The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-07
BROAD RIPPLE OIL FIELD.
Big Oil Men Believe Ii VIII Make In-
dianapoIis Headquarters.

01anapOIts Headquarters.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
MONTPELIER, Ind, Sept. 6.--The Broad
Ripple field has attracted more or less at
tention sporadically for year or more.
but until within a few weeks ago had moth.
ing tangible on which to base a claim to
an oil field outside of the DIR. Light we'll
This late well was drilled by Murphy &
Co. on the Hessong farm, Section "a, Wash
ington township, Marion county, few
miles north of Indianapolis and two miles
west of Broad Ripple. 1t has been pumped
two weeks and has averaged IS barrels OF
oil per day. The same firm has started its
second well on the same farm and about
GOO feet east of the producing well. Leasers
have been active and many leases have
been taken up and more work may be
started shortly if the second we'll is any
thing like the first. This is going to be a
great thing for indianapolis and people in
this section are afraid that if oil is found
in abundance close to Indianapolis that In
dianapolis will then become the head of the
great Indiana oil field. This is likely to
occur, as the facilities are much better and
that is what the heavy oil manipulators are
looking for. A well-known oil operator has
been asked his opinion on the opening OF
an important field in Marion county and
says:
There is no doubt in the minds of the
men who have been prospecting IN the field
near Broad Ripple that 1t is going TO de-
velop into one Of the richest OH feds in
the state. Ten years ago, when the first
gas Well was drilled at that place, it showed
q good now OF oil, but there was nobody
there that knew anything about Oil, ana
the Well was shot for gas IN such a way as
to ruin it for oil. The gas it produced was
2; OF the pocket variety, and soon failed, and
1t now remains q dry hole within the limits
OF that town About the same thing can be
said of the lands around Cicero and Nobles-
vile. There has always been more or less
gas in the vicinity of Broad Ripple and the
work of drilling holes there has been car
ried ,on in somewhat desultory fashion
during the past decade new field in the
territory across the river two miles west
of Broad Ripple found a year ago
last March, when the keystone Oil and
Gas Company brought in a gas we'll on the
Sharp farm with a rock pressure of 3lIla
pounds, giving volume of 100000 cubic
feet of gas day. A month later d second
Wei of like capacity was brought in. In
May the Broad Ripple Gas and Oil Com
pany, in prospecting for gas on the Hes
some gas and a considerable flow of oil.
The pump showed the well to have a. ca
pacity of from 80 to 100 barrels a day. 1t
petered out suddenly and was soon after
abandoned, but was revived again last
spring and is now producing some oil The
next people III the field were Murphy Hs
Mcknight. They have completed three
wells, one on the Foley farm. One of these
wells contains no water and is being
pumped into tanks. In seventeen days ii
put !, 200 barrels of oil in tanks. There are
close to 1000 barISis of oil now in tanks
at the well ready for shipment. The Buck
eye Pipe Line Company (Standard) has
completed a two-inch line from the wells
to the railroad and as ~Jon as a loading
rack can be completed the oil will be run
into tank cars and shipped to the refinery
at Whiting, Ind. The oil-bearing strata in
this field is found at from ylS TO 1913 feets
and the oil Is, Is usually found at from e to
so feet in. There will be some excitement
at Broad Ripple in the near future"
Late developments in the Alexandria field
make things look more encouraging than
they have for some time. The Ohio Oil
Companys second well on the Blake farm,
$50 feet east from the first, which started
at GOO barrels six weeks ago and is still
doing 125 barrels natural, is showing for a
big producer. In this we'll the sand or oil
bearing strata was struck at S21, or . feet
lower than in No. l. The. same companys
No. on the d. Bowers farm, which
they drilled dry hole last spring, Is also
showing for good producer. The three
wells drilled around the Blake No on the
north and west have increased some. Zifn-
norman q Co.'s No. l has increased from
to p inches, and Shaw & Longs NO
and No. are. doing and inches re-
spectively. The large Increase in the Zim-
norman we'll and the showing of the No.
on the Blake farm signifies that the belt
runs almost due east and west. There are
several wells under way in the immediate
vicinity and it is likely that crop or
good wells will be harvested Black d
Harmon shot their wells on the ID. M.
Scott farm near Alexandria. 1t was drilled
in about two weeks ago and has been tiow-
ing at $50 barrels day. The owners are
of the opinion that the shot Will increase
the production to double what it was
The oil excitement created at Peru, Miami
county by the we'll drilled over month
ago by the Peoples Oil and Gas Company
has not abated When first completed the
well flowed at the rate of u barrels day
for the first few weeks but when put TO
pumping showed a daily output of 100 bar
rels of fine quality oil, If anything the best
vet found in the State The Trenton rock
was found at S75 feet and the we'll was
drilled % feet in the oil-bearing strata.
Three wells are now drilling and two rigs
up in the new field. The Citizens Oil ana
Gas Company is drilling well No. $50 feet
south of No. / and No. is drilling $50 feet
west of No. l. The Runyon Oil Company
is drilling its No. ] on the Runyon farm
$50 feet east from the initial we'll of the
field The Bearss Oil Company is drilling
on the Bearss farm 900 feet east of the
Citizens Oil and Gas Companys Well One
mile west of other operations the kiondike
Oil Company has a rig up for an important
test well near the Wabash river. Present
indications are that a prolific oil held VIII
be opened up in the immediate vicinity OF
Peru. AS has been said on many other oe-
casions the heart of the great Indiana
oil deposit has not yet been tapped by the
drill" When this lake of oil is tapped no
otker field on earth will be handful be-
side~it. The gas belt shows that II Is mere
and the day is not far away when 1t Will
be discovered. The price Of the fluid is
one thing against operations, and q man
prices The Indiana Pipe Line and Refining
Company and the Manhattan Oil Company,
both large concerns, are now getting a
fcothold in the State and 1t IS hoped that
thev will advance the price a few notcheS
above where ii now stands. as figure given
hv the STANDARD Oil Company, through its
agent the Buckeye Pipe Line Company.
The Runyon oil Company's No. ] on the
Punvon farm is rated good for better than
100 barrels and the oil fever is now at its
height In Peru.