather piffling position of as
| suming that your correspondent is at
tempting to decry an infant industry
of Elko. the Catlin shale oil plant. In
so doing. and in attempting to defend
a matter which requires no defense
the editor is starting all over again on
the circular track of inaccurate
claims. which gives to stock sellers
nearly all the publicity they need and
which must be serious obstacle To
the development of shale-oil indus
try in this country.
Why cannot the editor of the Elko
Independent and the editor of the
Denver Post give some attention to
the important matter of oil shale and
qualify themselves to give valuable
publicity to this important matter?
Their use of words, particularly of
technical terms, Is to say the least
irresponsible. This gives the sharp
ers the very opportunity they appre-
ciate so highly.
Let us revert to first principles
again In another effort to make some
simple facts ineligible to the
realing public. 1t is not news
that there Is "shale oil plant" at
Elko. There are other and larger
ones in Colorado and Utah. These
plants distil shale and produce
crude oil somewhat similar to pc
troleum, but in reality very different
because of a paraffin instead of as
phalt base. This is not new, because
IL was done nearly two hundred years
ago. AS l pointed out in a previous
letter, the Mormons in Utah also used
some shale oil fifty years ago.
By external application of heat
termed by scientists destructive dis
tillation"-the shale is reduced to an
ash, the oil and gas content escaping
and being gathered and condensed.
This sounds very simple. but the
ration in the process-every differ
ence In time from one hour to one
hundred the intensity of heat, the APP
plication of moisture, the size of
shale In the retort, the removal of
ash. the methods of condensation
produces a different crude oil.
A distillation unit, such as the In
dependent speaks OF. may possibly
produce fifty barrels OF crude oil In
twenty-four hours. II would easily
require six hundred tons of material
(Which he mentions) to construct 1t.
Can you imagine from that what
size plant would be required. with
present processes. to supply COM
mercial refining plant of. say, ten
thousand barrels day capacity?
Your arithmetic will tell you.
Let me repeat and keep repeating.
for the benefit OF these newspaper
men who are supplying swindlers
with ammunition and placing OBJ
stacles In the way of the development
of what will sooner or later be a
necessary industry. that shale oil Is
not refined except as an experimental
laboratory process.
That means It Is not commercial
product. Nobody has yet imagined.
so far as / know. that shale can be
distilled at a cost which will permit
oil to be used as fuel. Shale oil refin-
ing Is not even in the prehistoric
stage" which the Elko editor talks Of
II has not even commenced. CONNER
cially. For an editor to write that
Crude oil is reduced to its many by
products" is arrant nonsense. Crude
oil is refined into commercial forms.
and from this process result the by
products which often are fed to man.
kind as medicine" Refining shale
into crude OIL" as mentioned by the |
Elko editor. is grotesque idea.
or course there Is crude oil at the |
Catlin plant, and at the plant at Wat
son, Utah, and at De Beque, Colorado. |
and at Rio Blanco. and at other
places. Not one word in any of these |
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