Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-23
BIG COMPANY
STARTS WORK
AMERICAN oILFIELDS WILL
DRILL SIX WELLS
NORTH MIDWAY LAND ADVANCES
TO $4,000 AN ACRE
Standard Well Flows 1000 Barrels a
Day-6ed Rock DriIlers Make
Strike-Pasadenans Visit
Property in Field

TAFT, Jan. 22.-The American OIL
fields has started work on its Midway
properties. Material for seven rigs has
been hauled to the ground.
The company will drill six wells or.
section S6, S1-22. Its holdings on this
section comprise 4S0 acres, being the
west half and the northeast quarter of
the section. Thomas A. ODonnell, field
manager for the company, was over
Sunday and spotted the wells, of which
three are 10 he drilled on the east line
of the southwest quarter and three
on the south line of the northeast
quarter.
The seventh we'll will be drilled on
section 1929, formerly operated by
the Midway Oil company, which was
absorbed by the present company. The
Midway Oil company has some produc-
tion on 16 low gravity oil from snail
low wells, and it is understood to be the
intention Of the Limited to drill to a
deeper sand, with fair chances of get
ting light oil.
Proved Land Advances
The price of proven oil lands was
pushed UP another thousand dollar
notch this week by the sale of the north
eighty of the Eagle Creek lease IN
North Midway for $4,000 an acre, bring
faith of we'll informed operators in that
section of the field is shown by the fact
that enc of the purchasers is Clarence
]. Berry, who is also one of the princt-
PAL stockholders in the Eagle Creek.
Associated with Berry in the purchase
are William Mcclure of Hanford, Chas.
Holbrook jr., a wealthy capitalist OF
San Francisco, and Henry Berry of Los
Angeles. They have organized the
Mammoth Oil company for the opera
ton of the lease, and already have the
material for two rigs in the field.
The Eagle Greek company is com
posed of c. j. Berry, l.. N. Scoheld'
Walker & Heck and w II. Cooley
The company purchased the Midway
Crude lease for $4,000 an acre December
8, an6 have since brought in fine well
by deepening No. 1 to the Santa Fe
sand. The lease consists of 160 acres,
being the west half of the southeast
quarter and the east half of the south
west quarter, section S1,31-23, adjoining
the Santa Fe on the northeast.
Flows 1000 Barrels a Day
According to the most authentic re-
ports the Standards new well on the
southeast quarter of 30, 1924, near the
center of the section, has done eighty
barrels an hour, which amounts to al
most 2G0o barrels a day. 1t is regarded
as a great well. and the oil is reported
to be high in gravity, one statement
making it 2.6 degrees.
Little can be learned regarding the
operations there, but it is conceded
great we'll has been found.
This hole is 2300 feet deep. The water
was cemented off at 1000 feet The
neighboring three have been suspended
for a long time at from 1900 to 1000 feet,
and these have been supposed to be fair
wells The new one has reached an
other sand altogether evidently rich
and prolific one. 1t was spudded IN
twenty-six months ago, J. w. Brisco
being then in charge.
The Red Rock we'll on section IA has
made a big strike at 2100 feet, accord
ing to appearances. The drillers believe
that if the water were bailed off the
we'll would flow An immense quantity
of gas is arising, and the old stands IN
the hole several hundred feet above the
bottom.
This well was deepened 100 feet, work
having ceased a number of months ago
at 1000 feet, where a thin stratum of
sand carrying a light oil with water
was encountered.
Officials Visit Field
7 H. Dorm, president of the Bay city
OH company; H. L. Musick, secretary,
and ]. M. Huston, director, all of Pasa-
dena. were here during the week on a
trip of inspection of the property.
The Bay city was a pioneer company
in the Midway field, working under ad-
verse conditions. 1t was necessary to
haul water for drilling purposes from
the lake, a distance of nine miles, and
fuel also was hard to get. The stock
its own and as a result the Bay City
holders are now reaping the reward OF
their endeavors. Midway has come into
has sold 1870 acres of section %, 32-23 for
S1S9,500. retaining 100 acres which is
being developed by four different com
panies on a oue-sixth royalty.
The company also owns 100 acres in
section a. which is leased to the Union
on a one-eighth royalty The company
has paid three dividends to date aggre-
eating $4,000, and still has $135,o00 due
from land sales, aside from its expected
royalties from leases on % and H.