Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-02-03 | Page 28 | Nevada Reports New Shale Field

NEVADA REPORTS NEW SHALE FIELD Oil Indications Found Near Amargosa Station Presages Stampede to the District. A discovery of oil-bearing shale and of pools o asphaltum thoroughly saturated sat-urated with oil at a point about eight miles south of Amargosa station, on the Las Vegas & Tonopah railroad, presages pre-sages a stampede to the district, and already a number of mining men have arranged to make locations in the district. dis-trict. The oil indications were discovered discov-ered in December by W. W. Dreyer. son of E. W. Dreyer of Goldfield, and samples of the shale and asphaltum were sent to experts for analysis. Upon receipt of word that tho materials ma-terials examined afforded indications of the presence of petroleum, Mr. Drever returned to the district and, together with associates, located three quarter-section claims, which were filed on as placer locations, as provided by the mining laws. Other locations have been made lately, and it is. probable that the entire region vill soon be staked. The district over which there are surface indications of oil, extends along the foothills for a distance of twenty miles. The country rock of the district is described as a limestone, with large beds of shale appearing at a number of points, and extending generally in a northerly direction, dipping to the east. The asphaltum is found in depressions or pools and lying upon hard-pan that is saturated with oil, and all this material ma-terial burns when fire is applied. Tho shale in some places apparently is completely com-pletely impregnated with the oil and burns' f reel v. The district is about, fifteen miles west of the point where oil indications were said to have been found on the Indian Springs company's ground several sev-eral vears ago, and is near the western base "of the Charleston range of mountains. moun-tains. Intense interest has beeu aroused among mining men of the southern Nevada district, who have learned of the discovery, and it is predicted pre-dicted that a rush of locators will start at once for the purpose of filing on claims. Goldfield Tribune.