Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1894-05-05
SATURDAY, MAY 5.
KANSAS OIL DISCOVERIES.

kANSAo VSks 0sS~S' s~'~se
Mr.. ]. X. Morgan, editor OF the
Neodesha Register, wrote an article
for the Topeka Capital under date
of April II. in which he gives the
facts concerning oil and gas discov-
cries in Wilson county up to that
date. We copy the article;
1.-THE first discovery of oil here
was made in December, 1892, by W.
NJ. Mills of Osawatomie, Kansas,
while drilling for gas on a plat OF
ground adjoining the town site OF
Neodesha. Mr.. Mills said nothing
about his important discovery, but
went East and enlisted the interest
of Messrs. Guffey & Galley, two
wealthy oil operators of Pittsburgh,
Pa. In the spring of 90 those gen.
tlemen came to Neodesha and after
examining two wells drilled by Mr..
Mills, sent East for tools and COM
menced sinking other prospect
holes. They also established offices
in this city and put n corps OF men
in the field to secure leases permit
ting them to enter upon the land
and operate for oil and gas. For
this privilege they gave the land
owner fifty dollars per annum for
every gas well found upon his land
the product of which was utilized,
and one-tenth royalty for all pro-
ductive oil wells. They have leased
lands in a northeasterly direction
from Neodesha through the coun-
ties of Neosho, Allen, Crawford,
Bourbon and Linn, and sout west
erly through Montgomery. Elk and
Chautauqua counties. The strip in
which they have secured leases va
ries in width from 20 to y miles
north and south and is about 100
miles long from northeast to south
west. They have secured leases on
about 10000 acres of land. Mean
while they were also running sew
eral rigs, or drilling outfits and
have sunk within radius of five
miles of Neodesha 30 prospect holes.
OF these three are gas wells only;
one produces splendid quality of
lubricating oil; five are sal to b.
dry holes. in oil parlance "dusters;'
the remainder show at depth OF
between s25 and 900 feet vein of
grayish oil sand, varying in thick
ness from IL to 30 feet. Four only
of these wells have been shot, /. e..
had from 80 to 40 quarts of nitro
glycerine exploded in the oil sand.
All of them made an excellent
showing when shot, the petroleum
spouting clear above the sixty-foot
derricks several times at irregular
intervals after the explosion. The
oil produced is of dark bronze
with red or amber tinge. 1t is said
by experienced oil men to be OF the
same quality as that produced in
the Lima, Ohio, oil fields.
"The flow from the gas well is the
strongest of any in the state. giving
a rock pressure of 400 pounds to the
square inch. When allowed to es-
cape from the mouth of the well it's
roaring can be heard n distance OF
two miles. A main is being laid
from one of the wells to the city of
Ncodesha and the gas is already be-
ing used by the company in it's
boiler house.
"Guffey & Galley have expended
over 100000 in prospecting here
and are now just beginning to oper-
ate. They have agreed, if the field
warrants it, to erect refinery at
Neodesha. They have won the EN-.
tire confidence of the people by
their fair dealings. Until February
no other companies were i'm the
field. Since then the Troy Oil Com
pany has been leasing some land in
the same territory in which Guffey
& Galey's leases lie, in the names of
w. L. Mellon, c. +. Farran and S. F.
Showalter. Representatives of the
Standard Oil Company have been
here, but made no effort to do any
thing. One or two other large oper-
ators have also entered the field
and quietly picked up "a few leases,
but Guffey & Galley are the only
ones who have sunk any prospect
holes.
"Their prospecting has hitherto
been confined to the vicinity of Ne
odesha, but they recently drilled a
hole near Thayer which showed up
about like the Neodesha wells. They
are also drilling holes near Fredo-
mia and Chanute."
R.v.re oi Ointment, for cstarrh That Con- !!