The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-02-25
TREASURE STATE FARM and LIVESTOCK
From the physical basis of black coal

From the physical basis of black coal
tar"
Crude Petroleum
One of the latest additions to our
industries. and one which probably
will outstrip all others in the future
is the production of crude petroleum.
While oil has been found here and
there in previous years in Montana.
it is only during the last two years
that the present of large quantities
OF crude petroleum has been estab-
lished beyond any question.
had the opportunity last summer
to go over the oil region on Cat
Greek in Fergus county, where wells
are today producing thousands of
barrels of an excellent grade of crude
oil. and l was greatly surprised at
the activity displayed all over that
section.
Where few years ago were the
most barren bad lands with only a
handful of settlers. there is today a
metamorphOsis going on of the most
interesting nature. Dozens of der
ricks, necessary for drilling. immense
machinery and boilers, smoke stacks
belching forth clouds of smoke, the
blowing of whistles and all the hus-
tie and hustle of a busy industrial
activity. preceding the spudding in
Of an oil we'll are everywhere in evil
dence. Many companies are engaged
at present to drill through the vari-
Gus geological strata to reach the
lakes of crude oil covered by them.
1t is certainly a remarkable pheno-
menon which this panorama of the
Fergus county oil regions presents to
the visitor. Besides the develop
ment of the many oil wells, the pros
pect for oil refineries is practically
assured and what that means can
easily be imagined by those closely
following this new field of mining.
1t means not only the employment
of hundreds of skilled men, but also
the development of other new indus
tries made possibly by the discovery
Of crude oil in Montana. Crude pet
roleum is needed more than ever on
account of the tremendously increas-
ed automobile transportation. The
inorganic theory Of the formation of
crude petroleum in the inners of the
earth maintains that it is formed by
water coming in contact with metal
lie carbides. 1t decomposes them.
yielding various gases. liquid and
solid hydrocarbons. which constitute
petroleum.. Moisson. Berthelot and
Mendeieeff have made many expert
ments to prove that this is possible.
Although the inorganic theory OF
the origin of petroleum has perhaps
few supporters. yet they can boast of
world famed chemists among their
ranks Sabatier has recently carried
out experiments from which he con-
cludes that petroleum is formed in
the earth as the result of the action
of acetylen gas and hydrogen on the
iron, nickel and cobalt.
The organic theory of petroleum
creation is based upon the formation
of marsh gas from decaying vegetable
and animal matter under exclusion
of air.
From petroleum, pharmacy re.
ceives valuable substances, such as
gasoline, petroleum ether. benzine
vaseline, paraffine. liquor petrolatum
and asphaltum, etc.
Shalc Oil
Related to the petroleum industry
is the dry distillation of shale rock
extensively found in Montana. From
it shale oil rich in gasoline, ammon'
ium sulphate and a black tar con
tanning sulpho bases are obtained.
1t is said that the oil recovered
from shale can be most profitabl!
converted into gasoline. The gaso
line from shale oil has much lower
boiling point than that produced
from crude petroleum. Besides
gasoline. an excellent lubricating OF
and high melting paraffine are OBJ
tanned. Each ton of shale will pro
duce approximately 20 pounds of am
monium sulphate, used largely IL
chemistry and as fertilizer. The
shale oil industry. therefore. has {
splendid future in our state and vii
materially add to our present natura
resources.
StOckraising
AS far as pharmacy is concerned
the stockraising industry OF Montan;
furnishes directly and indirectl,
Va VIC IlOSl u
tically employed substances. Thi
/ is especially true as far as organo
| therapy is concerned. In bygon
ages the COW was most valuable TO
the production of milk, butter. chees
and her hide; the OK for meat an,
leather: the sheep for it's mutto
chops and wool; the hog for it's mea,
lard and bristles.
To these. however, modern scienc
has added many substances obtaine
as by-products in the slaughtering G
live stock. Even the horse has re
ceived its place in medicine by II
use in making the antitoxine so bene
ficially employed in the preventio
and cure of that dreaded diseas,
diphtheria. What a wonderful trea,
ure of active medicinal substances
hidden in some of the organs of thes