The Topeka state journal., 1908-11-16
GAS BEAR STORY.
Report That the Supply VIII Be
Short.

Washington, Nov. 16.-.'Kansas will
] be practically without natural gas in
/ side of two years if the present con-
sumption by manufacturers in south
| eastern Kansas is not soon discontin-
| ued or largely decreased said George
! E. McGonogie of Guthrie, Oklahoma,
at the Raleigh. s'The people will then
| have to burn wood or coal. Manufac-
turers in Kansas are using approx :
mately 10000 900 cubic feet of natural
| gas every day. To this daily consump-
ton must be added that of Kansas
City, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas,
Topeka, Wichita and other towns in
Kansas, as well as several towns in
| Missouri. Under this great strain the
pressure of the gas is already becom-
| ing weak.
1T may be strange to say, in face of
this condition, that Oklahoma. a con-
tiguous state, has all the gas it wants,
but 1t is fact. Nevertheless the con-
ditions with regard to it's use are so
chaotic that it is practically impossible
| to reap the benefit at this time. The
| last Oklahoma. legislature passed laws
providing that no foreign corporation
can take out a domestic charter with
out stpulating in the charter that the
| company will not pipe gas out of the
state.
Governor Haskell ruled that the
Prairie Oil & Gas company was not
compelled to take out a domestic char
ter and 1t is probable that a gas COM
pany would receive the same privilege,
yet there is that feeling of instability,
which is even now delaying the grant
of natural gas franchise in st. LOUIS
The above bear story sent out by
some Oklahoma boomer is not even
worthy of consideration. The facto as
stated in the story might be true and
still be ridiculous in their findings to
any one who knows something of the
gas supply of Kansas. The assertion Is
made that the manufacturing inStttu-
tions of the state use 100 million feet of
gas per day. Well, the Montgomery
county field alone has wells that test a
flow of a billion and a half feet per
day, according to their county's gas in
spector's last official report. Now the
state law requires that only so per
cent of the flow of gas shall be taken
from a well in order to insure the long
est life possible to that well. The in
crease in the Montgomery county gas
supply since the last report of the in
spector has been such that only so per
cent of the gas from the wells in that
county will at this time be flow OF
over a billion feet a day, so that with
the 100 millions for local consumption
accounted for there would still be bill
lion feet a. day for the Wichita, Joplin
and Kansas City pipe lines and even
under this strain the natural life of the
wells would not be in menaced.
The Montgomery county gas supply
has been increasing every year since
it was first put to use ten years ago.
Ten years from now will be soon
enough to figure on the time when the
gas supply of Kansas will fail.
George e McGonogie, of Guthrie, pro-
babIy never saw a gas we'll There are
none within 200 miles of his town and
the Oklahoma gas fields he speaks of
are not to compare to the Kansas
fields in Montgomery county. Oklaho-
ma boosters may be anxious to see the
Kansas gas supply fail for selfish rea-
sons but their anxiety will not dimin-
ish the flow of the big Kansas wells
nv one foot These sensationalists
should at least post up on the subject
before draining the Kansas wells dry
from the use of a paItry 100 million
feet of gas per day.