West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-03-27
california and she New west.

hated than that OF California TO-DAY.
II was thought two months ago
that the limit of the depression had
been reached, bat 1t was mistake.
and now the quiet of village
graveyard prevades every district
In the State. Ia the great Kern
field there are few wells drilling,
bat the field is so large they can
scarcely be found. The Monte
Cristo company had long time
contract at a high price with San
Francisco consumers. bat was un-
able to procure cars for delivery.
Therefore an agreement was entered
into with the Pacific Coast OIL COM
pany (Standard) to take the Monte
Cristo production at a figure COM
mensurate with favorable contracts
and assume the obligations Of de
livery to San Francisco. The re-
suit is that the Monte Cristo Is In
good shape, and Is drilling few
wells. About the only other drill
Ing Is being done by the 80" and
Imperial Oil companies (Southern
Pacific Railway The companies,
of course, do not depend upon any
market, bat at once have use for all
the oil they can produce. The
wells shut-in number into the hun
dreds, aud when there will be oc-
casion to open them Is the great
question. Some wells, whose owners
are not practical men, are being
pumped into stump holes where the
oil Is allowed to stand exposed to
the elements. and sink into the
earth or evaporate. The owners do
not seem to realize it would be
cheaper and better to leave the oil
in Its subterranean reservoir.
! The Associated Oil Company
combined is unquestionabiy 60.
Two months have passed and the
machinery of the new organization
Is now fairly In working order.
Elegant Offices have been opened In
San Francisco, where uniformed
attendants take your card at the
door. Nothing has been spared In
the furnishing of these Offices.
The general manager, Mr.. Porter,
draws a meager salary of Sra, COO
a year. Other officers draw down
$1,000, IS 600, S 600 and 5000 a
year. The total salary list 1t Is
said amounts to $6o. 900 per annum.
To offset this the running expenses
in the field are being greatly re
duced. All who have entered the
combine have decided over their
properties, and there Is no backing
out. The combine controls about
48 per cent of the entire produc
ton of the Kern field. It will de-
velop only those properties that
are easy to develop. Preparations
are being made to drill few wells.
The material from all leases will be
concentrated. They will not have
to buy anything for months, even
If they operate quite extensively.
A Standard man said recently, how
ever, that even If the Associated
controls half or more than half of
the production, there Is still enoug b
and more than half enough oil at
the Standards command to supply
the whole demand for long time.
The Kern field, said this gentleman,
Is the greatest field In the United
States to-day.
The Standard still goes on build
Ing tanks and erecting Its Point
R edmond refinery, where 1t has
900 men working. 1t Is under
: stood pipes for the coast line have
been shipped several weeks. The
| Union refinery at Bakersfield, as
we'll as the Pacific refinery, Is about
completed and ready to begin oper.
atoms. The Jewett and Blodget,
refinery at Sunset Is working mig b,
and day, and will be increased In
size. A number of new wells al
| Sunset are In prospect the coming
summer. This will probably be
. the most active field In the state
this year. The Bakersfield Iron
Works have been absorbed by the
combine. All the other oil vel
supply shops In the states are
: practically at standsttll, and one
5 or two are talking of suspendinG
, operations.
The Union Supply Store. al
Bakersfield, Is closing out, and the
Crane store has been absorbed by
w. T. McFie, who was burned ou
2 last week. There was a mad rush
, by other dealers to sell to McFie
|, but Crane was the lucky one
Thus already our prediction O