Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-30
NEWS OF THE MINES
LOS ANGELES MEN LEARN MUCH
CONCERNING RICHES OF THE SAN
JONQUIN VALLEY OIL FIELDS
Days Potaby Spent the Inspection of Petroleum
River Sunset, Midway and Coalnga-On Kings
Instruct Guests Entertain with Lavish Hand

where is located "TWenty-fiVe Hill,
the scene of the most stubborn re-
sistance of man to matter where John
d. Thompson and Tim Spellacy fought
and struggled against adverse Condi-
tiOns for three years before they made
the Mascot one of the greatest pro
ducing group of wells in the state OF
California. There was no water for
drilling purposes near this section, and
a sufficient quantity to feed the boil
ers and keep the hole filed while the
drill mashed into the earth had to be
hauled miles by wagon. Thompson
and Spellacy paid as high as 90 cents
a barrel for water, their bill for sim
gle month running as high as $1,000.
BY the terms of their lease they must
drill a stipulated number of wells each
year and. in the language of the elo-
quent Colonel Spclldcy, we cottoned
to every man who wore a silk hat or
had any other indication of having
money" The company was in $780,
600 before a barrel of oil was produced.
not having the time to finish Well
when it reached the oil sand. Now
the Mascot is referred to as one OF
the big ones-its monthly product is
$4,000 barrels, and next month, accord
ing to Mr.. Thompson, it will be 10000.
The company is practically out of DEBT
and paying dividends, and Is rapidly
finishing up the wells it bored under
the terms of & drastic lease.
The Mascot is not the only tin can
on this dump-the Standard has big
camp here and besides buys most of
the OIL paying therefor so cents a bar
rel. And in connection with this price
there is another interesting story.
When the first wells We're brought in
the oil was being sold at % cents, but
G. A. Garfield succeeded in inducing
the Standard to increase the price 10
so cents, the producers binding them
selves to more than double the output.
Upon the crest of the hill the Twen-
ty-Five Oil company Is operating eX-
tensively and has recently closed
contract to deliver 100000 barrels to
the Associated. presumably at so cents.
Then there is the Safe Oil company
the Altoona and smaller producers. The
Opal company, which is owned by
Garfield & Danziger, has rich tract
of ground in the heart of the pool and
is down 100 feet with its No. 8 we'll
but a stones throw from a 400-barrel
we'll of the Safe.
Maricopa of the Sunset
Back over the hill to the south from
Midway is the camp of Maricopa in
the Sunset field, which is a heavy and
consistent producer of the finest road
oil known to the world. The Wellman
in this field. which is pro-
ducing approximately 100000 barrels a
month, according to the figures Of Sec
retary Robb of the Independents. c.
]. Berry recently commenced opera
tions here. calling his company the
Ethel D., on the southeast quarter of
section SO, 11-24, and is putting down
a we'll a short distance from the last
gusher of the Welman estate. The
Maricopa field contains three strata of
oil sands, of an average thickness of
thirty feet, and there is a strong gas
pressure, which keeps the wells flowing
for a period of ten months or so be-
fore it is necessary to put them on the
beam.
Last but greatest of all these in
point of present production and spec
tacular gushers, is Coalinga, the peer /
less. At the present time, with but 20
per cent of the proven area drilled. !
the district is producing $4,000 barrels !
of oil daily from $40 wells, all of which |
is transported to tidewater by pipe
lines, of which there are two 6-inch !
and one S-inch, with S-inch lines now
being built by the Associated and the
Producers Transportation company.
the first to Port Costa, 19S miles, and
the last named to Port Hartford 100
miles The Producers has contracted
to handle all the output of the Inde-
pendent agency from Coalinga, Mid
way, Mckittrick, Sunset and Kern
river.
The capacity of the five lines, when
all completed, will be $4,000 barrels
daily. The cost of the two lines now
building, together with pumping sta
tions, will be $2,572OO0, which denotes
much faith on the part of well posted
capitalists in the future of the field.
Coalinga is a thriving town of 5000
people and is the only town of any
size on the coast which is entirely de-
pendent upon the production of oil. !
That it is a busy and important place
is indicated by the revenue of the |
Southern Pacific from freight, which |
amounts to $4,000 each month.
Coalnga is the home of the gushers
and has many big wells which produced |
for months without the aid of pumps. |
Among the big ones was No. % Of the
California oil Fields limited, which /
was brought i'm four years ago last
March. 1t started off with 1890 bar
rels a day, with a total production of
more than 100000 barrels. The Goa
linga Pacific ON section has pro-
duced 100000 barrels of oil since the
sands We're reached in August, 1904
the Pittsburg No. of the Limited
flowed 39o, 900 barrels in thirteen months
without expense to the company; the
Sour Dough has produced 100000 bar
rels and the Amtrican Petroleum COM
pany has an average production of 300
barrels daily from sixteen wells drilled
since December, 1908.
1t is estimated that so per cent. of
the proven field remains to be drilled, |
and at the rate drilling is being car
ried on the field win soon be able to
tax the capacity of the five pipe lines
leading to the coast.