Show oil 01 1 development possibilities near delta millard county delta utah may 10 F L barou in an old time oil prospector and resident of this place who has been engaged for the past several weeks in looking over millard county for petroleum indications had this to say with respect to results of his investigations to begin with this valley lies in the tertiary formation and while this formation is not the greatest producer of oil in the united states it nevertheless does produce more than half of tho the petroleum of tae world I 1 find that oil seeps in domestic water wells are of common occurrence in many localities that I 1 have visited I 1 have been informed by two prominent water well v ell dr illers who have had wide experience in drilling for water in this vicinity that they have found oil at depths ranging from feet to feet and in one instance a well vell had to be abandoned for domestic purposes on account of oil and gas oil in springs and water wells on the eastern rim of the valley where the structure flanks the mountain range there are to be found springs with unmistakable oil seeps in this vicinity between holden and fillmore some desultory efforts at drilling for oil have been made during the past fifteen years year S little T information can be had regarding the log of these wells but from what I 1 gather they were all shallow wells some five or six in number and none could be regarded as a test well some fieten years ago a state appropriation was made for the purpose of drilling for artesian water flows in millard county A site was selected on a farm owned by H stevens situated four miles west of fillmore and a well was put down to a depth of f feet no water flow was struck but I 1 have it from james A melville a well known banker and capitalist of this county who was connected with the management of this well that petroleum of good quality but small quantity was struck one standard rig well is capped about three years ago a close corporation came in with a standard rig and put down a well on this same site starting with a twelve inch hole As to what depth was attained or what results were accomplished I 1 was unable to learn although I 1 asked tho the manager who is stil in fillmore lie he said he was not permitted to give out any information regarding the well as his company was desirous of getting enough leases to justify a test well drilling campaign on broad and comprehensive lines however this gentleman did volunteer the information that his people in the event of oil being found in commercial quantities was ready to construct a pipe line from utah to san sail francisco this well site is on pretty structure situated as it is on a low dome about three fourths of a mile long and a half mile wide sloping to the east and to the west while on the north and the south it intersects an anticline at right angles these antiel anticlines anti clines hies rise to a height of from to feet above the surrounding terrain the standard rig is still on the ground and the well is cappe capped oil indications are numerous one familiar with the oil game can not go about in this great valley which is miles long by fifty miles wide without being impressed its possibilities as an oil field with its immense gypsum beds chalk beds salt deposits and sulpha springs all of which are regarded by some of the foremost oil geologists as being the end products in natures process in the making of petroleum this valley for the most part lying as it does in a high state or original repose with occasional low upholds and gentle ridges running from one to five or lan ien miles in length surrounded as they are by great areas of nearly level terra affords afford a broad subterranean base for the oil to gather into the structure from these indications and condit conditions ioas and the absence of great faults on the one hand and with no great river escarpments to cut the oil measures and denude the oil sands making a possible escape by seepage ages ago it would seem that the oil must be with us still it therefore seems to me that intelligent effort in the development of this field should bring substantial and profitable results |