Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-11

west is an example of pluck and ahil- ity such as appeals to every true Amer ican, and the knowledge of which will bring pleasure to many of Colonel Fleming's friends and acquaintances in Arizona, who remember him as man of excellent parts-whole souled, honorable and enterprising. The story, if we'll told, would make an interesting addition to the history of branch of American enterprise than which none is more important or which So well il- the accomplishment of Ameri- can genius.
 Four years ngo Colonel Fleming was attracted by the reports of oil discov- cries near Bartelsville, in the Indian territory (now part of Oklahoma), and decided to investigate the merits of the new field. After serious dissen- sions in the directorate and costly liti- gation, the Black Warrior company, in which Colonel Fleming had invested nearly all of his personal fortune and given seven years of his time in an en. deavor to build up, was closed down. With true grit aud determination to retrieve his fortune, Colonel Fleming very naturally turned to the oil busi- ness, in which he had achieved success during the early years of the industry in Pennsylvania, having entered it in an humble capacity when he was b years of age and continuing through the period of greatest excitement and most active development in the Penn sylvania field.
 Colonel Fleming arrived in Bartles- vile soon after the first successful well was brought in, ind, aided by his knowledge of oil lands, and in compe- tition with Standard Oil agents, he sue ceeded in obtaining some of the most valuable locations and in short time had drilled well that proved good producer. He next turned his atten- ton to the oil field in southern Kan sas. At paola in that state, there was small refinery that had proved a failure and was idle; Colonel Fleming bought a controlling interest in the re- fnery from the discouraged owners, at price which, although modest, was a heavy draft upon his limited resources. The refinery was incomplete and out of repair, and the new owner went to pittsburg, purchased new machinery and small plant for the manufac ture of bi.products from the crude oil, and he soon had the refinery in operation. start and after running it for few months, Colonel Fleming sold it to the Armours, clearing $21,000 himself and realizing handsome price for the the courage to retain their interests.
 This achievement gave Colonel Elem ing more than local reputation, and it was not long until bis services were sought by other companies, among them the Uncle Sam Oil company of Kansas, one of the largest of the Independent coucerns in the west, which, however, was losing money because of inexperi- enced management. Colonel Fleming made contract with the company to manage their refneries for sixty days, at $40 per day. At the end of the first month he had the business on a paying basis, and having purchased stock in the company, he was elected its president and as further mark of confidence in his integrity and ability, the company made him trustee for the voting of stock, thereby practically giving him control of the .com;pepy E affairs.
 The Uncle Sam Oil company has con. tinued to prosper since Colonel Elem ing became the manager eighteen months ago. The main office of the company is in Atchison, Kan, where it has large and up-to.date refinery, and the best bi-product petroleum plant in the world, where are manufactured from the crude oil thirty different products. The company has a large refinery also at Tulsa, Okla, and a third at Cherryville, Kan. The Uncle Sam pipe line extends from the Okla homa field to Atchison, 24l miles, and has a carrying capacity of 5000 barrels of crude oil. The present output of the eompany's refneries is 800 barrels per day, which will soon be increased to 1900 barrels. The company owns up- wards of 20,000 acres of oil lands, its own tank car system and has some for. ty or fifty distributing stations in Kan sas and the adjacent states.
 The Uncle Sam Oil company is cap italized for $17,0oo,0 900, which is soon to be increased to $6l 100000, and by next September the company expects to have s2I000,000 in it's treasury. The new stock of the company is not 70 Dc offered for public subscription, bat will all be taken by stockholders of record. Tho company will earn this year $l,000,000, and the profits here after are expected to increase rapidly. The company has 10000 stockholders. The business of the Uncle Sam O.l com. pany, as of all independent oil com. panies, has been greatly helped by the prosecution of the trust and especially