New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-22
" MR.. BARNSDALL" In
GIGANTIC GAS DEAL
GETS CONTROL VEST of
MISSISSIPPI.
fFrends" associated 7citH Him
$500. 400 Lent by Standard
Without Interest.
fBv Tslesra9h to The Tribune

fBv TeIeers9h The Tribune
Pittsburg. Nov 21--That Theodore y Barns
dali and friends practically have obtained
control Of all gas territory west OF the Missis- .
sppi River is an assertion made on the Stock
Exchange here to-day. discussed IN banking
circles and printed in the daily press. \
quence Of names and conditions surrounding the
affair has again revived the rUmor that the
mysterious Mr. Barnsdall," as the head Of this
gas combination has been recently referred 10 IN
the Standard OIL investigation on IN New York
Is really connected with the Standard on Com
pany. in the Western gas deal. at least
Barnsdan. VINO is head OF the Union Gas
Company. the Kansas Gas Company. the West
ern Gas Company and the Oklahoma Gas Com
pany. for the last ten years mas been known a.
the biggest individual producer OF gas and oil n
the world The deal with which he is now
credited that Of having obtained practically en-
tire control Of the gas fields Of the states of
Oklahoma and Kansas, is the biggest one he
ever swung
At the offices Of Mr. Barnsdau this afternoon
It was admitted that plans were already under
way for the laying Of 24-inch main from
Oklahoma to St Louis. an air line distance OF
$50 miles, but the gas line viii be 100 miles long.
and the cost of the main viii be about 81
100000. Added TO this there will be another
S75OOOOO before the natural gas viii be piped
into the homes OF ST Louis. as It IS explained
here that the city. being tubed for artificial gas.
must be all fixed over for the natural gas
What makes the Oklahoma gas deal SAVIOR ~
Standard Oil is the fact that the names Of z ?
whitcomb. Joseph Evans and Lewis Emery. jr.,
are associated with that OF Barnsda1 in f.
Whitcornb is president Of the Union Gas Com
uanv a Barnsdau concern. which admittedly
shares gas territory In West Virginia with The
Standard Oil Company. Barnsda1l. while deny
ing that he is connected with the Standard OIL.
admits in the same breath that he and the
STANDARD are in business together in West Eir-
ginia Evans and Emery have both been asso-
ciated in the past with the Standard Oil Com
pany and have holdings in their names in Okla
homa which now reported among those
turned over to BarnsdaH-
Word from Washington tonight says that 4
| determined effort will be made BY certain Of
fciaIs in Oklahoma 70 have BarnsdalTs leases
there cancelled on the ground that he is piping
| a great natural resource Of the state to an out
| side market According TO statements at Barns
daIrs Office tonight. any move OF this sort VII
be fought bitterly BarnsdaI Is already SUD
plying Kansas city. Guthrie and other points
in the Southwest with gas
| T N. BarnsdaH. who was called ''nysterfous'-
| because Of the vain efforts OF Frank B Kellogg.
| the government counsel in the suit to dissolve
| the Standard oil Company. TO get witnesses IN
the case to give definite information about him
first came TO Mr. KeIogg's attention several
/ months ago. At the time the counsel was look
ing over the Standard OF books and found that
in 1893 the company. had lent - Mr. Barns
dali 81. 10000 without interest Mr. Kellogg
tried to find out from William G. Rockefeller.
the treasurer Of the Standard Oil Company.
when he was on the stand. Why the loan was
made and what IL vas for Mr. Rockefeller said
that he knew little or nothing about the loan
and that as all the securities and papers had
been sent to Pfttscurg he had no way OF finding
out anything about it,
On November 10 Mr.. Kellogg had two wit
uesses from Oklahoma on the stand and again
tried TO trace Mr. BarnsdaH. but without sue
cess One Of the sttnesses Edmund Barnes. an
oil producer knew him. but looked ON Barnsdal
as an independent not affiliated with the stand
ard Barnes had known him for twenty years.
bur didn't know where he lived
The other witness was Royal : Litchneit-
He knew BarnsdaIl as oil speculator more
than as A producer. There was town named
for the man in Oklahoma and ne was interested
in several oil companies
Each OF the witnesses disclaimed knowing
anything about Mr BarnsdaITs private affairs
They persisted in saying that they believed he
was an independent. even after Mr. Kellogg had
explained the finding OF the loan That made
him impatient and he said with heat
Il have been chasing Mr. BarnsdsIi through
every source available for a long time. and ] .
shall keep on until locate that s7.-oeeoo
These witnesses gave testimony that had a
bearing on the pipe line situation in Oklahoma.
declaring that the absence OF competition msds
it Impossible for r-them to ship with profit TO the
sea board The lines, presumably independent.
had a uniform rate OF 10 cents barrel = cents
more than the railroads charged for shipping IN
tank cars They also blamed the governmz5r
for the condition of affairs. which they said was
due to the Interstate commerce regulations