| Show OIL OF THE UNITED STATES I AND D THE FUTURE PETROlEUM SUPPLY By Richard Hoadley Tingley Reprint t from The he Ou Outlook I It may be a fact and It may bo he I nothing but a scare hut but the United States geological survey backed by bythe bythe bythe the bureau of mines reports that there are only about barrels of crude oil now remaining n In 11 the ground in this country recoverable recoverable erable enable by current production methods meth meth- Since this report comes from government sources which are not i en to I rushing into scare headlines headlines headlines head head- lines we must take the statement as we find it But you and I and the government t agencies know the liability to error in estimating underground sources of supply of anything coal anything coal copper water or oil Such estimates are li little Ue better better better bet bet- ter than educated guesses in any case But scare guess or fact the statement con comes es to us from competent competent compe compe- tent disinterested authority probably probably proba proba- I bly as competent and certainly as disinterested as any Let us see what it means by applying a few figures figures' that are indisputable ble facts I Each year since 19 1916 i 6 the people of the United States States' have been consuming consuming con con- I suming more petroleum than their wells have been producing and have been making snaking up the deficiency with imports very imports very largely from Mexico In III 1916 we produced barrels consumed and imported IIi In constant constant- constantly ly h Increasing crea ing quantity year by j year jear 1922 saw a a. production of I I barrels a consumption of and an import of It doesn't require a I professor of or mathematics to figure out olit that at current rate rafe of consumption consumption consumption tion and production our ur barrels will last but about eighteen years Worse Vorse yet This Tills co country isu isn isn't going t to t. stand san still nUll with respect to the use of or oil Between Between Between Be Be- tween 1916 and the present ye year 1 both prod production consumption n increased about eighty pe per cent I If I anything like a similar increase isil is il 11 to 10 continue we shall he U L-U out out 01 Ul of o oIn un in much less than than ei eighteen years provided the authorities are right The authorities hedge ho by inserting the clause recoverable by bi current production m methods This may mayor or may not l mean l an m on ili But nut enough of or figures It seems I Ilear lear that before many years there is likely to be a petroleum shortage and what then doesn't d disturbed It goes seem greatly I I merrily on producing and we prodigally prodigally prodigally there there if-there was gally consuming g just a as New wells wens no limit to the supply immense delivering come in oil presumably l apart a apart a. a quantities of o r reserve serve I part of or the barrels u ron I I I Does this mean that in a few lew year tiU have to garage our automobiles automobiles automobiles auto auto- we shall them there t trust ti to and leave leav mobiles that the enormous enormous enor- enor rust Does it mean has grown up ii in Inous industry that operation to the facility of oC operation response tt to J supplied by oil will be obliged motive power tha that other find some i motor airplanes must scrap our ur we oil stoves Probably boats and than likely that tha not It is more methods than thai other production those current may be discovered are imports and again there But nut the total annual world production production pro pro- outside of the United of oil is only about States we consume cad cadby each less than barrels less barrels by far the larger portion year and Mexico whose this comes from I of Df to be on the de de- known are wells countries to together together together to- to the other All cline dine produce at current current cur do not now gether Whole enough oil in iii a rent methods Gargantuan Gargantuan Gargan Gargan- Uncle Sams Sam's satisfy year car to for two month months tuan uan appetite United States geological the But nut mines and thi the ue of bureau survey the survey American mining of the bels bel's melD members believe the there o is a solution congress quite quito ir irrespective ir- ir problem tIle the petroleum of the rest of the thit Mexico 1 respective of world and aud Admiral Admira I producing oil advance a athe of In 1 Thinking king far Chester tech ech- technicians the thc thc- prodigal oil the universities have hav from investigating the tIle poten poten- been quietly to exist in lii vast vasti i tal Lal oil supply s known In many man of our ouri of shale oil i dE' dE deposits been known that thai It has long i stales states mountains of thes t I there aro Nevada Novada Gail Utah Colorado In iii j I Montana Texas Texa Wyoming t states slates where f 1 lc an and other western in veins ranging found II deposits are I t tan fro from n ten cn to sixty feet In ness and an extending to unknown limits in into into into in- in to the mountains It has long been well known that large deposits exist In the states farther east east east- eastin in Kentucky Kentucky Ken Ken- tucky tacky Indiana Pennsylvania N New Nw NewYork w York Ohio and in many countries It has long been well known to the trade that the the extraction ex ex- traction of or crude oil and the refining thereof from oil sha es has been a large and profitable Industry in information information information in- in formation was vague and the thi subject subject subject sub sub- uninteresting Why bother about oil oU said when there Is plenty of well oil to be pumped from the tire ground With the cation of the ng figures however oil men woke up The United States bureau of oC mines de delegated gated Mr Martin J. J Gavin to Inv in investigate In- In v and report leport and his bulletin 2 20 o of ot the bureau last year cont contained contain contin- ine in- in ed e about the first authoritative In Information information in- in for formation on oil oll that had been published l. l Following this report the Ameri Amen American can mining congress congress' some time ago c convened ny In a session for the special purpose of or discussing oil oll At that at convention the members member officially ly ci pl placed ced their stamp of ot approval al l on on shale oil-shale as our future oil hope From the text of Mr Gavins Gavin's bulletin bulletin bul bul- letin lethi from transactions and discus discus discussions of ot the mining congress from froni pr professional papers read before other en engineering and mining societies amid and from front talks with oil men who have conducted investigations and ex experiments in oll oil I have Information information in- in for formation which 1 I I summarize in what follows vs I Nobody has yet been bold enough I Ito to estimate the quantity of oi oil oil- I shale or of ot shale oil existing in this I country and elsewhere re For the present pr sent it Is sufficient to say that itis it itis In a comp compact com corn is eho hon ous Occurring p pact ht laminated rock formation of sedimentary origin and containing a I varying amount of or organic matter I Ithe the are the product of ot many I geological ag ages Devonian ages s Devonian eyonia Triassic Tertiary Carboniferous Cretaceous i I are and Permian The The by byproducts products are arc and include I 1 numerous and valuable a hydrocarbon gas ammonia gasoline I kerosene lubrication oil paraffin dye compounds explosives rubber 1 substitutes paints alcohols asphalts as- as as asphalts s-I s nap naphtha tha fuel oil wax and carbon black is added to Gasoline is tho tio list in iii some sonic of t course the main a and most valuable vaIn vaIn- aiu- aiu able product it being in volume a about out twenty five per ce cent t of the tho total recovery the known Instance I In every occur with so h heavy VY an overburden over- over burden of or mountain that mining I must be conducted after the manner of oJ mining minin other underground pro pro- ducts ducts coal coal copper and the hike hike- by br means of dl r tunnel shaft and The operation of oC mining therefore presents no difficulties not met and must solved long ago The shale methods methods meth meth- then he be crushed shed by ordinary oils which again offers no serious is physical difficulty difficult The product then ready for retorting and refinIng refining ing lug and here is where the difficulty that begins It has pas been found round Scotch methods of refining will not servo serve with the American and anda has a small army of e experimenters been heen independently at work In Colorado Utah and other western of ot states tates tr trying ing ng our various types retorts Up to the present time so far as the writer riter has been able to I in inform in- in a- a shale practically no form Corm himself oil oU has been refined aUf and I placed com coat commercially commercially on the market At the retorting and refining mining congress were discussed and ing lag methods views exchanged Although compelled corn com com t to admit t that lat success ss had not flot so commercial b been en attained so far as prod production is concerned each t participant participant par par- most discussions was was' j in the thc optimistic d df t the none future future none retort doubting that a a successful I would eventually be perfected Itis It Itis Itis needs must is going to be a case of f when the devil drives rives and all were we're wore were convinced that the devil would soon be he driving In time the shape shape shape-of of a oil oU supply The Tue average cont content mt of ot American oil iI is approximately 42 12 42 nl- nl of if f shale lens Ions one barrel to a ton yield are j Instances of f a much munch Itu larger r however quite juite common running j a Oh On Local L caI Page 1 OIL SHALE AND TIrE THE FUTURE PETROLEUM SUPPLY From Page One sometimes as high a 13 as 80 to gallons gallons gal gal- lons Ions per ton When the shale oil-shale Industry gets town own to commercial production Uon the richness of the shale will be an Im- Im for operation for tor the cost of for for the cost of production tion will be a crucial matter This is one of the reasons wh wh oil on n n- are not yet ret willing 0 o sa sal they have solved the commercial refining refining refining re re- fining of the crushed shale shae have hav not solved It commercially It must be evident that the shale oil-shale industry has a hard row to ho hoe in competition n with a product that is ready for refining as soon a as it comes from the ground At present prices of oil and until an economical l re retort retort retort re- re tort has been devised It can hardly be a competitor The mining and crushing expense that must precede refining raises a serious handicap That the time will come com when this handicap will disappear owing to the expected scarcity of well oil and consequent price rise is evidenced by the fact that nearly every large oil company in the world has taken the precaution to supply itself with large areas yeas of shale oil-shale properties The They thus throw out an anch anchor r to windward a against a storm Some borne ome are conducting retorting experiments experiments experiments ments while they wait walt others are merely sitting on their holdings themselves Some are interesting with experiments experiment in the products by-products hoping to see money enough In one or more of ot these to tide over the time of or waiting The manufacture of carbon black has received much attention at the hands of shale oil men since the present time finds less unsettled unsettled unsettled un un- that Industry in a more or Paraffin and wax settled com condition Uon production also are important byproducts byproducts by by- products to which the shale-oil shale men are now turning for tor it has been pointed out that these commodities principal and most are some of the byproducts byproducts prod by valuable o of the commercial refineries nets of the Scotch world calamity if It would be a were actually to the supply of oil the warning given bythe by bythe I Ithe give out and doubt the Geological survey was no spurred into well timed It men have the e rep reputation rep rep- activity and these BO go So of being automobile Just your dont don't scrap prepared however yet Better Detter be price for your I 10 to Pa pay a higher the next t few years juice j IC within I |
