Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1909-05-21
RENEW PROSPECT FOR OIL
New Company Will Drill Wells On
Whiteaker and Fawk Farms
This Summer.

De maze In the sinking of an oil we
IT, on the B. F. Whiteaker farm about
miles southeast of Dallas. This wor
- will be undertaken by the Wlilamett
Valley Oil & Gas Company, incorpol
ated in Portland last April with $500
shares at 81 par value, for the purpos
OF thoroughly prospecting for oil q
the points in the Willamette Vale
where indications of its presence ar
most favorable.
N. M. Mcdaniel, president Of th
new company, and Messrs. G. s. Shea
w. ID. Whiteaker, and Chester L
Proebstel, all of Portland, were il
Dallas this week and outlined thei
project before the members Of the
Merchants Protective Association a.
its meeting Wednesday night.
Mr.. Mcdaniel says that the purpose
is to sell enough stock to purchase the
, necessary machinery and pay run
ming expenses and to drill one or more
wells in the most favorable places.
driving them to such depth that the
question Of the existence or non exist
ence OF oil in those places may be
finally settled beyond any possibility
OF doubt.
The company has leased the B. F.
Whiteaker farm near Monmouth, con-
tanning 720 acres and the W. W. Fawk
farm Of 800 acres lying in Holmes
Gap, and has options for leases on
other places where the prospect for oil
Is considered exceedingly good The
first attempt will probably be made on
the Whiteaker farm, since Mr.. Whit
eaker was the first to offer his farm
for lease and the first to take stock in
the enterprise.
A standard diamond drill will be
used, the entire cost Of the machinery
being estimated at about $45OO. The
wells will be drilled to depth of 5000
feet unless oil is struck before the
drill has penetrated so far 1t is
thought that the oil will be struck at
depth Of between 1900 and $500 feet,
but the company purposes to go
farther II necessary for the sake of !
absolute certainty.
Beside the oil prospect on the White
aker farm, 1t is the intention of the
company to open up the old salt pros
oect which was operated with success
or some time in 1849 by B. J. White =
'ker, who crossed the plains and a
ocated at that place in 1s48. From a :, :,
veil only IS feet in depth he secured a =, -
low Of artesian salt water from which ~
10 reduced and sold tons of salt Six !,
ears ago a well in prospect for oil oo 1
'as drilled near the location Of the ~
Id salt we'll At depth Of 480 feet a %
ow Of strong artesian salt water was %
ncountered which thwarted the ~
9arch for oil. ~
The plan suggested is to reopen this w. ~
oandoned we'll and pipe the salt VI VI
ater to Dallas, where by utilizing the pl
lei that may be secured from the 20
aste products of the sawmills, it may 10
cheaply and profitably reduced. A
st has shown that the strength Of
water is such that gallon and
III will reduce to pound Of salt. 10
Mr.. Proebstel, Of Portland, one of an
expert biologists on whose opiuion sla
d advice the company was organ sa'
ID to embark upon its big oil project, SeI
oke briefly to the assembly, giving Mt
reasons why he is absolutely GER 8
n in his own belief, that oil will be -
Ind at the Whiteaker farm and at
Holmes Gap prospect. Mr.. Proeb-
finds three places in this portion
the Willamette Valley which seem
most promising for oil. These
the hills near McMinnville, those |
IT Holmes Gap and the slopes
'ut Mount Pisgah, on the sides of
ich the Whiteaker farm is located.
'hese three places were apparently
med at the same geological period
correspond almost exactly in con-
r and formation with the oil fields
Bakersfield, California, and the
Wy opened and wonderfully pro-
tive oil fields of Alaska. The
sence Of the salt wells on the White
IT farm he regards also as a highly
orable indication, since this phe-
nenon has been found in 95 per '
OF the productive oil wells that
% ever been sunk in the world. -
Ir. Proebstel regards the failure OF
two previous prospects on the
iteaker farm as signifying moth No
One we'll was drilled to a depth sSn,
My 260 feet before it was abandoned maj tbn I
the other to a depth Of 982 feet. l9th
oil and gas exists in the Will inter
ette Valley as firmly believe It apPe apPe
;, says Mr.. Proebstel, lit should be cOuu
ountered at a depth not greater 'I'''
1000 feet or at least between 1900
25O0 feet The deeper Of the two
ner wells was drilled only half far
ugh and the failure to strike oil in
oes not 10 the least indicate that Not
does not exist there in paying coar ana
Titles. Il firmly believe, he con- for 2,
es, that oil will be fret struck in Of ~
County and In the we'll which Is di9nI,,
drilled on the Whiteaker farm" liams
he new company will begin its guar