Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-13
w. M. Reese Talks About the Pros
pectso of Ottumwa Companies.
AN OIL WELL HAS BEEN STARTED
oil is Abundant in the Vicinity of the
Claims Owned by Ottumwans-Mr.
Reese's Views of the New Coun.
try.
[Trom Mondays Daily.l

| [From Mondays DailyJ
| William Reese, of this city, has re.
Gently returned from Oklahoma, where
| he spent some time in the interest of
the several companies composed of OF
tumwa men with the object of devel-
oping the mineral lands of Oklahoma.
Mr.. Reese has been all over the new
country recently opened for settlement
and is probably better acquainted with
the country and conditions than any
other Ottumwan who has visited the
place because he has been there re-
peatedly and has travelled over 1t ex-
tensively.
Has no Position.
In conversation with Courier re-
porter Mr.. Reese spoke very interest
ingly of his trip and of the country
and people. About the first thing he
/ did, however, was to correct the inn
preston which had been caused by a
news item in, the Ell Reno American
which was copied IN the Courier to the
effect that William Reese had been
given the first commission as notary
public and had been appointed as
member of an engineers party to ap.
praise the public lands in Oklahoma.
This man is not Mr.. Reese from Of
tumwa, as was at first surmised, even
by those who had been to Oklahoma.
The Mineral Lands.
Mr.. Reese is more interested in the
mineral lands in the new country than
in the agricultural districts. The OF
tumwa parties who made up seven
companies have land in six sections of
Comanche county, of which Lawton
is the county seat The mineral
claims lie about eight miles northeast
of Lawton. The contract for an oil
well has been let by the Ottumwans
and the digging is already in progress.
This new oil field was first staked by
Ottumwa parties under the mineral laws
of the United States on May 81 of the
present year.
To Settle Dispute.
The oil well is not being started for
the purpose of finding out if there is
oil there but to prove to others that
the Ottumwa people intend to hold
their claims against some who staked
over them. Since the Ottumwa peo-
pie staked the land out there have
been representatives Of the Standard
Oil company and homeseekers stake
out claims which include the Ottum-
vans claims. This is done on ac-
count of a misunderstanding of the
law governing such matters. and for
the purpose of demonstrating the fact
that they mean to stay and have the
law on their side the Ottumwa men
have started well.
Different Openings.
The country in which the Ottum-
vans claims are located: in other
words, the Comanche-Apache-Ki owa
country, was opened for mineral settle
ment in May, and was again opened
for homestead settlement on August
6. The Ottumwa people located their
mineral claims under the first opening.
while some who We're not acquainted
with the law came on after August
and demanded the right to locate
claims in the same place where the
Ottumawns had already located Mr..
Reese, however, says that this under
standing can soon be cleared away and
that there will be no more trouble on
that score.
Plenty of Oil.
4 AS to the matter of there being oil
ties have their claims, Mr. Reese says
there is no doubt. He says that along
the creeks in the vicinity one can dip
up barrel of oil at any time, and he
exhibited sample of the Oil thus OBJ
tanned 1t is of dark brown color
and is of about the same consistency
as sorghum. Mr.. Reese had some of
it analysed by the city chemist at Kan
sas City, Mo-, and he found that 1t is
composed of asphaltum and petroleum.
1t Is, of course, in crude state and
must be treated by chemical process
before it can be used as coal OIL but
that it Is valuable cannot be doubted.
Will Consolidate.
The several Ottumwa companies ex
pect to consolidate and incorporate I'M
der one head within a short time. The
J land held by them is almost all adj
: joining, and this plan will be best fol
ALL There are in Oklahoma now, SUI
perintending the boring of the well
: and looking after the interests of the
Ottumwa companies, four well known
: Ottumwans: }. A. Mangan, George Sill
!; vers, A. r. Krapfel and E. c. French
Drew Blanks.
Mr. Reese was interested in the
drawing of land for settlement pur
poses in the new territory. He filed
for himself and for Charles Simmons
.. of this city, but neither one drew any
land. In speaking OF the new land
Mr.. Reese described the territory
around Lawton as very beautiful The
town itself is located on slope. an6
there are no real hills for a distance
of four miles. At short distance lie
the Wichita mountains, low range
which appear to be good-sized noun
tains with their lower halves buried ii
the earth. They abound in very pref
ty scenery. In the mountains there
are several streams fed by springs ,ant
good water is to be found all through
the mountains
} The New Country.
The western part of the new coun
try is semi-arid except around tn,
Wichita mountains. where there is
greater rainfall than in any other par
I of Oklahoma. There is little in agri
pt,1f, IA;