Commercial oil shale - what is it?

Abstract

A legal contest: Articles on oil shale that have been written thus far may be divided into three classes. A. Technical articles devoted chiefly to the chemistry of retorting and refining; b. Informative articles devoted to a survey of the progress that is being made; and c. Propaganda to sell stock. In the early stages of any new industrial enterprise of wide scope, errors of judgment are sure to be made, fake promotions will inevitably appear, and misstatements become current. Rarely does it happen that opportunity is given to secure data submitted virtually to a court of justice, given by competent experts under oath, subject to cross-examination, and involving large financial considerations. Such an opportunity recently occurred before the Register of the Government Land Office at Glenwood Springs, Colo., Jan. 27 and 29, 1922. The Government brought suit to cancel certain locations of oil shale land in the Debeque district on the ground that the land was not mineral and not valuable for oil shale, that the locations were not made according to law, and that the annual assessment was not legally performed. The mining law requires that, to make a valid placer location, the lands included in the location must be valuable chiefly for the minerals for which the land is located. The case is known as United States, contestant, versus Bailey, Krushnic et al, contestees, and Earnest Wight, transferee. It appeared that the transferee had purchased the interests of the contestees prior to the commencement of the suit, and the expert witnesses who were called, aside from those called by the Government, were called by the transferee. The Government was represented by R. R. Duncan, as its attorney, and the transferee was represented by Robert D. Hawley as his attorney.