The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-06
OIL WELL GAMBLERS
Have Tried Their Luck in Every
Fold Of Discovery.


Like the lure of a newly found diggings
10 the goldseekcr is the cnticement OF
new oil field to the veterans VINO nave
sought fortune at the mouth of a gusher-
Every now strike OF oil finds many OF
the samo old crowd hurrying tmther'
Some of them get rich I'm one section only
10 loso it n experimenting In another
The real soldier OF fortune in the business
IS not the promoter but the man who takes
his chance ut indinG the OIL Ii"ut" away
Many OF these men have been oil over
the world. They have gone TO fchhSFI-
California, TO India, TO Louisiana Just
now one Will find most OF them IN the
Kansas or Indian Territory oil nelds- IL
a strike is made off in Russia or come
other country next month they Will all be
pulling up stakes and hurrying there
one OF the most famous OF thesG Beo-
ouins Is John IL Galley. now In lnolan
Territory Galley is rich. but the screech
OF the derrick lures him always and
II new strike was made hundrGds
OF miles away II Is safe predlcuon
that he would have one OF the urSt Wehs
In the new field.
Another one is John Markham, who spehs
years In India, in Russia and Japan, who
toiIed putting down Improbable holes In
Texas and Louisiana and who Is now I'M
patiently waiting another call
Another globe trotter is John T, Ganey,
who recently made his fortune In Cali
fornia and who says he has retired, CAT
fey has prospectcd In Alaska In Texas.
Louisiana and Mexico. w, II. Meyers, a
Kansas producer, drilled wells In Egypt
and holds certificate as an officer In
Morocco.
Locating an oil well is as great gam
BILE as finding gold mine The expert
cnced seeker has certain indications or
nformatonS to guide him generally. but
there is no absolutely certain rule TO fol
low The veteran my blow In several
thousand dollars drilling, only to come
upon duster. while the novice, locating
within half mile, by pure EucssWork
may get big producer OIL wells are
found on the hillside and in the meadow
and nobody knows with certItude when
he starts TO drll just what he Will ind.
1t costs from 5000 TO 5000 TO put down
driIl, and that is 81 pretty high stake to
wager 1t Is the uncertainty, however
that is tho chief charm OF the business
Few OF these rovcrs ever attempt to buy
outright tho land upon which they ven
ture their capital. Usually they buy a
lease and contract TO pay royalties In
n new field the FIRST conner has the great
terms.
The oil fields In Kansas had been for
years prosperous farming communities
The farmer could calculate how much an
acre of his land was worth for agTicul-
tLral purposes. but he was ignorant Of
It's value when IL came to using a part OF
ii for drilling. He was much inclined to
lcok upon what he could secure pure
velvet and IL was no trick at all to per
suade him TO lease IT for any old sum.
The Kansan has grown wise now. and
for his gas and oil rights he cXacts ten
year leases and good royalties. These
run from onc-eighth TO one-fourth OF the
gross output together with cash bonus
Of from 20 cents to s. an acre and an an
nual rental of from 30 cents to $3.50 an
acre.-New York Herald