The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-13

q day So are Mrs. Mary Blundel and
James POLLS William Lemon and
Mrs. Durham are getting about $50
each a day. There are only five wells
on Mrs. Dunhams place at present
The operators propose to drill twenty
/ five more at once. J. 3. Moore, A. r..
HartZell each have from three to five
wells on their farms and their royal
ties range from $40 to $25 each a day.
Frank Lloyd has made a fortune on
royalties on town lots in Peru. 1t is
somewhat remarkable that most of the
oil in the Peru district comes from the
most worthless farms More derEicks
I are located on the flint hills than in
the valleys Asked what those rough
rock farms We're worth before oil was
found an old farmer at Peru gEuffly
remarked: They lack six bits of being
worth a damn
The Bolton pool in the Independence
district has been good to the farmers
of that section. George l.. Banks
bought eighty acres over the pool two
years ago for SO acre Already it
has produced $4,000 worth of oil, of
which Banks received one-eighth- The
first well was shot on October %. All
told, it now has ten wells and more
are drilling.
Just north of the Banks farm is the
E. b. Shaw tract of $50 acres, contain
ing 16 wells. 1t pays its owner $4,000
a month in royalties. Last year Shaw
offered the farm for $40 an acre, but
could get no takers. For farming pur-
poses it isn't worth perhaps SIS an
acre. Among the other lucky farmers
of that section are J. B. Fellows, with
100 acres with nine wells ON it; J. H.
Bredhoft, with 100 acres and Is wells
which make him $3.50 day; J. d. At
kinson with so acres; NJ E. Bolt, with
100 acres: Julia Bolt with $50 acres;
Z. Earhart, with $40 acres; ]. a.
Swearingen, With 80 acres; A. joyce,
with so acres; J. II. Greene, with 100
acres: b. Donnedrink with 100 acres;
= Mcfz ri IL IN.
with so acres; Tom Callihan, with 12O
acres; H. Force, with so acres; E. Nc
Hargue, with so acres, and John Sick,
with 100 acres. All are big producers.
Sick is a United Brethren preacher.
His farm has u wells on it, and for
many weeks they produced 100 barrels
a day each, or a total OF LOO barrels
His royalty amounts to $l25 a day UNI
der present production. However, these
wells will come down in their average
just as soon as they run their heads
off" as oil men say.
The luck of some men is past un-
derstanding. A. Schoenberg, Jew,
now living in Rosedale, a suburb of
Kansas City, used to live down here.
That was about thirty years ago. He
acquired a fOrty-SeVen acre farm and
has held onto it ever since. He got it
almost for nothing. 1t lies in what is
now the Bolton pool The oil boom
h ere was preceded by a gas craze MI
Snyder, the Kansas City banker, who
was convicted of buying up the St
Louis council on a street railway fran
chise deal, was after gas land. The
Independence Gas company, now the
Consolidated Gas & Oil company, was
his strongest competitor in this field.
Snyder tried to get a lease on the
Schoenberg tract. The Independence
concern also was after it. young
man named Reece slipped off up to
RosedaIe and got the lease. After
ward he wanted to sell it and Snyder
offered him $50 for it. That was an
exorbitant price at that time. He ac-
copied and Snyder tried to back out
law suit was threatened. Reece
proposed to make Snyder stand by his
contract. Snyder went to his attor-
neys and explained the thing
THAT is an exorbitant price, sald
the attorney. but you should take it
in order to maintain your standing as
a man of your word"
Am 1 legally bound?" asked Sny-
mo" replied the lawyer
Am I morally bound?" asked Sny-
ASK a preacher" said the lawyer
But / would advise you to take the
lease for $3.50 to avoid being bother
Snyder took the lease ito avoid b.
ing bothered" He wanted to burn it
up, claiming it was no good. His law
might pan out" after a while. His
field man concluded to drill on the
land. He struck q 200 barreler. Eight
have since been drilled, and they are
all tremendous producers. Schoenberg
royalties alone amount to 500 a day.
Snyder was offered $150,O00 for his lease
and refused it.