The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, July 30, 1926, Image 8
Ei^-i 1 J. j.: t 1 ? v" * rA
Grand Canyon Marvel
' Where the Grand Can,
. ' yon la Grande at
World's Premier
Scenic Beg ion
? Suddenly Produces
a Neu) Development
of the
Grea I est Economic
Interest to
the Entire Nation.
<*24^
VR2
U. 8. Senator
Cameron "
Just Room for th* Derrick
By JUD60N C. WELLIVfcR
r=HHB Grand Canyon of the Coloi
| rado Itlvor, widely regarded
Lon en the world's most Imposing
/ WHEW natural wonder, has suddenly
t&ken on a new and startling
Interest.
A few years ago, when it was as
inaccessible as the North Pole, John
Wesley Powell won fame by making
the first trip through it. A little iatef
another adventurer conceived opening
a trail from the canyon's rlpi down to
the river, a mile below. It seemed
grotesque, but the impossible was accomplished,
and Its nccompMshmene
has made the canyon's Innermost won
ders accessible to thousands of tourists
each year. They?come f-rojn-WH-quarters
of the world every season In
gTeater numbers to traverse the |
Bright Angel Trail. That trail is
truly a monument to the daring and
devotion of its "builder, lie worked;
at It for ten years, almost without help :
or financial backing, at one period
spending almost half a year alone In
the vast gorge. Hut today Ralph
Cameron, builder of the Bright Angel
Trail, occupying a seat in the United
States Senate voted to him by the
people of Arizona, has htsN reward.
Greatest Artificial Lake
But the conqtfffl of the canyon had ,
hardly been realised when the engineers
discovered a new use for It. At ,
Boulder Canyon, Arizona, the greatest ,
da?n In tho world, a third of a mile
high, should Impound a lake which, |
spreading over a great area in Arizona
and Utah, would he, next to Lake j
Michigan, the largest fresh water body |
entirely within the United States. |
Harnessed to mighty turbines, the wa- |
ter, falling hundreds of feet, would |
produce a power greater.than Niagara,
and Irrigate an area several times that |
of the Nile Basin, wlrich served for <
uncounted centuries as granary of the j
ancient world. - I
The Boulder Canyon dam has not <
yet been built, but the peoplo of the i
Southwest are as confident of its con? I
struct ion as that the Colorado will i
continue to flow between Us giant i 1
walls. I <
Now comes a new chapter in the <
romance of the Colorado. The In- I
tropid "wildcatters" of the oil Indus- i
try, scouting for new sources of petroleum,
have brought In an oil well right
tn the canyon! Drilling front a narrow
shelf at the gorge's bottom, they '
, have overcome unbelievable obstacles.
Perpendicular walla of rock grimly forbade
construction of road or trail to
transport machinery and supplies. 1
Prom the river a succession of rock 1
walls rise tn gargantuan terraces to a *
height of 3,000 feet.
The "Great American Desert"
The little Mormon town of Moab, |
eighteen miles up-stream, is the near- ?
est supply base. But Moab Is not a J
railroad town; a drive of forty-miles le {
still required to reach the Denver &
Jtlo Grande railroad. Salt I^ake CUjr *
Is 25Q miles away, to the northwest.
Standing at the foot of the derrick ?
which marks the site of the new aMl
well, <?ne> hark 1s fairly-against arT
800 foot clUT. which is matched by an- j J
other Immediately across the river. !
looking up, one imagines that if he j [
conld climb one of these walls he : .
would be "outside." But, trying this.;
hs finds himself on a plateau or ter- ^
race, with another cllfT a little way
ahead. To climb this, In turn, would
>pnty bring'nim face to face with still,! r
another cliff,-and so on till he had!'
tnaanted full S,000 feet from the river. Vj
Not only must this suecuaalon of tt
cliffs be mounted, but to traverse the" 1
rock terracoa, gashed and torn, is only t
loaa difficult. And finally, thp ascent 1
to the outer rim accomplished, one confronts
a wast* of ridged, a earned I
and boulder-strewn desert, endless
save for dtptant mountain peak*.
jsrstjii
j^
/f
flat-bottomed boat ahd floated down
from Moab. it was a daring perform*
anoe, for the stream twists constantly;
unseen rocks and shifting bars add to
Its difficulties, and the canyon's per*
pendicular walls threaten instant
wreck.
But it was done. Materials were
brought, a derrick reared, machinery
Placed, a camp built and drilling begun.
Now, with oil flowing from a
depth of 2,035 foet. the Crane Creek
well is suddenly the woflder of the
wholo intermount-ain country.
A Maze of O1 faculties
J"ust about a year from the beginning
of drilling the well begun to flow,
with every indication that when the
drill goes somewhat deeper Into the
producing sand it will he an Important
producer. For the present,
drilling has been suspended, awaiting
provision for taking the oil away, ft
is doubtful if in all the history of the
600,000 wells that have been drilled in
thl3 country, largely in regions difficult
of access, any one has ever pre*sented
such a category of obstacles as
this canyon well lit Utah. How the"11
will ho transported to a refinery is
still sheer guess work, but a way will
be found, for the ingenuity and resources
of the oil engineers have
never failed.
The "bringing In" of ftiis well lllus
trates the difficulty of petroleum development,
Convinced that the geological
structure was particularly
favorable, the projectors determined
to gamble $75,000 on drilling. Before
they got oil they had spent more than
twice that. v o
Fo^ years wells have been drilling
In various parts of the stato?fully
200 in all?at* a cost of probably
15,000.000, and this canyon well is the
tlrst real producer! It is only by dint
3f such persistence in coping with
mtural obstacles and financial hazards
:hut the country's supply of oil is
maintained. The fl>st oil well in
fVestern Pennsylvania became a prolucer
Ht the depth of 69V4"feet, Nowaiays
wells a mile deep are not uncommon.
and they have gone down as far
is a mile and a half.
Every Well is a Gamble
A large proportion of wells produce
nothing whatever and represent total
loss, it was recently estimated that
In the last twelve and a half years
H,200.000,000 was sunk In wells which
were failures. Despite every effort of
icience, engineering and long experience,
and notwithstanding the stupen1ous
depths now reached, 25 per cent
)f wells last year were dry.
The "wildcatter" is the Columbus of
>11. He is to petroleum, to gasoline,
o the fuel supply of the country's
10.000,000 automobiles, what the old
inie gold prospector was to building
h-> empire of the far west. He Is esicntlally
a gambler; good loser or ?
rood winner. The lure of enormous
vlnnlngs keeps him tirelessly searches.
and sometimes he finds his recard,
Ft* in theuig^regatc. offsetting
ill winnings against the total cost of
his engros*?g gamblo, It Is not Improbable
that nil the oil that has been
aken from tfle soil of this country
rom the beglnninc cost more than its
rodueers got for it. * +
A World in the BiQ Game
But their huge gamble Is the basts
>n which the whole industry rests
The ice-bound Arctic and the fever
estertng tropic Jungles alike attract
he hardy "wildcatter." To them the
world owes Its newest and beat In
transport by iand, sea and air. They
help light Ite homea and street a. proride
an astonishing share of Its power,
furnish an endless Ilat of necessaries
which are by product* of petroleum.
The "wildcatter* . Is well nigh tfia _
Atlas of thta laodera meckaalsed ' ~
world.
? ' r
/ -rv : f_ - Tliffifyvtfifif
Judge Smith Will Not Make Race.
? r , . w .' .f ' ' *
i r
It will be a source of regret to hla?
many friends throughput Kershaw
county and the state to learn that
Former Judge Mendel L. 'Smith has
withdrawn from the race for the
House of Representatives from this
county. The decision to retire came
yesterday after a long deliberation.
Judge Smith has a growing practice
And he does not feel that he is doing
himself and family justice to sacrifice
the time usually taken up by the
long drawn out sessions of that body.
This does not mean that he will retire
completely from politics and his
friends will he glad to Know that he
may in the future offer for some of
the larger offices of public service.
His statement given to the press yesterday
addressed to the Democratic
voters of Kershaw county follows:
, V
1 '
? i I , 'I I. in I
~ ' 1 1 t " ' t ? ?~7
"As was understood at the time I
made my announcement a* a candidate
for the House of Representatives
by my friend* who suggested the
same, it was with the reservation
that a more serious consideration
would have to be given to the matter
before a final determination^ XL is
needless for me to delay such decision
longer as it will be practically impossible
for me to make the race "in
justice to myself, family and busU
ness. My engagements .are such that
I could only witji difficulty attend
some of the county campaign meetings
and in these late years, if elected,
the sessions of the legislature are so
long drawn out as. to deprive me of
about one-fourth of the year's work
at a busy season. As I am alone
dependent on my practice I do not
feel thaf I can make this further
sacrifice and it is extremely gratifying
to me to know that my friends
duly appreciate my situation. For
the past twenty-five years TFTmuT been
my greatest pleasure to serve the
people of the county when they de*
sired it, and no one can appreciate
more deeply than I this constant
esteem and confidence.
j J?i?. , m i u j-"It
ia not my nuraowe a* I now fee),
to retire from public life and if
health and circumstances permit I
hope at some time in the fatare to
offer for a more. responsible public
service if the people of the state
think rae capable and wish it."
_ ' ' - '
Attention, Fanners
'
We have on hand about fourteen tons
of Sulphate of Ammonia. This can be
used in place of Nitrate of Soda, except
that it is about 25 per cent stronger in
Ammonia. We will be glad to dispose of
this at less than market price. Call at
> * . .. . c
Redfearn Motor Co.
' '
-Ford Dealers Camden, S. C.
I
I
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SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST* ;5
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TICKETS ON SALE DAILY, BEGINNING MAY loth
GOOD UNTIL OCTOBER 31st
- r T-. T"; g
1 Write for < i
Summer Vacation Folder 1
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SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM I
i l^i-do down | AUGUST SALE jti.no dowh| 1
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i
I
I Entire
| Slock
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Now! I
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I Here is an opportunity to ibuy anything you need for |j
% your home with , a cash payment of only One Dollar. J"1
I Take advantage of this opportunity and buy the things % j
4 you need to make your home more comfortable. Read % \
| our BIG HERA.LDS being broadcast over the county, i
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