The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-13
- 49, & ! ! Rs4s IS 80
HIS &
The NeU Oil Fields.
Petroleum Fever RACES Fierce1y in Central Indiana
8 . 81 = ~ = 3 3

Central Indiana is just now the
scene Of wild excitement and a bitter
contest The excitement is produced
by the presence Of a horde of oil specu-
Iators who are leasing farms right and
left and dotting the landscape with
ugly looking derricl1s. They are prepar-
ing to. punch that section of the earths
crust full Of holes, in the expectation
that crude petroleum will gush cut of
every hole.
This is one element of the disturbing
conditions which have changed a peace
full but poverty stricken countryside
into a hustling, bustling community
where a great deal of loud talking,
lot Of specializing and but very little
real work is being done. The other
element is furnished by the frantic
efforts which are being made to stop
these new operations
1t happens that this very vicinity,
which, since it's recent baptism OF
petroleum from the Carver g,usher,"
has been christened the Indiana oil
fields, has also been known for years
as the great natural gas region Of that
state. In adjoining counties dozens of
towns and small cities have been built
up around industries which depend for
their existence ON this supply of nat
uraI gas. Great companies have for
years been making immense revenues
by carrying the gas in pipes to Chicago,
Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, where it
is sold for manufacturing lighting and
heating purposes.
Now the theory Island it seems a
plausible one whether it is right or not
that when oil wells are sunk in a gas
region the gas gives out. Even the oil
men cannot deny but that each oil Well
wastes immense volumes of natural
gas.
Very naturally the men interested
in the natural gas supply of Indiana
look with alarm ON the development
OF their territory as an oil field. They
fear that others will kill the goose
which has been laying for them the
golden eggs. So jealousy has the gas
supply been guarded that the Indiana
legislature has passed laws for it's pro-
lection. One of these imposes a penalty
of 5000 a day for every day that gas
we'll is. left open without proper con-
troll This law the gas; men mean to
invoke to- stop the oil men.
But the latter claim that this very
point has been decided in their favor
by the courts on previous occasions,
and they are going merrily ahead sink
Ing shafts and leasing farms. 1t will
be most lively war, for there are mil
lions on each side of the fight, also
determined men who know the use OF
money as a factor in legal battles,
All this turmoil centers around one
siX-inch hole on the farm of Nimrod
Carver, near Alexandria. Eight young
men of Lima, encouraged by the fact
that gas wells in the vicinity of An
Jacksonville had been spouting oil. chip
ped in $3.50 each and leased the Carver
farm. Farmer Carver, who was strug-
Cling. desperately along under a heavy
mortgage with foreclosure and ruin
staring him in the face, readily ac-
copied the terms Of the oil men. They
agreed to- give him ene-sixth of the
oil, but no cash. bonus per acre as is
usual in oil contracts The we'll was
sunk in March, but it had gone over
100 feet into the Trenton rock with
out show of either gas or oil. when
the discouraged operators determined
to shoot 1t" They had almost given