St. Paul daily globe., 1890-12-29
PETROLEUM AND GAS.
The Early Extinction of Both Pre-
dicted by an Ohio Operator.

The Early Extinction of Both Pre-
dicted by an Ohio Operator.
Kansas City Times.
G. w. Morton, an Independent oil op-
orator from Findlay, o., was at the Union
Depot hotel yesterday. He has just fin
ished an inspection of the Montana oil
field, and is now en- route for his home
in Ohio. He is an original and peculiar
character in many respects, and has
novel and unique views upon the sub
ject of the Standard Oil company and
petroleum in general.
81 have followed the light-producing
business all my life," he said. MY
father was a manufacturer of candles at
Gloucester, Mass, and he used to make
the finest in New England half CEN
tury ago. When l started out for
myself l shipped on board a whaler
from Portsmouth, N. H., and followed
the sea for years. When petroleum was
discovered in Pennsylvania predicted
the downfall of the whaling business
and started for the oil fields. And now
l have lived to witness another revOlu-
ton in lighting. The electric light,
let me tell you. is the light of the fut-
ure.
81 thought would see what the Mon
Ough examination l can tell you that it
don't amount to anything. There is
some Oil there, but not enough to make
it profitable to refine SO far away from
large centers Of population with the
most favorable circumstances ana the
cheapest of rates. The Pennsylvania
field doesn't produce one-haf what it
did few years ago. When the Ohio
Oil field was discovered it was hailed
with delight by crowd of adventurous
driliers, for they thought the paImy,
happy days in the early oil fields of
Pennsylvania would be duplicated
again and the drilIer for rock oil would
again be little king. But what was the
result? The Ohio oil is used principally
as fuel, and even at Is cents
per barrel. the low price paid
producers by the Standard Oil
company, there is little money
to be made in manufacturing it. The
reason? Simply because electric lights
are Superseding coal Oil as effectually as
coal oil once superseded petroleum. But
for the invention of electricity coal oil
would to-day be worth anywhere from
50 to S5 per barrel.and consumers would
be paying prOpOrtionate amount for
oil by the gallon. Natural gas, the
product of Trenton limestone, produced
Oy tIC SAINT CduSCS GildG pEOuuC6u pit
trOleum, seemed for awhile to compete
with the oil and the invention of man.
But now you read in every paper of the
failure of natural gas. Five years ago.
when first announced the decrease in
the pressure OF the Karg and Kagy wells
at Findiay, the people there were ready
to mob me. They were charging about
10 cents per month per stove for gas,
and now they are charging twenty
times as much aud the people are glad
to get the gas at any rate. Factories
are closing every week in the Ohio
fields for lack Of the cheap fuel. The
same thing is true in Plttsburg. And
with the failure OF natural gas, or
shortly afterward, will come the failure
of petroleum.
81 am not alone in this prediction.
The Standard Oil company has already
seen the coming destruction of their
property, the total depreciation of val
ueS of kerosene Oil. Years ago johnny
Archibald, one of the leaders of the
Standard Oil company, a member Of
the board of directors, told me what was
coming. When the Ohio field was
opened up there was a difference of
opinion as to whether the Standard
should go into that field as a producer or
simply as purchaser or refner OF the
oil. There was sharp tilt between the
members of the board of directors. and
the Standard Oil company almost split
wide open on this very question.
Finally. at the suggestion of John d.
Rockefeller, compromise was planned.
1t was agreed that the Standard should
go into the Ohio fielo as producer just
so far as 1t was necessary to keep the
price of oil down, and the independent
refiner under the thumbs of the great
monopoly. The Standard Oil COM
pany decided to invest the bal
ance Of the surplus funds
juSl as the wise capitalist invests
money in half a dozen different ways,so
that the failure of one plan woLld not
mean the failure of the corporation. The
Ohio Oil field swallowed up $4,000, 900 of
S10,O0O.O00 more. The company has
probably S25,00O.000 invested in the
Pennsylvania oil fields. All this, to-
gether with the refineries, tank cars,
etc., will be rendered valuelesS by the
failure of petroleum aud natural gas.
Had the company been dependent upon
the business of producing and manu-
featuring Oil and gas alone the failure
of Oil and gas would mean the failure of
the Standard Oil company just as the
failure of the supply of whale oil meant
failuIe for the men engaged in that
business more than quarter of cen
tury ago. But the members of the
Standard Oil company have been invest
ing indirectly in government bonds, in
electric light companies, in railroad
projects and i'll real estate until it would
be impossible to break them. Natural
gas and petroleum will play out within
the next five years. That's what's wor-
rying the Standard now, aud that's why
they are cutting down expenses, shut
ting dowIPtheir refineries, letting their
men go and getting ready for the in
evitable."