Show Dutch Shell Oil Company Getting Ready to Begin Boring Test Well Ne Near i Duchesne Says O. O J. J Grimes Crimes i I i I II I By O. O J. J Grimes The Old Emery Oil company is moving moving moving ing rapidly to put down its Initial well at the north orth end of the San Rafael Rafael Rafael Ra Ra- fael swell near the mou mouth tho of Buckhorn Buck Buck- horn born draw The last of of the rigs riga passed through lIun Huntington from Mohrland on the way vay to the drilling site last week Other equipment Is la being assembled hurriedly in the hope that the Old Emery well will wUl willbe willbe be the first to obtain production in inthe inthe inthe the San Rafael region and possibly the first in the 1921 campaign in southeastern Utah Company Compall Awaits Permit I i The Old Emery is not to be without without without with with- out competition in the territory generally generally gen gen- ally however The Big Six Oil company backed b by prominent men menI of Moab has been operating a Star I rig north of Moab l and has a hole down feet The well is on government gov i I land and operations are now I at ai aia a standstill pending the issuance or of an oil oa prospecting permit by the interior department Application for forthe forthe forthe I the permit was filed fifed a year ago and drilling was W S' S begun in In of early action on oli mi the part of the interi interior interior inte inte- ri r department Conflict t developed and when the the drill had attained a depot d depth of r feat gt the e management of the c company ll pany feared that producing producing ing sands san s might lt be tapped and the app application l n canceled Knox Patterson Patter Patter- son of ot Moab Io b one of the men inter Inter- ested in tb- tb enterprise the reported yesterday yesterday yester yes yes- ter ay that that word from Washington indicated d the conflicts hal hail teen Been disposed dis dis- posed of and nd that that permit a was expected expected ex ex- to issue any day d Y He also announced announced announced an an- that the com company any was ready t to tir proceed eed Immediately upon receipt q f th the permit Thero is an an unconfirmed rumor that Wyoming people are are r preparing to to mo move move a to the Farnham anti antl- anticline cline e about about ten miles miles' southeast of Price Price It It is Is' Is understood th that t this e enterprise en enterprise en- en is backed hacked b by a Casper man w who o has been bean opera operating Successfully in Wyoming The Tho ground included in the report is is said to o be In private ownership and therefore work will not no not t. t Aba beheld up as as s it will fir quarters w where ier J operators must aw await it the th a ac ac- ac find i of r the th Interior Interior dop department on onins ins ting permits P prospecting P 1 I no Royal f Dutch Interested I So S Jp far there Is no o sign ot or auy ac no- activity Iii In hi the vicinity of ot Woodside The The structure at Woodside is ed eb ed geologists to offer o r exceptional e exception exception- lon al possibilities for oil oll n cum l t n. n Most of oC it is covered by outside peo people reo- reo pIe among which w Y are re subsidiaries s of r Dutch company and which have ave a acquired l large rge Interests in the Uintah basin around Duchesne Representatives Rep Rep- of ot these companies companies of one com com- the Matador Pet Petroleum oleu company com com- company company com com- pany left Price for Duchesne c a few u IL days ago presumably to ascertain road conditions and to make preliminary preliminary preliminary prelim prelim- inary preparations for drilling operations operations operations oper oper- early in the spring pring Practically the entire eastern section section sec see tion of the state is being combed by oil prospectors and operators And these activities are not confined to Utah Western Colorado is covered by the same for formations geologically ally as eastern Utah A number of established established oil companies including several several several sev sev- eral members of the Standard family are to be planning extensive drilling campaigns In western Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado during the coming summer The Midwest appears to be the first In the field and according to Information from reliable sources Is now moving an outfit into the country south of Grand Junction by way of f Cortez Colo It is generally conceded that the structures favorable to oil already filed upon in eastern Utah are only those which stand out prominently inthe In Inthe Inthe the limited territory covered and that many others will be found ai u uthe the search continues In keeping with this opinion scouting parties are being being beIng be be- ing outfitted In Price and at Green- Green river almost a most every day and the hotel accommodations are taxed to capaci capaci- ty tr At both places the business men menas menas menas as well as the th city authorities and the officials of Carbon and Emery counties counties counties coun coun- ties are cooperating In every way pos pos- possible possible sible to facilitate development The county officials have gotten together I and arranged for the transfer of annold an ann old bridge in Carbon county county- to th the San Rafael river In Emery county with a view to making the Swell country easily accessible through Price and Huntington In the vicinity of Price and Hunt Huntington Huntington ington there thero is some snow and the ground is frozen The state road between between between be be- tween the two points was only built last ye yea t and as a result of freezing and thawing and of heavy traffic Is a little rough An experience of our paTty party on the tho thoVa Va way to the Huntington well of the Ohio reflects the tha spirit of the citizens ls of the of-the the section generally A few miles north of or Huntington we n met et a. a tractor a anda road grader sent but out by the the- citizens of ot Huntington and the Emery county authorities to put the road in shape So the oil oU oilmen oilmen men could get supplies Into the fields with the least delay and and- trouble On the tho way back the same day tiny we met another ino her grader sent out by the resi rest Ie t ot pt ii C Carbon bo coUnt coUn- coUn t ty authorities bent on a like mis mis- sion sion With cooperation of this character character charI char acter icier it it wil 11 not be bo difficult for I oil operators op- op erat rs to get equipment into the San Rafael Rafael region for tor early spring work Price Prepares e 1 for Rush Just now now Price Price has hotel facilities Continued on Page FourS i t 1 x SHELL DUTCH OIL IIi COMPANY Iii I From Page One to care comfortably for tor approximately approximate approxImate- ly visitors Already plans aro are r. r being discussed for the enlargement i of hotel facilities to care for tor the influx In Influx In- In flux of visitors Incident to tho the oil ac ac- Tho The city has anticipated an early and rapid growth At a cost of at nearly the city has brought brough water m more re than twenty five miles from Colton Callan springs In quantity suf suf- to care caro for tor a population of 10 10 or more New additions have been platted and a vigorous campaign campaign campaign cam cam- of home building Is being launched The 1920 census gives Price a population of at nearly 2800 and reports Indicate that the the population population population tion would pass almost overnIght overnight overnight over over- night It If homes were available There is a spirited but friendly rivalry between Price and for the position of gate city to the Utah oil all fields Price has hasa a n certain advantage because of Its general importance as an outfitting point for the more populous Inland sections of the eastern part of the state Also Its highway facilities In Into Into In- In to the general oil region are better at least as far tar as H Huntington and with which it Is connected connect connect- ed by state roads But residents are striving hard to overcome overcome overcome over over- come these handicaps and with the aid of Salt Lake capitalists recently interesting themselves In the section are making progress To satisfy myself my my- myself self lell concerning the situation I in included included lu- lu eluded Gre In m my southeastern Utah Itinerary Developing Being less than one-fourth one as large could pot be expected expected expected ex ex- to care for the same amount of ot business as Price Brice without considerable considerable considerable consid consid- erable development de But it is that development that is being planned and some of it is under way The town has a population of about and has hotel facilities for approximately approximately 80 to visitors Salt Lake men recently have acquired control of the bank and the Midland hotel and an elaborate development program program program pro pro- gram is being formulated The Midland Midland Midland Mid Mid- land hotel is being renovated from froIn top to bottom and some of t the e new f furniture has arrived and Is ready for installation The enlargement of the municipal lighting system and the construction of a city water system system system tem already are being discussed as essential to the program The weather at is as nearly Ideal as one could wish for forthe forthe forthe the season The surrounding country country country coun coun- try is dry and free from snow and the bright days are accompanied by byan byan byan an atmosphere with Just enough tang to be Invigorating There Is ts a alack alack alack lack of roads into the San Rafael region or was until citIzens citizens citizens citi citI- zens took matters Into Into r their own hands With ideal climatic conditions condl- condl they did not find it difficult to hurriedly build roads to the swell the rim rim of which is reached over the road now completed by a motor ride of less than thirty miles The Green- Green river people are now v joining In the expense of bridging the San Rafael river at Tidwells Tidwell's ranch thereby re reducing reducing reducing re- re the distance between the town and the swell about eight miles Road Held Practicable The chief hope of for ultimate supremacy as the gateway gate to the fields is based on the belief that a road can be built from there through the San Rafael swell to Cainville and Circle Slurs There are some lome who Insist that such a road Is Isa isa a physical Impossibility Even admittIng admitting admitting ad ad- that trucks ar are now making the trip one way between and Cainville in a day with supplies for the Ohio well they assert that later in the season the sand will be impassable To all this George Franz of at premier automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile driver and trail-blazer trail of Utah merely smiles shrugs his shoulders and makes another another another an an- other trip Last Thursday he sent his truck on another trip to Cainville with supplies for the Ohio and the following morning he started with a seven-passenger seven car heavily loaded for tor Circle Cliffs He expected to pitch his tent that night In sight of or orthe the Ohio rig at Circle Cliffs look over over over ov ov- ov- ov er the field one day and reach Green river on the return trip the next night While it Is entirely possible that but few motorists will care to follow Franz on his exploratory tours residents assert that wherever Franz can drive hiscar his hiscar hiscar car they will make a road that other can travel if Jt It will mean anything toward the development of the town and the region Oil on Report Creates Interest While It has been known for many years that there was a greater acreage acreage acreage acre acre- age withdrawn in Utah by the federal feder feder- al government as oil lands than In any other state In the union comparatively comparatively compa compa- ra few persons have been sufficiently sufficiently sufficiently suf suf- Interested to look into the situation and Inquire into the oil all pos pos- All told there were upward upward upward up up- ward ward of acres withdrawn and approximately two-thirds two of the he 4 acreage was situated in southeastern southeaster Utah So little was the interest I Ithe In Inthe inthe the possibilities that minimum was put forth In the tho study of ot th the geology of the region About te ten years ago C C. C T. T Lupton of the United United United Unit Unit- ed States geological survey InvestIgated investigated gated the coal resources of the Castle Castl valley and wrote a report which i Is of keen Interest now About three thre years ago F F. R. R Clarke made some som geological investigations of th the southeastern section and his report on the Farnham anticline has been published In relation to tho the oil all possibilities pos pos- pos pos- of the Farnham structure Mr Clarke says In part Anticline Described The Farnham anticline is Js a small smal In the south central part of Carbon county about ten miles mUes south southeast cast east of Price and northeast of Farnham Farn- Farn ham siding on the Denver IRo Grande railroad The Midland trail passes through the north end of the I anticline The surface strata involved Inthe in inthe the tho Farnham a anticline are from the top downward the Mancos 1 shale Cretaceous which crops out on the flanks the Dakota sandstone Cretaceous which rims the anticline anticline anti antl- cline on the north and west and the formation Cretaceous which crops out over the crest of the anticline The Farnham anticline Is Js outlined ed on the west and north by a ridge of or sandstone Dakota sandstone within which erosion has considerably bly dissected the soft shale and sandstone sandstone sandstone sand sand- stone U cElmo formation thai that crown the anticline Outside this sandstone ridge Is a second ridge or escarpment Ferron Ferran sandstone member member member mem mem- ber of the tho Mancos shale which Is separated from the first by a narrow shale valley Mancos shale Beyond Beyond Beyond Be Be- yond this outer rim which nearly surrounds the anticline the surface Is fiat flat for tor many miles The highest point within a radius of several miles has an elevation of feet and lies in section 12 township 15 16 south range 11 east near the crest of the anticline The total relative c I relief in the Farnham district Is GOO I feet The nearest permanent water supply is in Price river at the south southend southend southend end of the anticline but considerable rain water could be caugh by dam by-dam- damming damming dam dam- ming small drainage channels within with with- in the area covered by the anticline Caled Structurally Favorable The Farnham anticline Is 15 structurally structurally structurally favorable for the accumulation tion of oil all and gas It Is a small uplift in a great northwestward dipping dipping dipping dip dip- ping The south and east I flanks are short compared with the north and west flanks and within a short distance from the crest of the anticline conform to the regional dip If petroleum were present in any any of f the underlying rocks and were associated with water under pressure It would migrate up the dip dip- Under such conditions the west and north flanks would afford a good gathering area and oil might be expected to accumulate In the crest of the anticline and on its northwest flank The Farnham fault fautt west of the axis of the anticline may however have cut of off any migration migration migration mi mi- mi- mi gration and petroleum may have accumulated accumulated accumulated ac ac- ac- ac cumulated on the west or down-dip down side of the fault unless the displacement displacement displacement displace displace- ment dies out below the surface or unless the oil all and gas bearing stratum stratum stratum strat strat- um Is offset and abuts against a higher or lower porous rock on the east side of the fault The known occurrences of leum in the Rocky mountain states in rocks older than Cretaceous |