The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-12
COMMITTEE
GOT SOME FACTS
<0f Interest 10 WichitanS Re-
garding Gas Wells.
FROM VISIT TO CHANUTE
Money for Drilling to be
Raised by Subscription.
FROM VISIT TO CHANUTE

The special council committee sent to
Chanute 10 look into the natural gas and
on fields and confer with some prominent
'6n and gas men Of that point, returned
yesterday morning and during the after
noon made q report TO the councilmen.
Nearly every councilman was present.
ana ar. BelIew, chairman of the commit
tee. reported that they visited several
gas and oil wells near and in Chanute
and found that the best gas wells were
on the high ground as there was no
danger from water spelling the well.
The prices for gas in Chanute in win
ter for heating and cooking stoves. s. per
month. ana during the summer 81. 80 per
month. and lamps 20 cents per month.
snd taey burned night and day if de-
sired. Tne cost Of drilling 1T Chanute
Nas from s. cents to 81 per foot, and the
total cost Of wells was from $3.50 to $500
each.
Mr. Oglesbg stated that his company
would net drul Tor the city and agree 10
furnish given amount Of gas at any
price. They would however, drill as a
stock company and sell the well 10 the
city a a small profit
one of the most important points the
committee learned while al Chanute was
the fact that several wells had been
found that flowed one million or more
feet per day for a month or two aad
then died down. These wells We're sim
Ply II the shaie ana amounted to moth
ing Tie Chanuta people informed the
Wichita committee THAT in order TO be
assured of a GOOD and steady flow OF gas
they must have from ten to fifteen feet
Of gas sand Of a light color and be un-
deriald with The Mississippi limestone.
>rhe drill must be stopped before the
gas sand Is penetrated entirely.
The committee recommended that the
contract should be awarded witn the
provision that not less than ten feet
Of gas-bearins sand be produced. The
committee consisted of +. Beliew ).
Giles Smith. J. ". Burton and w s.
Pierce, with Mr.. +. T. Allen as special
agent Of the city ia making gas leases.
The councilmen discussed the matter
thoroughly yesterday afternoon and ask
ed questions Of the committee regard
ing the Chanute fields
The committee announced that as they
were leaving Chanute the driuers WAC
showed them around the city announced
that dIiu bad been ordered for Wich-
ita and that they would be here within
two weeks and begin drilling close TO
Wichita
After the discussion Mr.. LuIing offered
the following resolutions which were
adopted
Whereas. The discovery Of natural
Gas in CoWley county near Winfield has
demonstrate the fact that gas exists
west Of the Flint Hills and
Whereas. la event it should be dem
onstrated that natural gas in sufficient
volume can be secured I'm Sedgwlck coua-
" Within rqrfue ..f 81. r--ffa- -l,.,
corporate limits Of the city Of Wichita
that twenty-year franchise granted TO
any corporation would be worth al least :
one-haf million dollars; and
whereas What IS good and valuable /
Tor limited number Of our citizens /
formed into q corporation would like /
wise be as certainly good and valuable +
&c every taxpayer citizen and city as a
whole, therefore be il
Resolved. That the mayor appoint a /
committee of nine disinterested citizens. /
three OF whom at least shall be members /
OF the city council. to solicit popular 4
SUBSCRIPTIONS from our citizens to the 4
amount Of SO 9a3 for the purpose of con- /.
tracing with reliable ana exDericrced +
gas Wei drillers to produce a gas wen I
OF one-half million cubic feet of gas or
more per twenty-four hours. or ton bar /
TelS OF oil for ten consc cutive DAYS be- I
lore same shall be accepted. and i'm the /
event that no such Eas or oil wen be /
discovered that the subscriptions be re-
turned to the original subscribers: bet +
lha1 lh me event such gas well is dis 4
covered, the subscribers agree to assign /
70 the city or Wichita their several sub /
scristlons, receiving In lieu thereon due (
gilis from said city payable ia gas to /
oouole The run amount of said subscriD- /
uon- and thereby securing to the CITY
ana citizens the absolute title ana own /
ership Of said gas wells, and thus obvi- +
at any necessity of granting a valuable /
iiehehlse 10 any corporation or set Of /
individuals at this time
The mayor appointed c. II. Inling T
+ Helew and J. Giles Smith from the
council G. G. Cohn J. H. Stewart. 4
James Allison. J. Z. Howard. II. Nc /
Cleilan and ". =. Throckmorton as the
CITIZENS committee to solicit the sub I
scnptiOns
Tonight n the council chamber there
VIII be mass meeting of citizens to
consider the gas question. Mayor afc-
Lean has ordered the desks of the lower
floor removed and this win give the
citizens more room Chairs viii be
placed or the lower floor, and with the
gallery the hall win accommodate sew
eTal hundred people
-le mass meeting was called los the
chamber Of Commerce, but the mayor
$50 --t-+t4t tttA -z1tltfl SPECIAL Gail !
Tor the citizens. and they earnestly re-
quest that every citizen who is interest
ed IN getting gas to Wichita attend this
meeting
1t has been decided that an who SUB
scribe 70 the fund for getting fhe eas
well VIII receive double the amount the-
saoscribo, taking the value in gas con-
sumption Each man=who subseribes ten
dollars t. the drilling fund viii when
gas is discovered receive twenty dollars
VI orth Of gas for his own use The civ
" III own fhe gas wei and the price of
as VIII be VERY low The contract with
the driiier says well must be found
hat flows half million Cubic feet Of
gas DAY or they VIII receive no
money The company doing the drii1fne
must and a good now of gas within two
miles Of the city II they do aot find Il
the money wiz be returned To the sub
scTibers.
RATHER PFclllIkR CAST