The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-05
NORTH SIDE NEWS
UhI0 Visitor Thinks Oil May He
Found Here.
Contrary Expert Opinion Not
FinaI," He Says.
LIKE A ROMANCE
lis History of the New Ohio Oil
Fields.
Farmers Faith Laughed at for
Forty Years.

Is there oil in the vicinity Of Tope-
ka 4? Jesse Kellar, of Pleasanton, o.,
a new oil field. who is visiting at the
home of his uncle, A. L. Brooks OF
Granville. thinks there may be. To
show that expert testimony to the con-
trary is not absolute proof that of the
absence of oil. he tells of the develop
ment of the oil fields in Bremen and
Perry counties. Ohio, near his home.
Shares that two years ago, when the
project was started, sold for 800
are now $4,000. The account of the
discovery of oil in that region is like
q romance.
For forty years it had been believed
by many farmers that oil was under
the ground of the counties mentioned.
Experts were called in to examined
the land. They shook their heads and
pronounced that there was no oil.
This was repeated several times, with
the same verdict by the experts: mo
OIL People laughed at the farmers
hopes for oil. However, the faith in
the matter was handed down to the
second generation.
Finally. two years ago, a number
of farmers of the neighborhood form
ed g stock company among them
selves and also sold shares to the
merchants of nearby towns, until
money enough to sink well was
raised. The first we'll was down S,1OO
feet when what is known as grey oil
was struck. This is equal to the
Pennsylvania product. The first we'll
yielded about $50 barrels a day. Since
then several wells have been dug
which yield nearly as much.
In speaking of the matter Mr.. KEEL
lar said: This shows that expert tes-
timony can not always be taken for
final. Because such men say there
is no oil around Topeka after an ex-
ground
mean that none exists. I do not see
why oil may not be found along the
Kaw river bottoms.
When the stock company was
formed in my neighborhood, I knew !
of one instance where a man selling /
stock approached a hardware mer- !
chant and his partner. Just to help !
the project along the men invested i,
500. The shares which were bought |
for 500 are now worth $4,000
Al Gurtler of 141s Kansas avenue, |
fireman at station No 1. who was
badly bruised when the walls of the |
Kuehne Preserving works fell when |
the building burned a short time ago,
IS able to walk on crutches. In the
same accident Harry Jones, fire
man, was killed. Mr.. Gurtler escaped
death from the fact that d door
covered him and protected him from
the falling stones. Yesterday to a
visitor he described his sensations:
when 1 saw the walls beginning to
fall" said Mr.. Gurtler, " I never
once thought of a possibility of being
killed. The idea of jumping behind
the wall flashed into my mind. and l
did so. Then the door fell on me.
was partially stunned I think, it
seemed that my body was a mass of
needles There was a tingling SEN
sation all over. Then the tingling
sensation left me partially but
seemed to run along my left arm.
Il began yelling Help and I be-
lieve 1 heard some ore else calling.
1t may have been Jones. In a short
time 1 heard some one digging at the
stones and then 1 was uncovered.
Yet although 1 suppose l would have
ordinarily known most of the peo-
ple there I can not recall a face
which bent over me. The features
were all a blur"