The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1905-02-24
IN THE FIELD

the Cornplanter independent rein
cry at Warren, Pa, one of the larg
est and most successful independent
plants in the country, was i'll the
city this morning on his way to To-
peka for a conference with Govern
or Hoch at the invitation of the
governor. Mr.. Todd stated his
company will at once build six
inch. pipe line from the Indian Ter
ritory to St. Louis, by way of Caney,
Kas. At St. Louis refinery of
5000 barrels capacity will be erect
ed, the plans being such that it may
be enlarged as the demands require.
Mr.. Todd stated that, in his opin-
ion, there will be no question about
the success of the state refinery.
He thinks the state will be able to
pay S.. 80 barrel for oil and sell
the refined product to the retail
dealer at his place of business at a
price which will enable him to sell
to the consumer for 10 or1 cents
gallon and still make good pro.
fit. He also says the heavy oil
here for which the Standard pays 2S
cents is worth at least SO cents
barrel. Mr.. Todd is enthutlastic
over his refinery project.
st. LOUIS is generally regarded as
the best point in the West for an oil
refinery. A plant there would have
The entire Mississippi valley for a
market, to say nothing of the outlet
to the markets of the world by
virture of the Mississippi river.
This means an enormous business
for a refinery. And there is lurk-
ing suspicion among many Of the oil
noses that oil will be found over a
large portion of Missouri.
The plant at St. Louis will cost
about 5000, 900, and the pipe line
about 81, 200, 200. 1t is understood
storage tanks will be built near
Caney, in this state. 1t will then
be possible under the common car
rier bill to require the Prairie Oil
and Gas company to deliver oil
from any point in the state to these
storage tanks, and the Cornplantel
company can then pump it to theil
St. Louis refinery without going to
the expense of building a big line
system in Kansas. This feature OF
the bill was inquired into on the
floor of the house. The Corn
planter people propose to build at
one charges for the Mississippi, and
will own 3 steamers to tow them.
They will erect storage tanks to a
capacity of 6s, 900 barrels at S..
Paul and of like size at New Orleans.
The river is open and navigable
eight months of the year to St.
Paul, and these tanks will hold
enough oil to run the other four.
The company already has big
trade in the Northwest, SO that it
will not be compelled to work up a
market. The fact is, the Corn
planter refinery has been buying oil
to supply its trade for some time,
because its demand was larger than
its refining capacity. 1t puts out a
first class product and has no diff
Guilty in disposing of all the refined
it can handle. 1t has become
absolutely necessary to provide
larger refining capacity and St.
Louis has presented itself as one of
the most inviting locations in Amer
ica.
Mr.. Todd and his associates in
the Cornplanter have one of the best
leases in the Cherokee nation.
They own twelve square miles at
Chelsea, where they are operating
under the name of ihe Cherokee Oil
company. They have ITO wells and
their production is 1000 barrels a
day. Their product is taken under
contract by the Standard, the Prairie
Oil and Gas company having erected
large storage tanks there for them,
and subsequently built them a pipe
line. Even when their own refinery
IS running they will continue to sell
their oil from the lease to the STAN
dard, as per their contract. 1t is
said this is one of the best leases in
the Cherokee for the reason that
the average of the wells is good and
it doesn't cost scarcely anything to
drill them, while at the same time
they hold up nicely. For instance,
they had one well which made ten
barrels day-and it was only sixty
FIVE feet deep. The depth of the
other wells varies from los to 900
feet. Thus, it will be seen, the cost
of drilling and operating these ten
wells is nothing compared with the
big deep wells over in the Usage.
And yet these no wells are making
/, 200 barrels day.-Kansas City
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