The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-09-20
Activity in Colfax Oil Field
Well Boring Outfit Received and Gang of Expert Work
men on Hand to Begin OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Being Taken Up Rapidly.

The citizens of Colfax were greatly
pleased on last Tuesday to see two car
loads of well boring machinery shunted
on the siding at our depot, which is to
be used at once by the Iatt Oil Compa-
ny in boring for oil in the country adj
jacent to Colfax. This machinery was
not unloaded when it reached Colfax,
but the cars containing it were switched
to the tram road of the Big Pine Lum-
Der Company, and hauled over their
road to a point about six miles north
east of CoIfax, where switch was laid,
near the point where the first of three
test wells will be sunk to depth of
not less than $500 feet, and 5000 feet if
deemed expedient.
The necessary timbers for derricks,
sheds, etc. ;. have been arranged for at
the sawmil, and two or three addition
al carloads of piping are expected in a
few days.
The l.. r. & N passenger train on
Wednesday brought in the foreman and
a gang of several trained well borers,
who will have charge of the boring
operations. They were loaded into q
big wagon at once, and Capt. C. H.
Teal, president and trustee of the COM
pany, directed that they be driven to
the point where work is to begin.
1t will probably take fifty or sixty
days to bore well, as operations will
proceed slowly at times, owing TO diff
culties encountered. and also to the
fact that tests and thorough examina-
tons of the earth at varying depths
will be made. In some instances boring
may he suspended for while in order
to pump out given stratas and see what
can be developed in the way of oil, gas,
or minerals.
Under the terms of its charter the
Iatt Oil Company can exploit "oil, gas,
petroleum, salt, or other mineral or
earthern products and in order to
look out for number of products that
it may pay to handle, they will investi-
gate each strata. of earth where any of
these commodities are found.
This company is late getting into the
field, but it is organized on a safe and
substantial basis, and among those
backing up the enterprise are some of
our wealthiest and most successful bust
ness men. Capt. c. II. Teal and Mr..
Vim. Edenborn, two of its promoters,
own many hundreds Of acres of land
in the vicinity of the lands leased by
the oil company, which will undoubted-
ly be enhanced in value if any commo-
dity is found to exist in paying quanti-
ties. Some of the other stockholders
and promoters. DIR. T. A. Simms. H.
H. Williams, F. w. Offenhauser, and
others are quite wealthy, their wealth
having been acquiredby successful oper-
ations in oil and gas fields elsewhere.
The locality in which the Iatt Com
pany will bore its first well is noted for
an out cropping of natural gas that has
been known to some of our old hunters
and campers for years. There are some
times assures and openings in the earth
where if lighted match be touched it
will blaze and burn as brightly and
steady as the gas jet in city store.
These indications, taken in connection
with the well known gas well which
has existed here in the town of Colfax
for dozen years, are said to be sure
sign that there is an underlying reser-
voir of oil The analysis of the water
from the Colfax well made by Prof.
Metz shows that it has decided trace
of volatile oil which evaporates quickly.
So the Iatt Oil Company believes that,
where this oil comes from, if they will
bore down into old Pluto's domain a
few hundred feet further, they will find
a large and unlimited supply of petro-
leum. and they are going after it.
The sale of shares in the Iatt Oil Co.
has proceeded with great activity. a
number of shares of stock being spoken
for and paid for by many persons be-
fore certificates and receipts for the
same could be printed and put in the
hands of solicitors. This shows the
great confidence the people of this To-
cality have in the enterprise.