The San Francisco call., 1910-10-15
OIL STRUCK in
HUNT FOR WATER.
Homesteader's Claim Jumped,
but Uncle Sans Ruling
Will Protect Him
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

BAKERSFIELD, Oct. Il. Home
steading 12o acres in the Lost hills and
expecting to find water at reasonable
depth. Arthur Townsend finds himself
within the new oil zone. Others found
him there, too, and two parties are al
leged to have jumped his claim with
heavily armed men. But the govern
ments latest withdrawal order takes
the land out of dispute SO far a s oil Is
concerned. and restores 1t to him for
homestead purposes.
Secretary Burke OF the local board
of trade today received q telegram from
Assistant Secretary Pierce OF the In
terror department stating that Pierce
expected to visit the oil fields the latter
part of next week, probably THURSDAY.
gathering data in relation to the
claims of hardship and justice imposed
upon the industry by the withdrawal
by the government of large tracts OF
oil land from entry.
News of the governments withdrawal
order of oil lands in the Lost hills dis
trict has put a stop to great share
ernment land but work on patented
land is proceeding without Interrupt
tion. The wells being drilled in the
district will prove strip OF territory
Is miles long and six miles wide which
is larger than the Kern river field.
Tt has been announced upon the au-
thority of high official of the Asso-
ciated oil company that the southern
Pacific would extend its branch road
now running to Mckittrick into the
Lost Hills district.
The Associated oil company. 1T is said,
has $3.500,00 invested in land in the
Lost Hills. and now has a force of 10 TO
90 men on section Ia, and is building q
standard rig on the south half of that
section. General Superintendent Bruce
expects to reach oil within 900 feet.
but is preparing to go 1000 feet, If
necessary The materials are being
hauled out for a two inch water pipe
line to be laid from the we'll, about
six miles distant
Capitalists identified with the Berke-
ley national bank are preparing to in
corporate the Bank of Wasco. with a
capital of $4,000 W. G. Griff1ths is the
prime mover in the enterprise.
The production of crude oil in Call
fornia during September amounted to
6,6o1,960 barrels, of which the valley
fields contributed 4.ss0,S60 barrels,
coast fields 10000 and the southern
field S40,S00 barrels.
Hereafter the Independent agency
will pay on the goth of each month
for oil sold during the preceding
month. Payment will be made on the
basis of the last payment, and any dis
crepancy between the disbursement
and the actual receipts will be equal-
lied the following month. Those con-
sumers of fuel oil who have held off
making contracts for their supply to
cover a period of years, confident in
the belief that the market would go
much lower and thereby enable them
to make a contract at their own figure,
are now seeking the marketers and
talking contract. The marketers do
not manifest much eagerness to meet
them.
The consumers appear to have sud
denly reached the. conclusion that they
have no more time to lose.
That the agency members will now
be nabled to get loans on storage oil
with greater ease by reason of the
agreement of the Associated and Union
independents is already evident. A
prominent member of the agency says
that a well known broker has made an
offer to make such advances whenever
the proper application is made. The
opinion of financial men is that this
agreement places the oil industry on a
more substantial and certain business
basis.