The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-01
INDIANA OIL INDUSTRY
INCREASE IN OPERATIONS AND
PRICE OF CRUDE ADVANCING.
DIR. Lights Well at Broad Ripple At
tracing General Attention and
May Result in a Big Boom.
necial to the Indiananolis Journal.

Special the indianapolis journal.
MONTPELIER, Ind, Sept. 30.-Like the
Ohio field, the Indiana field shows a big in
crease for the month of September over
that of August in the oil industry. 1t was
thought that the money question would
have a tendency to stop the completion of
wells to a great extent, but such has not
been the case. The advance of few cents
per barrel the past couple of weeks should
strengthen the new work, but the indica-
tions are that it will have no effect what
ever There is general kick among the
oil well contractors as to the price paid
per foot by the oil contingency. The price
of drilling is now the cheapest it has been
in the history of Indiana oil. Heretofore
the prices per foot for drilling ranged from
10 to 80 cents per foot, but now the con-
tractors have been cut to 40 cents per foot.
This is hardly living prices, and the con-
tractors cannot live under the cut and
many of them are leaving. If a contractor
could complete a well with no bad luck
then it would not be so bad but such is
not usually the case, one experiences
more or less fishing for lost tools and a
few days will lose money for a contractor.
Reports here in the oil fields is that the
Standard Oil Company is cutting the salary
of all the bumpers under its employ, but
Operations in the Indiana oil field for the
month of September show that LA wells
were completed, of which 81 were gas wells
or worthless for the production of the
crude product. The wells that are good for
oil show daily output of ESQ barrels,
average per we'll per day of twenty-five
and two-thirds barrels. This is an increase
over the August report of sixty-seven COM
pleted wells, forty dry holes or gas wells
and 615 barrels in new production. There
are at the present time lis wells drilling
and IS rigs up ready for the drill in the
State, against 81 drilling and 20 rigs up for
August. This is an increase for September
of y in drilling wells and 16 in rigs up,
or total increase in new work of 43.
Wells county has taken the lead in opera
tons in this State for the past few years
and has developed some wonderful wells in
its day but must now succumb to more
pastures green, as the oil men are looking
after such strikes as the one made by DR..
Light, near Broad Ripple. The new field
is attracting considerable attention.
couple of good wells in the vicinity of the
Light well then look out for an oil excite
ment in that part of the State. Some of
the oil men thinking of the territory
located around Knightstown. A well drilled
there time ago produced $50 barrels
the first twenty-four hours and never pro-
duced a barrel afterwards. This scared
the oil men away, but they will again re-
turn, as the well test and showed
that there was oil in that part. There are
several places in the State outside of the
present oil field where oil was found in
paying quantities while drilling for gas and
these same places are attracting no at
tention whatever at the present time, SIM
ply for the reason that but few oil men
are acquainted with the fact.
The following is a summary of opera
tons in the great Indiana oil fields for the
month Of September compared with that of
Ar1rr M
piled and are authority throughout the oil
districts.
(nMpJ FITTED WELLS