Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-09-13
CAPITALISTS FROM
COAST AND SEATTLE
AFTER PUBLIC LANDS
Standard Oil Has Enlarged Its
Sound Stations Since First
Find Two Years Ago.
OLYMPIA LOGICAL OUTLET.
Report Revives Prediction That
Local Territory Is Underlaid
With Deposits.
OLYMPIA LOGICAL OUTLET.

Within the last ten days applica.
tions for the purchase of a little more
than $4,000 acres of school sections
of land in the Olympic mountains,
situated in Chehalis, Clallam, and
Jefferson counties, have been filed in
the state land Office by capitalists
of Seattle and Aberdeen. Coincident
with the filings came the report that
vast quantities of oil had been dis.
covered in the Olympics and that the
capitalists were rushing to get hold
of all the property they could.
1t is known that the Standard OIL
company two years ago bought sew.
eral thousand acres in that territory,
variously reported to be from 1000 to
$4,000. all lying on the west slope of
the Olympics. At the same time
other Independent concerns grabbed
several thousand acres more in the
same district.
The filings made during the last ten
days, however, are independent from
any made at that time and supple
ment those purchases. Shortly
after the first report that oil was
plentiful in the Olympics, it is known
that Seattle chemists tested samples
of the oil and that the tests showed
it carried a parafine base. while the
oil of California has an asphaltic
base. Any one knowing the oil busi-
ness knows that oil carrying a para
fine base is several times more val
liable.
Within q short time after this re-
port two years ago the Standard Oil
company purchased 80 acres on Rich
mOnd beach, Seattle, and began to
erect large station. This was fol-
lowed by further purchases and en-
largements of the stations in both
Seattle and Tacoma, and the buying
OF property on the Olympia water
front. where a large tank and station
and q dock for the tank steamers to
land are now being erected. Sites
were also purchased and stations es-
tablished at Port Townsend and Port
Angeles.
The Standard Oil company now op-
crates fleet of tank steamers from
California to the North Pacific coast
on a schedule which is ample to sup
ply the demand for crude oil in the
Puget Sound territory, granting a
few days leeway. Consequently
there is no immediate use for the five
new stations this company has been
erecting in the Puget Sound territory.
unless it be that the company has
other prospects or plans than merely
supplying the trade in this territory.
All Of the filings of the last week
have been made by conservative
business men of Seattle and Aberdeen.
They endeavored to keep the matter
secret but when it became more or
less public, the land Office officials re-
ceived letter roasting" them for
giving the filings publicity. This is
taken to establish further the truth
of the report that an oil strike has
been made.
Owing to the topography of the
peninsula, Olympia will reap the
benefit of the development of the oil
industry in that district, for the pro-
duct cannot be shipped to either Ta-
coma or Seattle in any other way
than through this city. If the op-
portunity is grasped and the facil-
tiles for handling the product pro-
vided here. the development of that
region should give strong impetus
to the growth of Olympia.
One noticeable thing regarding the
reports and the filings is that the
Clallam county newspapers during
the last week have carried news
items to the effect that two new and
extensive oil drilling outfits have
just recently been shipped into the
territory in question. While scat
tered over a large area, the activity
is becoming more pronounced all the
time, indicating that there must be
some fire behind the smoke.
These reports have revived locally
the predictions made a few years
ago by several eminent biologists
that sooner or later extensive oil
beds would be discovered close to
Olympia. The prediction is based
scientifically on the slant of the rock
formations, with oil and iron in the
Olympics on the one side, and coal
at TeninO, Bucoda and Tono, both
usually resulting in vast deposits of
oil.