The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-30
OIL AT BROAD RIPPLE
THE FIELD PROMISES To BE ONE OF
THE RICHEST IN THE STATE.
One Well Producing at the Rate OF
100 Barrels Per Day-Many
Leases Being Taken.

There is no doubt in the minds of the
men who have been prospecting in the field
near Broad Ripple that it is going to de-
velop into one of the richest oil fields in
the State. Ten years ago, when the first
gas well was drilled at 1.-The Ripple" it
showed good flow of oil, but there was
nobody there that knew anything about OIL
and the well was shot for gas in such a
way as to ruin it for oil. The gas it pro-
duced was of the pocket variety and soon
failed, and it now remains dry hole with
in the town limits of Broad Ripple. There
has always been more or less gas in the
vicinity of Broad Ripple. and the work of
drilling holes there has been carried on in
a somewhat desultory fashion during the
past decade.
A new field in the territory across the
river two miles west of the city was opened
up year ago last March, when the Key
stone Gas and Oil Company brought in a
gas gusher the Sharp farm with a pres
sure of S171a pounds, giving about 1,0OO, 900
feet of gas. A month later a second well
of like capacity was brought in. In May
the Broad Ripple Gas and Oil Company,
in prospecting for gas on the Hessong farm
near by, struck a we'll with some gas and
q considerable flow of OIL The pump
showed the we'll to have a capacity of from
fifty to 100 barrels per day. 1t did not last
long and was soon abandoned, but was re-
vived again last spring and is now pro-
ducing some oil. The Broad Ripple Com
pany owned the pipes in the streets Of
Broad Ripple and the keystone Company
owned the gas wells. They were consoli-
dated under the management of Frank
Huffman, and the consolidated concern has
done very profitable business supplying
Broad Ripple with gas 1t has the cream
of the leases in that territory however
and as it's leases cover the oil, as well
as the gas, it is preparing to go into the
oil business.
The next prospectors of magnitude in the
field were Mcknight * Murphy. Mcknight
is an experienced oil man from Pennsylva
MIA, and the junior member of the firm is
William Murphy, son of Francis Murphy
the temperance apostle. Ihey have three
successful wells, one on the Foley farm and
two on the Hessong farm. One of these is
entirely clear of water and is being pumped
into tanks. In seventeen days il produced
J. 700 barrels OF oil. This firm now has 2 90
barrels in tanks at the wells ready for
The two-inch pipe line built by the Stand
ard Oil Company from the wells to the
town is now complete and viii be ready
for business as soon as the loading station
can be erected, which will only take a day
or two. The Standard has contracted to
take the output of the wells at market
rates and will carry the oil from Broad
Ripple TO Whiting on tank cars.
Leases are being taken up rapidly in the
field. Mcknight & Murphy have been large
ly increasing their holdings, and a. 5.
Hunt, representing the Standard, has been
in the field picking up leases during the
past two weeks. A few individuals have
also taken some in likely territory. The
leases go at a dollar per acre per year, with
the agreement that a well shall be drilled
within a specified time and the owner of the
land shall have one-fourth TO one-eighth Of
the product if oil is found.
The trenton rock Is struck in this field
at from SlS TO 923 feet, and the most sue
cessful wells are those that have gone into
the rock from twenty-five 10 thirty-ive
feet and then been shot with 100 quarts Of
nitro-glycerin