The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-17
OIL IN KANSAS
Reports Show Increase in
Crude Product.
State Ranks Ninth in Produce
tiOn-PriceS Advance.

Ottawa. Oct 17.-Crude oil produced
in Kansas increased nearly 314, 200 bar
rels last year over the year before and
| the value of the same increased nearly
| half a million dollars, according to the
| government report on the production
of petroleum for 1912 issued by the de-
partment of the interior and just pub
| lished.
But this in no wise forecasts the
enormous amount of increased devel-
opment and production which is taking
place this year in the mid-continent
| field where leases, made ten years ago
have doubled and trebled in price be-
cause renewed activity has proved that
new wells are producing as much or
more oil as the first ones did a num-
Der of years ago.
A copy of the government report
contains a complete statistical survey
of the oil industry and the compare
tive figures given contain interesting
and valuable information.
The average price of oil per barrel in
Kansas was Al cents in 1911 and 6S
cents in 1912. The price today is s1.03.
the rise having been steady one dur
ing the two-year period.
Kansas went from tenth place in
quantity of oil produced in 1911 to
ninth place in 1912, repla cling Indiana,
which dropped to eleventh wyoming
came from fourteenth place to tenth.
went from eleventh in 1911 to tenth in
1912, again replacing Indiana. Califor-
mia holds first place and Oklahoma sec
ond.
Neosho county is credited with 40
producing wells in 1911 and 1872 in 1912.
Only six dry holes in the two years
were drilled. according to the report.
Oil activity in the state is confined to
ten counties Allen, ChautauQua, Cof-
fey, Elk, Franklin, Labette. Miami,
Montgomery, Neosho and Wilson Neo-
sho stands third, Chautauqua being
first and Montgomery second
The Kansas field in 1911 is shown to
have completed 172 oil wells and $50 gas
wells the oil wells with an initial pro-
duction of 3271 barrels per day. In
1912 the number of oil wells completed
was $50 and the initial daily production
was 7.245 barrels. The gas wells drilled
in the same period numbered 253.
Industry Began in 1889.
Some of the historical citations are
Illuminating, being in reference to pc
troleum. In 1859 Pennsylvania and
New York produced 1000 barrels of oil.
The industry is limited to these two
states until 1876 when Ohio, West Vir-
ginia and California were included in
the oil producing territory. In 1874 the
two original petroleum states had pro-
duced more than S15 million barrels.
In turn development was began in
Kentucky, Tennessee and Colorado. The
first producing wells in Kansas, Illi-
nois, Indiana, Texas, and Missouri were
drilled in 1889. The Indiana field reach
ed its zenith in 1904 and 1905 and since
its decline has been steady. In Mis-
souri, the production has never reached
beyond few thousand barrels year
In the Kansas field the yield of oil /
increased steadily from 500 barrels the
first year to 1851 barrels in 1896. Then
there was a slight decrease for few
years until the beginning of the activi-
ty in 1901. In that year the production
was 179,151 barrels.
Following are the figures for the sue
ceeding years: 1902, 331,7 barrels;
1903, 932, PA barrels; 1904, 4,250,779 bar
rels; 1905, 1908, 495 barrels; 1906, q, 49,
64S barrels; 1907, 2,409, 521 barrels; 1908, |
SOL s1 barrels; 1909. 1858 barrels.
From 1909 the production in Kansas
ranged but little above the million
barrel mark until the increased activity, |
the result of the rising price of crude, |
in 1912. The production of more than |
IL million barrels last year, it is esti-
mated, will be more than doubled this |
year.
In the figures for Kansas in 1905 and |
1906, the boom years, the Oklahoma
is given with that of Kan !
sas. OkIahoma's production, which |
really began in 1900 with 6,472 barrels, |
was 1866, 74S barrels in 1904. BY 1907, |
when the figures are again given sep |
arate from those of Kansas, it's pro- |
duction had increased to 43,524,12S bar |
rels.
In contrast to the marked increase |
in the Kansas field in 1912 over 1911 the |
output of the Oklahoma field decreased ,
from sc, 069, 437 barrels in 1911 to 81, 427,- |
III barrels in 1912.