Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/37

Rh The situation, after these developments of 1893, was not altogether clear to the average citizen without scientific training who might be interested in unusual natural products of his country. The old belief that Nehalem wax was beeswax, while not entirely discredited, was at any rate suddenly in the doubtful list. The doctors were unable to agree, apparently, which was further proof that there were at least two sides to the question. And if this were so, why not the possibility of great ledges of this material— at eighteen cents per pound? Or better yet, widespread strata of oil-bearing sands down deep below which should supply this Northwestern country with sadly needed heat units? It is not difficult to arouse public interest— sometimes. The interest created in this instance had at least one good result in that it brought about an examination of the Nehalem field by a competent geologist.

Among other duties assigned during the summer of 1895 to Dr. J. S. Diller, one of the ablest field geologists of the United States Geological Survey, was an investigation of this problem. Dr. Diller made his findings public through a let.er to the Morning Oregonian of March 27, 1896. This letter is not only the most authoritative discussion ever published upon the subject of Nehalem wax, particularly as regards its geological aspects, but also deals so tritely with some of the other points at issue that a number of paragraphs are bodily reproduced here. Dr. Diller says:

"During a trip from Astoria southward along the coast the only place where we found fragments of the wax was near the mouth of the Nehalem. At this point it occurs buried in the deep sand just above the present high tide limit. From the accumulated sediments of the river the beach is gradually growing seaward, and not many generations ago the sea reached the place now occupied by the wax. Mr. Edwards, who was my guide at the place, showed me the stakes marking the areas already dug over by himself in obtaining almost three tons of wax. It was found in the deep sand within ten feet of the surface. He expected to continue working later in the summer, but regarded the locality as almost 'mined out.' We picked up a number of