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Show IT jsc - . : JfCJi- B jV : I and Intermountain Country .. J3y ALBERT F. PHILIPS --ZZ- ' -:::3 j' Center Colob Range. In r? : I , There is oil in Utah! There js oil in 1 , . I j commercial quantities! There is oil in ' j J ' sufficient, qunnit.iy (lint will necessitate I . r 1 ji pipe lino Iti bring it. to tjie railroad I i ,; or which will cause tho railroad to build I . a line In (lie oil region? I 1 I ; 13 ii t. tho oil region, the oil well, is not. L fir f at St. George. It is thirty miles nwav I it-. from St. George ami Ihe nil region will I. 4 nut about as much figure with Si . fieorge I " I ! as does Spanish TorR hi the 1? io Grande system or would Morgan In the Oregon I p Short Line-Union Pacific system. SI. I ' . George lias three things, tho temple, the I j ' courthouse and the Snow house, the I '! ' j lat.ier a good hotel.- When these arc t - mentioned that ends mention of St. v j George. I j t' About Virgin City. I I j In the southeastern part of Washing i I ion county, in the sonthoasl quarter of A " ' . section 2 and the uoitheasl quarter of j : , section "27, township 1 south, range 12 J I i, west. Salt Lake meridian, is situate , il j. Virgin City. H is a hniulet of perhaps iu ' twenty-five families, at least, that is J iL ! what, the oldest inhabitant elaims for r :, it. Last Thursday the people of this k 1 hamlet observed Pioneer day, the six- fl ' if tieth anniversary of the advent of the t j t pioneers into l'tah. 1 It is not that long . ' since the piotmcrs invaded the region x ( in and around Virgin, '10 might, bo ; 1,1 ty stated as tho lime, lor no resident in u 3 that loealitv can tell when il. was set- f 1 I'. ! Jlc1- The "oldest, inhah'tnnt will tell i, r j : you that ho has been there ''nigh on f i ' . to forty years," but the c.aet lime ; I J ' ': he cannot or will not give. ! ! i S ', ' ' Be that as it may, Virgin City exists; v' ij 'j' but, why, no ono knows, tt has been I j ' fj and it is now almost inaccessible, and ! 1' yet it is the mecea of hundreds of pen- : 'j ' pie, while tho eyes of thousands of ' ; v others are turned toward that section j ,U i ' ;i l'm eount-. Why Because oil, n 'j j- licirolcuni, has been discovered there. HI . j; To roach Virgin City requires a long i :i stage rido of ninety miles over a road ;f J . i, ,J ; t that kicks a great deal of being a bed f, i l V i ' f roses. But just now it is the mccca 1 of many, for ono and a half miles 1 ' .1 - northeast, the earth lias yielded up its L 1 f ' treasure and oil has )ourcd forth, not ilfix : in small quantilcs, but in commercial rYr I quantities. f ':;, Where Oil Well Is Located, j ' l' On tho southwest quarter of section ' , ') Jy, township 41 south, range 12 west. 'M , ' Salt Lake meridian, is located the first J, ' i . oil well ever drilled in Utah. In this , ( jl ' connection it might be said that L'tah !l? 11' people did not drill it. The residents 'jll i f l'u-' loealitv cited have known for i ! ',-.. years that oil, or wax, or asphalt, or I. I i' sojiiethiug out of the ordinary existed i , I in the region in which they lived, but ' . v Ihey made no mention of it. In fact, I ' , they do not mention anything else, t H ; ! ' Why? The reason is apparent, when 'j! ' J it. is said they are all good tithe-payers. Mil .'( .j. At the point named in tho Government '.(III (j survey is a portion of a great canyon, f ' jl a chasm cleft in the range of what is 2 if t . designated by the United Stales Geo- (I- i ; f logical Survey as the "Colob Plateau' j j In elevation it is about .'MOO feet above I'M W i. the .sea. North creek threads the cau- A i yon. its waters heading away up in the . f f i: i, ', range, perhaps fifty miles east of Lcll- ,1 ,r j I I viow. On this creek oil seepage had M jji ; f been found a number of yetirs ago, ' (( K ' b'esidents of Virgin Citv knew it, but 'l jrel they said nothing. Whv? It would jffi ' H bavo spoiled the "Sleepy Hollow" in V ? $ wliieh they lived, because strangers "i; ij 1 1 -would invade the territory; iicople who t't ff 1? did not; believe that Joseph F. Smith J ' j" r.-as the mouthpiece of God would come and this immigration might cause a revolution in the Slnto. Long ago those people, these residents of Virgin Ciiy and they are good j people, too were told that tho mineral wealth with whieh their county, their I section, their home, was underlaid, must. i not lie disturbed. Why? The Lord had I so willed through the" church prophets of the hierarchy. And they marveled. Hut their mouths were sealed. The prophet had spoken. Geutilos Find Float Oil Rock. Several yearn ago ungodly Gentiles i in driving over the region about Virgin City noticed float of oil rock. They traced this Moat for miles. Over hill and mountain, through canyon and valley, val-ley, along si renins and up into t he Wasiileh range they traced the float. A location was made. Monuments wore erected marking these locations. But these invaders were poor, they wore without means. The stories they told were believed by many, but those to whom they talked were like themselves without means and those who had the world's goods in plenty did not deem it wise to invent. Down in Nevada is u town bearing tho name of l?hyolite. It is in tho Bullfrog district. Salt Lakers know the locality, for they have large investments invest-ments there. In this Nevada town, tho metropolis of that section of .Nevada, live two young men, Fred lleniick and .1. F. Jiusch, the latter one of the founders of the town. Talked About Oil Fields. Oncfduy a man drifted into their place of business and talked about tho oil fields of Southern Utah. He curried cur-ried along with his talk a good-sized jag. Perhaps this mado him garrulous. Pei haps not. But he talked. lie claimed to have been over the region around Virgin City, and the young men with whom he talked were impressed. They suggested that their talkative friend go back to the region with some "lie whom t lie v might name and locate. Tho man with the jag declined. He was willing, howosar, for a slight recompense rec-ompense to yield up the locality where he had seen "signs of oil." but ho did not want to go back. Hence another was substituted. The young men named grubstaked the other fellow. Hp started for Virgin City. He got there. He prospected, lie talked with natives. Meanwhile he was locating and electing monuments monu-ments to mark his claims. When ho was through work 11.000 acres had been located and then he returned to Rhy6-lite. Rhy6-lite. He told his story to the men who grubstaked him. And the reward promised prom-ised was given. Development Company Formed. Then a company known as the Virgin River Oil and Development, company was incorporated under the laws of Nevcda with a capital stock of $1,000, j 000, with a par value of $1 tier share. These officers were chosen: Fred Tieni- ' ick, president; .ludge L. O. Bay, vico j president; F. n. Stickney. treasurer; .1. Ji. Bnsch, secretary. These gciitle- , men, with William Taylor, George I Morris and Pat. Holohan. constituted the companv. The prospectus defining I the policy of the company read in part , as follows: ; The lompi'tiy's policy is action. It lias I 'Mono thiiiKK." Its slogan Is decfla, not wonls. Before the Incorporating pnjiurs were filed a drilling outilt cnpablo of iltillingr U000 fee: wa on the car at r.oa Angeles billed for L,und. Uta:i, the ncar-1 ncar-1 est railroad point. In addition, a repre- Jgtt3yy.-T'!''g'--f ..1''",1 ' 1 '".'"..'"' " T" 1 fx""' VjS.-!llr-J'T''-"'-'IriJl!f ."cntativo wns sent Into tno Held with two expert n men to Holorl a drilling slto j and arrniiKO for active operations. Tho ; offoeL of thlH ai Vliiclu City wan Kieiiler tlian even tiiius'Inoc!. As scum as tho holders of adjoining tjronnd realized that nl Inst people were Hit "rented who wcro alive; that they noc only meant IiurIiiosh, but were aeLnnlly Ktartlnt; openiilons. tliey deedod lo i he company portions of their Krouud lu consideration of tho company com-pany pmtliifr down the first well. The coinpuny now holds recorded deeds for over 11.000 ncres of bind-an asset ihat when oil Is struck will notice it the. rich- ' - -t.lnn In . Mlditln et. ' east over the country through tho medium me-dium of tho press associations, and no doubt thousands of dollnm worth of slock has been sold upon their hot-air stories. Now the facts are that not a singlo Los Angeles man has invested a dollar toward the development of the Utah oil fields, unlcsn it be in the stock of a companv which has thus far done nothing. noth-ing. The writer knows whereof ho speaks. He has been , there, has spent eight days in tho field. He was sent; there by The Tribune to obtain tho facts aa they exist. This he has done. They are presented herewith. Ono won has been put down by Nevada Ne-vada men. the Virgin Blver Oil and Development eompr.:iy. Two rigs are now on the way for I fie purpose of sinking sink-ing wells on lands owned by George Montgomery, the well known Nevada mining man, who is now on the ground. Utah Men to Drill. Another rig has been ordered by Utah rtrp Hfiri-l' i .In. scpli, speaker of'the last House of Hep-resontatives Hep-resontatives of Salt Lake, and Rudolph Ivuchler of Ogden, floor lender of the majority in liio last House; of Benre-senlatiVes Benre-senlatiVes in the General Assembly, j These gentlemen will begin tho work of sinking a well on land 1000 feet distant dis-tant from the present well within thirty days. Thus it will be seen that the hot-air angels from the Golden Stato are doing nothing but talkiug. The Utah gentlemen named have been upon the ground; thoy have looked the field over. Soveral days were spent in Butto Near Virgin City Oil Well. M might, however, bo' pined to oam, Inov.. which is 2000 feet lower than Virgin City. Log of the Drillers. Ue.ro is the log of the drillers fhow-mg fhow-mg the work from tho date of begtn-ing begtn-ing down to date: June 20 Drill began work at o'clock a. m. and depth of thirty-three feet was reached, twenty-two ot winch wa s through sand and boulders. XW5 b-T: ' . J. f I" ; , K 0 25000 &C A?V. - 8 11 Ci'i n i i .ill Hi.. jm M n Routes to TJtah Oil Fields. Big-hearted Pat FTolohan was sent to the scene. With him wero B. M.. Bussey and f. E. Wilcox. These men were oij experts. Holohan was an all-around miner, the other two wcro oil experts from, the Fast. Holohan had worked in the mines nl Miners Doiight in Wyoming Wyo-ming years ago. He wandered into the oil fields of that State. He later went to Gem. Ida., and thenco to Bnkers-lield. Bnkers-lield. Cal. He knew how to do things. He has done Ihom. The fruit of hi--la.bor has matured. Pioneer Oil Men. People laughed at Holohan when he started with the "rig" to tlx- Virgin Vir-gin City fields. Others jeered at Wilcox and Bussey for going. But they went. Getting the "rig" lo Virgin Citv was an awlul task. The romflay tlirough Twist canyon, eight miles of 'the worst road imaginable, but difficulties were overcome. Ihe "rig." including engine en-gine and. boilor. were finally placed In position on Ihe site named, and at !J o'clock on the morning of June 20 the drill began to penetrate the earth. Boring for oil in Utah was begun. be-gun. The development of an industry which was to revolutionize Utah was started. Meanwhile ihe natives got. excited ex-cited and rather than have others outside out-side of ihe "Lord's chosen people" take lands, began making locations 1 li'jinsclves. Result: a territory twenty-five twenty-five miles wide, extending "from the northwest corner of Arizona, through 'Washington, Iron, Kane and Garfield counties. Utah, a distance of 150 miles, has been covered with nionument3 noting locations of oil claims. Los Angeles Busy. Then Lus Angeles people cot busv. The Ciiy of the Angels, while having many hot-air artists, docs things that is upon naper and the word was sent out of tli formation of .i number of companies. Thes companie.- have been exploited to tho skies. Honorable this and that has been mentioned as being connected with those- companies anH work on the wells was being rushed. The 'low from the several wells was nPogod to be, 2500 barrels per day, vitn a inimbtv gushert; and the country coun-try una being flooded with oil. All lliia read nicely. It was spread broad I . , -S . "'jgj-,-a'--- j the locality' where tho preseut woll is located, and the result is the purchase of 880 acres of land adjoining the quarter quar-ter section unon which the present well j has been drilled. Messrs. .Tosoph and j ! Kuehler arrived home yesterday. The i j writer met them in thb oil fields and I accompanied them home. The two gen- I j tlemen nrc wonderfully enthusiastic I over the outlook. They will organize : a company, but meanwhile will ship in : a "rig" and begin wgrk at once. In-i j ide. of thirty days I Key will be drill- 1 ing for oil. " I i Utah's First Oil Well. ' ; When Tho Tribune representative vis-itcd vis-itcd the oil well of the Virgin River Oil and Development company on Wed-i I ncsday and slated his mission, every! : facilitv was afforded him to ascer-! ascer-! tain tho facts. Two days were spent j at the well, whieh has now reached a j , depth of (310 feet. At a depth of soy-i soy-i enty-four feet, when limestone wns ; found, a trace of oil was found. At 1 a depth , of I1G feet considerable oil I and gas was found, and when ihe drill : reached a depth of 56G feet the first full I bailer of oil was brought un. The writer ' wns nrescnt. when tho drill penetrated ' j the oil snnds at 610 foot. After an hour's: drilling the drill was taken out and i j the bailer brought up nine and a half I j barrels of oil. This would mean a ; flow of 225 barrels per day. Superin I I tendent Holohan. who is very conserva tive. says the yield is a hundred bar- re Is per da v. j The. present well will not be shot, . nor will it be sunk deeper than at j present, as there is no way to care for i the oil, which is now poured into a pool, ff the well was shot and a giujlier struck, which the drill crew are confident con-fident will result, it would moan a I wasto of the fluid and the overflow of ! Ihe country with oil. The company ; will sink other wells at once. Absurd stories have been printed in , Salt Lnko papevs regarding the running , of a pipe lino from the. well to the ' railway at Modena or at Lund, the fluid to be carried by gravity. The : absurdly of this atafeihent will'bo seen when it is slated that Virgin Citv. 1 the locution of the well, is two thousand thou-sand foot lower than the railroad at cither of the points named. Tho oil i dune aO Drill penetrated twenty-two ieel through red shale. .Inly 1 Drill dropped fortv feet. At seventy-four feet limestone was struck and the drill bored through nine feet or this; then red shale and sandstone was encountered, and at ninety feet a trace of oil was discovered. July 2-3 A depth of 221 feet, was reached, this through red shale. July 5 Vtv hard limestone encoun-I encoun-I tered, drill going through nine feet of i it. July G Total depth reached todav. 2n0 feet; through red shale,, all showing show-ing :c little oil. July 7 Thirty feet drilled throiMi red shale. " July S Sj,il drilling in red shale Day s work, fifty feet, making total depth ol 330 feet. At. this depth vas was encountered for first time. July 0 Forty feet mote through red shale. July 10 Considerable gas and oil en-eountured. en-eountured. Depth reached 115 feet. July 1J Drill dropped eightvfive leet, making the total depth .100 fc-t i iwn,s, '!.c,'vies'- 'lay's drilling.' '"l-y. l- Si--ty-si.v feet dor.,,, and at obG leer the core screw struck the m. V ' l!,c h!llt2r being full. 'p. drill then stuck and it was not removed until July 23. July '2-l-.pi ill again at wov.k 5ll oi, sands and last hour V. drilling w bailer was let down nine a.nl a Wlf barrels ot oil was bronchi up. s,wnw well ,a: capaclv of 225 barrels ,J, I ho drill will s op at 050 feet and well as stated, will not be shot for 10 reasons hcrclotore stated. This however, how-ever, will be done later. ' JCm The well is what i k,:o-vll as , well. li was only nccessarv to core ?t ' o a depih of thlrty-six .Vet and s incJ I.e.. the only water encountered X ;oK'ai.;V.hehdr.rrC" ' h..li ;noh stem and tooh cemnhte the ai.pamlus weighs 3500 pnu. l"' ,? Aiax iweutv horsepower egi '5m thirtv-fivc lorso-powor boiler V iL' for furnishing ,luwcr. T1(J isPat Holohan, B. M. Bussey and . t.. Wi,C0X" Aided by Nature. Nature's development for location r.r (he woll is 2000 feet and -within eight miles 1000 feet. At this Novation Nova-tion is a vein ten feet in tlnakncbH ol the finest variety of i'!cl oal. ' u tendency of the country is to dip to the northeast 1SS foci .to tho mile. A lime formation underlie!? all of irom 500 lo 700 feet in thickness, and according accord-ing to the Unitod States Geological Survey is of tho carboniferous ago. -On this break known as the Hurricane Ledge live oil can bo found for hi teen mile?, tho surface rock showing tho Jive oil. . ,, e Up to the date ot tho discovery o oil at Virgin City 925 locations for oil had been made in Washington county, and up to July 2li the records show an additional 150, making a total of 10 o or about 175.000 acres. Add to this the locations in the other counties, and the acreage will probably be a quartor- Ou the way home from tho oil field The Tribuno representative was informed in-formed that oil had been found near Gunlock in the southwest part of Washington Wash-ington county, the discoverer being W. J Truman of ICutorprise. 'I his disco dis-co verv is only one and a half miles from 'Gunlock "and the oil seeps out for 200 yards. A stampede to that locality is likely. Way to Virgin Fields. Tho discovory at Virgin City has caused a stampedo to that locality. There aro two ways to go from tho railroad. Ono from Lund via Cedar City, the other from Modena via St. George. No stage route runs direct to Virgin Citj. The route from Lund is by far the more preferable, as there are towns all along the route and the traveler can bo 1 airly well cared for at Toquer-ville. Toquer-ville. At Virgin City supplies aro giving out and it is difficult to find. a place to sleep only in the open air. iTenee blankots ha"d better "bo taken along, while a water bng or canteen is absolutely necessary. The route from Lund takes one across the north end of the JSsealaiitc desert thirty-five miles. Tho route from Modena via St.. George is over a horrible road .of sixty miles, and ihere 13 no stage line from St. George to the oil fields and private conveyances are hard to obtain at St. George. Travelers have had to wait at Modena for two or three da3-s to get out on the stage. Tho best way, the surest and most comfortable, is" to have a conveyance from Cedar City meet one or a party at Lund aud then go in via Cedar City. Unless this be dono many inconveniences inconve-niences will have to be put up with and hardships endured. The Tribune will be glad to impart any information rogarding the routes. WHAT IS PETROLEUM? Something About tho Liquid Which Find Is Now Exciting "Utali. Petroleum (derived from a Greek word meaning stone, rock, aud from the Latin o'leuin. oil), the fluid form of bitumen, bi-tumen, distinguished from maltha bv j its lessened viscidity, aud its occurrence, occur-rence, in even its most dense forms, I free from water. It is known also bv I tho names rock-oil, mineral oil, and ! other6. uniii.fi btatn has though ,t has bew fi China. Japan aD.l an immemorial was obtained f rom ari lore I ho dawn of and Burma dug Ployed for conjurie i been obtained from mi remote period, UnZ early attracted the J elers in tho Far Et 500 B.C. wrote of St which aro still f0 scribes how the oil i a myrtle branch dim Pliny and Dioscorvla pf Agngentum, whitV lamps under the nam a J ho wells of Amiano t ' r. lighting in jj, At Point Ap3choros i the Caspian sea, at't of the Caucasia moral petroleum havo bea I early times. At Yen oil river) on the Inu-s of petroleum has Ioj; from dug wells or pft tho name of "Raneoa Tho earliest reforeca North America is fog Historic du Canada f ter in which a Ynuk Joseph de la Iioche d', tho springs in what h county, iew York. 7 springs, as well as & now in the Stato of Tt used by the Indians it othor purposes, and name of Seneca oil 1 in Northwestern Pena about the spring3acde First Wells j From 1790 to 183'? were drilled along li -of tho Alleghany moo from which to inanufw wcro located alone tii upper Ohio, tho Mod Marietta and ZanesviBi above Charleston UV tho headwaters of tk' Cumberland rivers. Ii ealitics wells were ct that yieded petroleua.' them the amount wafs them for brine. Qted wells was drilled ialj Southeastern Kentndj has flowed a small' if petroleum ever since.? on Little Eannox era ville, Cumberland cooa wns the first imports in the United States.; out of the creek and i land river, where it and was finally set oa a distance of fifty-six j flowing in 1S60, a been drilled in the vie vcars the product r it was finally put ij sold as "Americiai Burkesville, Kyi" United Slates and in! Shale Oil fcrl As earlv as 1S34 factured in Prance d used for lighting jot James Young of Pi into commerce panms the Torbane Hill known under the na Coal." This indiutr. to other European a the United Stales. I in 1S5-1 took out J " i peiroieum tno the united ouuj m At Crawford's, ou tho Virgin Kivor, Coloh BbJH 1; 3" jtf I 3 32 33 ; v 1 1 L I l I M Virgin Oity Oil Region. '. SSarthe manufacture of "ker-ibe "ker-ibe manufacture of this ar--Jfdevelopcd in the United .tn important industry. In jsfcoast of New England in .Jlwere forty establishments r3eacl coal, imported from tnd albertite from New ytf"West of the Alleghanics Jifenel coals of Breckcnridgo Mtucky, those found at Canute Can-ute Kanawha river, and at itd Newark, Ohio, were dis-elf,- Tho moBt extensive works -.liffpoBe in the United States rlajre the Lucesco works in da gel county, Pennsylvania, iDitcity of "6000 gallons per Osiwvent of petroleum finally 1 filCEe concerns in the United saftTandon coal and lake up EgHtusviUe Field, pffylvania Bock-Oil company ll&id in 1S54, for the pur-'Wcuring pur-'Wcuring petroleum on Oil wgjdvania. After many vicis-the vicis-the company baa leased u4r where Titusvillo now iw.'jportion of the stockholders. fl3a Colonel E. h. Drake to , wfleiau well. Drake first at-xJJig at-xJJig a well in one of tho old eltf, but quicksands thwarting i li4c an iron pipe thirty-six dittcdrock. The following sen- Jife: engaged to drill, aifd, on 1859, after many vcxaiious 'fijQrill struck a crevice, into e 1U six inches. Tho next iajfllr was found to be near-Tiiifelroleum. near-Tiiifelroleum. Oil was struck Enly sixty-nine feet from K to the Region. lS3j"Ss of this well was the .fItj grand tusIi. Speculators lie JfiM directions, and in the j(fiu:s hundreds of wells were rtisHf-0 tributaries of the Al-jgjn. Al-jgjn. The farmers along Oil 'fcgold not have realized more ij'ig9ollar8 an acre for their , g$enly found themselves -i?. tho wells in one local-jfccw local-jfccw ones were drilled to places, until they had ex-'alley ex-'alley land in the neigh-SWU neigh-SWU City, Tidioute. TilusvfilG hjfli. Then borings were made SBfend between Oil creek and river, and at other ?.utfl reeird to tho present aTof the country. Test wells JHF&ll, over the country east HRssippi river wherever an nng rendered the produc-fKsible. produc-fKsible. TVhilo a great many Bses proved fruitless, thero up a number of minor ne distance from the so-regions so-regions of Penn6j-lvania," Kamous Pitholo excitement .eight. In Beaver county, B, the Smith's Ferry fieid p and m Ohio the Mecca rumbull county, the Beldou fcraine county, aud tho rc-"s rc-"s from 1,10 northern tM?,?t0n county, Ohio, south-loasants south-loasants and Ritchie into HWcst. Virginia. Other Statos. Bality in West Virginia was Bthe Great Kanawha river, lfcjLpn, in Kanawha count v. Still another region was developed in tho southeastern part of Kentucky, near Glasgow, in Barren county. "With the exception of tho Mecca and Kanawha districts, which have been practically worked out, all of those localities are (1891) producing oil. From 1865 to 3S75 operations in Pennsylvania gradually grad-ually extended down tho Alleghany river into Butler and Clarion counties and northeast into Warren and McKean counties. The Butlor and Clarion, or "Southern Country,7' was at its height of production in '1872-75; then began the development of tho Bradford field, which reached its height in 1880-81. In 1885-86 the Washington and Greene counties', Pennsylvania, fields were openod up, and later tho region in Alleghany Al-leghany and "Washington counties west or Pittsburg. In the northwestern counties of Ohio, particularly in the vicinity of Findlay in Hancock county, and 'Lima in Allen Al-len county, natural gas had been known since tho settlement of the State. In drilling wells for gas in ISS-i oil was encountered, often in such quantities as to prove troublesome. Wells for oil were first drilled in Lima and its vicinity in 1885, and their success soon led to the development of a largo production pro-duction over a wide area in Northwestern Northwest-ern Ohio and Northeastern Indiana, known as the Trenton limestone or Lima oil field. On the Pacific Slope. On the Pacific const another area next in importance has been developed in the Coast ranges of Southern California. Califor-nia. For more than a century bitumen ha6 boon floating upon the sea in the Santa Barbara channel. Exploration of the mainland east of Point Conception and south of the line forming the north boundary of Santa Barbara county showed than an immense amount of bitumen was reaching tho surface in the form of maltha that soon became aspbaltum upon exposure to the elements. ele-ments. In 1865 companies were formed in New "York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, but their wells were improperly im-properly located, aud failed to produce oil. In 1880-87 their properties passed into the hands of men of largo experience expe-rience in the oil regions of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, and after several unsuccessful attempts, and a careful examination of the stratigraphy of tho country, wells were obtained, principally in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, which have produced sioadil3' since. Other locally valuable regions are found in Wyoming and in Southeastern Colorado. In Other Lands, Outside the United States the regions furnishing petroleum to commerce are those of Russia, which extend along the Caucasus mountains; those of Galiciu and the Danubiun principalities. Wal-lachia Wal-lachia and Moldavia; and a small area in Peru. Tho Russian oil fields are chiefly confined to a small area of very productive territorj'' uear Baku, which yields wells remarkable for their enor-inouB enor-inouB output and for the long time during dur-ing which it is discharged. Operations have been carried on here since 187.1. The Galician and Roumanian oil fields have been worked in a rude way for more than a century. Although attempts at-tempts have been made for many years to utilize Peruvian petroleum, it is only j quite lately that it has been imported I in tank steamers, into San Francisco and sold in competition with tho oils of California. What Petroleum Is. Petroleum is a liquid varying in color from a light straw, through amber, am-ber, red, and brown, to black: oils from the same locality are usually of nearly tho same color. Tho Trenton limestone oils are very black; those of Oil Creek, Colorado, South America, Russia, Germany, Jnpan. and India, are brown; the Bradford oils and thoso of the Lower Alleghany and tho vicinity of Washington, Pa., are amber-colored, as well as that of Amiano in Italy. Tho oil found at Smith's Ferry is .a very light amber, and in a few instances natural petroleum has been obtained j almost colorless. The colors given above are observed when tho light is transmitted trans-mitted through tho oil. The same oils, from tho lightest to all but tho darkest shades, when viewed by reflected light, aro tinged with green. Hence potro-leum potro-leum is said to bo dichroic, or of two colors. Its specific gravity varies from 7 to 12, water being 1. As it escapes from tho earth it is usually accompanied accom-panied by water and a varying amount of gas, which latter is held in solution. It is insoluble in water, but itsolf dissolves dis-solves about 2 per cent of water. It is partially soluble in all of tho varieties of naptha (q. v.), in all varieties of alcohol, other, chloroform, bisulphide of carbon, turpontino, and the other solvents sol-vents of bitumen. The lighter colored varieties are highly refractive. Chemical Composition. The chemical composition of petro-luem petro-luem varies greatly. Taken together they arc found to contain nearly all the members of all the series of h'vdro-carbons h'vdro-carbons (q. v.) known; but no single variety contains nearly all of them. The Trenton limestone oils of Canada and the United States consist of members of the pnriffin and olefine series, holding hold-ing in solution small quantities of more complex compounds, into which either nitrogen, sulphur, or oxvgen enter as constituents. The oils obtained in the Devonian and Subcarbonifcrous rocks . of Eastern Ohio, New York. Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are mixtures of pariffins and defines, with only a trnco of nitrogen or sulphur compounds. They are the most easily refined into commercial products of any petroleums known. The oils of Kentucky Ken-tucky and Tennessee partake of the characteristics of both tho Trenton and Devonian oils. The oils of Colorado contain pariffins. Those of the Pacific-slope Pacific-slope apparently consists of members of the "benzole series, holding in solution solu-tion considerable though varying amounts of pyridins and chinolius (basic oils containing nitrogen), combined com-bined with an acid resembling hippuric acid, in the form of ester or compound ether. These nitrogen compounds make these oils very difficult to refino, and by their decomposition from natural causes cause the oils to pnss rapidly into maltha aud nsphaltum. Russian oils consist of a mixture of the hydribec of the benzole series; Burmese petroleum petro-leum (Rangoon tar) consists of a mixture mix-ture of olefmes and benzoles. Requires Sound Judgment. The successful location of oil wells on any nroved territory requires sound judgment and experience. Each owner of a tract is likcb to drill along the r'''' ' view border of it, in order to draw oil from beyond the border. If tho drilling is dorio under a- lease, it is customary to givo the owner of the-, land a, royalty of a certain suih per Varrol, or a "certain "cer-tain proportion of the. oilr or a certain percentage of tho gross receipts. One well to five acros is considered a proper ratio, but they have been drilled as closely as five to an acre. Wells drilled so closely exhaust tho oil-sand moro rapidly; they have sometimes been exhausted- in a few months. Great differences are found in the oil-sand of different localities. The pebble sands of tho Alleghany river and its tributaries aro masses oi rounded round-ed or flattened white quartz pebbles of tho size of beans or grapes, that adhere to their points of contact, constituting a friable rock with large interstitial spaces. It varies in thickness from ten to .125 feet. Tho Warren sand is blue, fine-grained and muddy. The Bradford .and Washington sands are coarse sandstones sand-stones of a brown color. ' In California tho sand is fine-grained, blue sandstono of marine origin. In Russia the sand is a sort of quicksand, ver' fine and blue in color. It often accompanies the oil in its outflows. It has been proved by experiment that the Venango pobble sand will hold about. 1000 barrels bar-rels per acre for every foot in thickness. thick-ness. How Wells Are Shot When an oil- well is drilled into a firm rock it is customary to inrtoduca into tho bottom of tho "well from two to fifteon gallons of nitroglycerin and oxplode it uy causing a mass of iron to drop on a fulminating cap. The effect of generating in n. limited space a large volume of gas is to drivo tho oil, gas; etc., back into tho rock until an equilibrium is established; then a reaction follows, and tho expansion of the compressed gases forces everything before it up the drillhole in a g03'ser of oil until the expansivo forco subsides. sub-sides. Torpedoes aro not used in the oil regions of California. After a well has been torpedoed it is prepared for flowing by introducing into it a two-inch two-inch pipe, at the lower end of which is attached a strainer. At some point bolow the casing tho pipe is arranged with a joint in such a a manner that tho Fortion above the 'oint will slido on hat bolow. The joint is secured by a cylindrical mass of india-rubber, callod a packer. The weight of the upper portion of, pipe presses the rubber against the well in such a manner as to plug tho drill-hole around tho pipe, and prevent any oil or gas from escaping escap-ing from tho rock except by ascending tho pipe. So long as tho prossuro of gas within tho rock is sufficient to force the oil to the surface, tho well will flow. When the well ceases to flow, a pump is introduced, and tho oil lifted to the surface until it ceases to bo romunerntive. Transporting the Oil. In tho early days on Oil Creek the oil was transported in barrels holding forty-two gallons each; along rivers .- -v s I bulk-barges were employed. In 1S71 wooden tanks on flat cars camo into usej and later these wero followed by plain iron cylinders, holding about 5,000 gallons each, which arc still used for transporting crude and refined oil in America and Europe. Crude oil is also transported by means of pipe lines. Every well is suplicd with a tank holding 250 barrels, from which a two-inch pipe connects with a larger tank holding perhnps 10,000 barrels. This large tank is connected by a four-inch four-inch pipe, through a pumping station, with a general system of six-inch pipes, extending often for hundreds of miles. At convenient points along these mnin lines storage tanks are placed, holding 35,000 barrels each; and pumping stations sta-tions are located about forty miles apnrt. These pipe linos are made of wrought iron, the sections screwed into couplings, the whole of which is tested to a pressure of 2000 lbs. to tho squnro inch. Pipe lines extend out of the oil regions to Chicago, Cleveland, 'Buffalo, Jersey City, IMiiladolphia. and Baltimore. Balti-more. Tn Californi.s they extend from the wells in the mountains to Santa Paula and Ventura. Tn Russia a line has been laid from Baku on tho Caspian soa to Bat urn on the Black sea", a dis-tanco dis-tanco of about 600 miles. .... , . ,,, : y v Kl Oil Pools, Virgin City Oil Weil. ri-'l WHAT UTAHNS SAY. Opinions of Men Who Have Invested in New Field. Harry S. Joseph, speaker of tho Houso in the Senate General assembly of Utah, who with Rudolph Kuchlcr of Ogderi and Henry Peory of this city have purchased pur-chased S80 acres in tho Virgin City oil fields, and who havo ordered a rig to begin drilling a well, arrived homo from tho field yesterday. Talking to The Tribune, Mr. Joseph said: "Yes, Messrs. Kuchler, Peery and myself will drill for oil in tho Virgin Vir-gin City district. Wo havo purchased a tract of 880 acres and havo ordered a rig shipped in. Our well will be Sut down 1000 feet from the one iust rilled. "I look for a great boom in that section of Utah. It is an admirablo discovery this oil find, in view of tho present fine resources. It means pipelines pipe-lines and railroads and a jgrcat influx of people. It is a great discovery and the outside porsons who came into Utah are to be congratulated. "I spent three days in the new fields, nnd from an examination of tho strata-ficatious strata-ficatious of tho country thero underlying under-lying the fossilifcrous limestone, which are indicative of. the presence of hydrocarbons, hydro-carbons, I estimate that tho highest pressure and best quality of oil will bo encountered at a depth of 500 foot lowor than tho present find. "On a vertical plan drawn through the well at right angles to the dip which has a trcud of about 20 degrees east, we should get the greatest vol-umo vol-umo of oil at a depth of 1100 feet. Tho dip of tho stratification is very regular, without any breaks, shattering or faults, and nbout 2 1-3 degrees toward to-ward the northeast. "Am I glad to get home? Suro, but I am going back when tho rig is ready to start drilling." Mr. Kuchler' s View. Rudolph Kuchler, who was floor leader lead-er for the majority in the last House of tho Sevonth Assembly of Utah, who is a very conservative business man, is sanguine over the outlook. Mr. Kuchler Kuch-ler camo home with Mr. Joseph, lie 6aid: "I am, together with Messrs. Peery and Joseph, going after oil at Virgin City. I have invested in the Utah fields and am confident that the investment is a good one. There is sure to be a rush for the country, for miles around is all oil. T have been in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and California and 1 feel sure that tho Utah fiqlds will equal them. "Tho trip is a hard one to make, and tho facilities for caring for persons per-sons aro mcagor, .but that will soon bo improved, for with tho rush of noo- View Showing Engine, Boiler and Derrick, Virgin City Oil Well. nll plo which is certain, tho hotel man ?vill be among them and provisions for he comfort of all will be. made. Just now the matter of food supplios is a serious one, owing to tho distance from the lensc, but this, .too, will soon bo provided for. The Utah oil fields are going to bo as 1 have said, the great-est great-est in the country. The discovery means much for all of the State, the i southern portion in particular." ! x WRECKED BY CLOUDBURST. I I j j Narrow Escape of Drilling Crew From i j Drowning. 1 Wednesday night tho camp of the , drilling crew at the oil well near Vir- gin City hud a close call for their j Jives. About 7 o'clock there was a cloudburst nn t.ho nanvnii nnrl n. front ; ! : ffH wall of water swept over their camp, t H sweeping it away, but all escaped with '"IH their lives. The wife of Superiuten- H ' dent Uolohnn and his little boy wero t'l I carried up tho hill by. Mr. Holohau IH ' just in time to escape "the flood. All iH the supplies were carried away. The" rl derrick and machinery, which 'was on (ll the high ground, was not damaged. lH j ' North Colob Mountains. "11 |