The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-02-22
OILAN0NG THE ORA n NGRS.


seA~~A
Angeles have been apparen: for years.
and few instances are on record Of
enthusiasts prospectors who sunk
wells to the depth Of from 100 TO 200
feet, and actually succeeded IN securing
an, occasional barrel Of crude petro
leum.
The first cable car line was built in
Los Angeles in 1886. and it was nat'i-
rally conceded BY investors generally
that q piece Of land close in on the
cable line was about the biggest card
in their pack. This particular section
Of town Is made up Of series Of hills
crowded along as closely together as
o prairie dog village and just about as
a, ailable for town lots. A local real es-
tate dealer acquired some property in
the much-valued region, and then for
several years tried vainly t,' sell out
at almost any price. Finally. in fit OF
desperation, he decided to bors: for oil.
This was in August Of last year.
Encouragement and ridicu'e met him
on all sides, and when 1.clN' feet Ind
been reached without result, his ''wiid
cat" scheme was the tax of ti:c town.
Then something happened. Sudden
ly, in the dead waste and middle of the
night, q tremendous burst of oi: and
gas shot out of the drill hole. flung
every portable object in its pathway
high in the air, literally soaked the
men in attendance, and saturat...s the
region roundabout with the grimy,
ill-smelling substance. Dismay reigned
supreme, until the owner # the well
was enabled to turn the enormous out
put into hastily tank.
At first universal wave Of indigna-
tion swept over the community which
had in the passing of years taken up
it's abode in this region. 1t wa6 out
rageous that oliactorics of the peo-
pie should be so violently assailed-
their very hearth-stones invaded. It
was furthermore declared that the we'll
was a menace to health. and applica-
tions to abate the nuisance were made
to the city council.
Then there was great calm, which
lasted exactly "a hours. after which
every adjacent property owner with
1900 in hand or in sight began to pre-
pare for boring. Irnumcrable agents
now appeared on the scene, eager to
furnish estimates on readiLg, casing.
Tubing, etc.; to supply rig irons, en-
gines, boilers, or tand pumps, while you
waited; to take your measure for oil
proof overalls; to move your house.
Oil companies and oil exchanges are
being organized and reorganized al
most daily. Two pipelines are CON-
pleted from the field to the railway
tracks, one having 1000 barrel stor-
age tank, and the other with a ca
pacity of $4,000 barrels. These lines
cost about $4,000.
There are over 400 wells in actual
operation to-day, and the drilling is
progressing ra7:dly. What with the
purchase of plants and the cost of pip
ing the oil to the railroads, nearly 81 :
100000 capital has already ls.en invest
ed in the industry.
As high us 300 barrels of oil have
been pumped from single well in
"a hours, although 100 barrels is con-
sidered an excellent daily average for
the best producers. The present out
put is over 5000 barrels pr day. O1
this 1.s00 barrels are required for local
consumption - breweries, = laundries,
iron and steel works, printing Offices
ETC.. and the Santa Fe and Terminal
Railroad companies being the princi.
pal consumers.-H -Harper's' Weekly.