The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-19

and is represented by a complete line
Of various merchandising houses.
Montgomery county is barely one
year old in oil developments but in the
past years she has demonstrated to the
satisfaction of the oil experts that this
will be the largely developed field. The
wells in Montgomery county are deeper
than those Of Thayer and Chanute and
cost a trifie mole money to sink but on
the other hand they show the largest
number Of barrels per we'll in the whole
district
The average depth of wells in Mont
gomery county, with the exception or
the Drum Creek district, runs from
400 to 1900 feet and costs about nine
ty-five cents a foot to drill
A great many readers are probably
curious to know the different reasons
and theories Of operating for oil in this
field and why one territory has better
producers than another section.
The theory that is most plausible to-
day and advanced by oil experts on the
Independence wells is the antf-Cline
theory or the following of oil down a
slope in conformity to the laws of gray-
ftation. As an illustration oil would
not flow up hill unless it was forced up
by q heavy gas pressure and in q
blanket formation like the southern
Kansas oil fields when oil is struck at
g shallow depth in the northern field
ana at deeper depth fifty miles south
70 shows that there is q certain number
Of feet decline to the mile; the theory is
that where oil will be exhausted in the
shallow field that there viii still be
supply in the lower and deeper field.
Another reason for drilling IN the lower
de1d is that the wells win produce more
oil as there is more oil flowing in the
deep wells than in the shallow wells.
Like ali geological questions every the
ory here has its adherents and opposers
and while no man can see at greater
depth in the ground than another
great deal of judgment can be used in
sinking wells.
IndeDendence is fortunate in her de-
veloping for she has the practical oil
man OF the United States TO develop her
field.
The men who are advancing the in
terests of Montgomery county are not
SPECTATORS or promoters, but actual
producers There are very few men
in this field that know anything about
tile schemes Of promotions. but they
do know how to sink a we'll at the
least possible cost and get the great
est amount Of revenue from the prop
erty. Nearly all the men developing
this field have been raised and edu-
Gated in the oil business, and they fol-
low the drilling of wells and selling the
oil the Same as a farmer would the
cultivation Of the field. They have put
their money into these wells and have
got oil end are selling it to the
Standard"
A stranger coming to independence
to Icok for oil doesn't have all the
It is q matter of indifference to the oil
men here whether you buy or not; they
did not ask for advice. and they keen
on drilling their holes. If you want to
sink wells. that is your privilege: you
stand the same show that they do.
The Independence producers have
sold all their oil as fast as produced |
to the Standard, and the oil from !
this company is OF the best. With the
exception of two or three wells. the
oil shows a specific gravity of 80 to |
S6 per cent. and has such high illumi- |
mating qualities that it will always
bring the top prices The price for
this oil. as paid this week. is S1-22 per
barrel.
The general impression is that the
boundaries of the field have not been
discovered and that the wells will be
good for many years. The sand is
good and clean. AS the base Of this
oil is asphaltum, the sand is held to-
Gether and the oil has only very small
veins to percolate through, so they can
NOT be exhausted like those of Beau
mont where the rocky formation was
so coarse that many wells reached the
limit in twelve months and had moth
ing left but water.
Why do they shoot the sands? is one
question. Possibly because. as the
sands are so adhesive and closely
packed. that is the way to open up
assures for the drainage of oil into the
wells.
Very little water is encountered in
such that by using two or three Joints
Of 81 inch casing that one can drill
right down to the top of the sand
without further casing.
This is a big advantage to an Oil
driller as 1t allows a we'll to be shot
before putting in the casing otherwise
the casing would have to be pulled
and the well cleaned or shot with an
electric shot which is quite expensive. |
Wells that have to be .cased must have |
the casing pulled or the casing is very
often damaged by the shot and the well
lost.
Kansas people have not realized that
these fields constitute one of the won
ders Of the country. 1t is confidently |
predicted that Kansas will furnish the
oil OF the nation and Kansas people |
with their immense resources should |
not be the last to awaken to the fact
that money and lots of it can be made /
here. The opportunities to make mon
ey here are unlimited and any com
pany that will drill wells and has good
holdings will make money for its IN
Vestors. One must not make the mis-
take Of thinking that they will get rich
on a small investment for the oil bust
ness is like any other kind of business
It must be carefully managed to make
the most from It. Nor should one
expect to go to Independence and not
expect to work for to be a success you
must be ready to don a pair of over
alls and jump in to work. Many dis
couraging features will be met with
but the people that stick to the devel-
oping business Will have cause for
regret as they will be paid many fold
for all their troubles and investment.
The Consolidated Gas, Oil and Manu-
featuring Company.
The Consolidated Gas. OIL & Manu-
featuring company Of Independence con-
trolls about $4,000 acres of the best land
to be found in the proven districts and
IS capitalized for $3.Q00,000.
The Consolidated is strictly a de-
veloping enterprise for with all of their
immense holdings they do not suitcase
an acre of oil ground. The 'Consoli-