The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-19
Manager L. G. Treleaven Denies
the Latest RumOr.
Was That Kansas Fields Have
Been Exhausted.
THE COMPANY VIEW.
Says Many Thousands Are Being
Spent in Improvements.
Does Not Indicate Fields Will
Be Abandoned.

'All the information that 1 have
from authentic sources is that the
kansas natural gas fields are not eX-
hausted. 1 believe there is plenty of
gas there now and will be for years
TO come The company, which has
already twelve or fifteen million dol
lars invested in the Kansas gas fields
are spending a million and half this
year for improvements in the Kansas
nelds. Does that indicate the failure
of the supply? am informed.
reliably, that there are scores OF wells
in the Kansas fields owned by the
Kansas Natural Gas company which
are capped, no gas is being used from
them at all Does that indicate the
failure of the supply? You can not
make it too emphatic in speaking of
this matter. There is 1 honestly be-
lieve, plenty of gas in the Kansas
he1ds.''
l.. G. Treleaven, manager of the To-
cal Office of the Kansas Natural Gas
company, made this statement this
morning when shown the Kansas City
report that the gas in the Kansas
fields was exhausted. He declares
that there is no truth in the report
and as an indication of how little
truth there was in the report pointed
out the statement that the Kansas
company has daily producing
capacity of three hundred cubic feet"
in the Cherokee fields. There are
hundreds of furnaces in Topeka that
wifi use this amount of gas in an
hour. says Mr.. Treleaven.
Every season we have these re-
ports" Mr.. Treleaven continued. land
they come from the same source"
This source is in Kansas City, accord
ing to Mr.. Treleaven. ''It seems that
every possible means OF exciting an
alarm is made. But every year finds
hot rod To hnT al orb
of keeping the people warm in the
winter.
81 have yet to find any report in
the newspapers. coming from a re-
liable source. that there is danger of
the exhaustion of the Kansas fields.
None of them are more reliable than
this one, but they do come just the
same. These reports are groundlesS
so far as L know, and all of them are
ridiculous on the face of them to
man who understands the situation.
1t is only to the uninitiated that such
reports appeal.
No Danger of Shortage.
con the contrary. every report
have seen which seemed to come
from a reliable source has been that
there is no danger of the exhaustion
of the supply in the Kansas fields at
this time. Only a few days ago the
report of the county, gas inspector of
Montgomery county was published
and it showed that there was no dan
ger of exhaustion of the fields in that
county at this time. This county is
in the heart of the gas fields in Kan
sas. If there was no more gas the
exhaustion of the supply would surely
manifest itself there.
ut is true that the Kansas Natural
Gas company is reaching out into the
oklahoma field. But is not even
precautionary measure. Rather it is
a long sighted business policy. The
gas is there. 1t can be sold. The
Kansas Natural Gas company wants
to sell it. These men have invested
their money there because it was
good investment, rather than because
there was danger of the Kansas fields
giving out. AT the same time. should
anything happen to cause the ex-
haustion of the Kansas fields, the gas
from the Oklahoma fields will be fur
nished to the people now using gas
from the Kansas fields without delay.
1T is true the Kansas Natural Gas
company is developing the Oklahoma
fields. Would these men not be fool
ish to do otherwise? These gas rights
We're secured when they could be Sc
cured at reasonable cost. SUPPOSE the
company should wait for years. until
the supply in the Kansas fields was
exhausted. and then try to secure these
gas rights. What would the cost be
to them at that time?
EVERY year finds us in a better po-
sition to furnish perfect service to the
people here. There is no exhaustion
OF the supply. Aud the hundreds of
thousands of dollars that are being
spent in the gas fields of Kansas are
for the purpose of furnishing better
service
No: Trouble in Topeka.
AS to any probable trouble in sup
plying gas in Topeka this winter Mr..
IRE leaven declared there was no an
ticipation of such a trouble. At this
time, he said, the work in the gas
fields was not completed and a long
cold spell might cause trouble here. But
a few days of cold weather. would not
cause any inconvenience.
ITO say that there will be no trou-
bile during the coming winter would be
to make a rash statement. and one
which no one who knows anything
about the gas situation would makess
he declared. but we think there will
be none We are in much better shape
time we were in much better shape
than we were the winter before. And
only on two occasions last winter did
we have any trouble with gas. And
last winter was a much colder winter
than the winter before.
IT have always advised people to
have a small supply of coal or wood
on hand. We are not looking for ac-
t.idents and hope there will be none,
But they may happen. No one can
prevent it. Gas is as likely to explode
as q train is to be wrecked So 1 have
always said people should be prepared
in order, that they. might not suffer
should an accident occur. But as to
the failure of the gas fields in Kan
sas. YOU can not make it too strong in
saving there is no danger, as far as
I know, of such a thing, and 1 do not
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