The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-23
GAS AT
WINFIELD
Flow of Over Half a Million
Feet Per Day.
STRUCK AT SIX O'CLOCK
Mud and Water Was Thrown
Thirty Feet in Air
AN EIGHT INCH WELL
At Depth of 600 Feet Gas
Began to Flow

4 few minutes before 5 O'Clock last
night with rush and roar that was
terrifying, natural gas broke forth from
q well a half mile east or winfield Mud
ana water was thrown to the height Of
thirty feet by the force Of the gas. Last
night the excitement ran high in the
city.
The flow is estimated at frcm one-half
to three-fo urths of a million cubic feet of
gas every twenty-four hours and coming
from a depth of 60 Ofeet. The men reached
that depth late yesterday afternoon and
gust before quitting time there was a roar
and the water and mud came pouring
from the well with great force.
few weeks ago the people of Winfield
voted $1,000 in bonds to prospect for gas.
Rases q Co, who make a business of
drilling gas and oil wells, made a contract
with that city that they would furnish
q flow Of gas of at least oHe-half million
feet. If this flow was struck the city was
10 pay them $le,000 The gas was 10 be
found within two miles of the city.
Seventeen days ago the company put
its eight-inch drill to work on the farm Of
James Conner, half a mile east OF the cor
porate limits Of the city. The company
fully expected 10 go 10 a depth OF 1.50O 70
1900 feet before finding the gas. The
flow was found at one-third that depth.
There was no instrument in Winfield
last night with which the people could
measure the flow Of the gas so an order
was telegraphed to Chanute for instru-
ment and in a few days or so the exact
amount Of gas flowing from the well in
tweEty-four hours will be known. From
the way the water and mud was thrown
and the force Of the gas the most con-
servative estimate placed on the flow by
men who have had experience is one
half million cubic feet per day. This
is considered TO be a flow of almost phe-
romenal proportions and but seldom
found IN the gas districts.
Winfield is thirty-nine miles from Wich-
tia Gas has been discovered at a point
half way between Wichita and Winfield
and the people of this city who heard the
news of the big well at Winfield last
night believe that gas viii be found under
Wichita At a meeting of the board OF
directors of the Chamber Of Commerce
next Monday evening a well drilling com
pany viii submit proposition to drill for
gas and oil. The company agrees to
find oil that win flow ten barrels per day
or a gas well that viii produce half a
million cubic feet of gas per day within
two miles of Wichita. II they ind either
oil or gas in the above amounts, they
are to receive $4,000
There is no doubt in the minds Of many
people that there is both gas and oil
under Wichita and since the discovery OF
the well at Mulvane. there has been much
talk of organizing a company to prospect
and if the proposition submitted Monday
evening is found to be reasonable. there
is no doubt bur that a company will be
formed TO do the work
Wichita people viii be burning natural
gas before another year ends and it is
expected that this gas viii come from
wells in the Immediate neighbOrhood,
and if not, the gas viii be brought here.