Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-10-17
THREE CONCERNS
PROSPECTING HERE
FOR OIL AND GAS
Washington Oil Company, Last to
Enter Local Field, Leas-
ing 1000 Acres.
ONLY THREE IN OLYMPICS.
Crescent Oil Company Begins the
Erection of Derrick-Will
Start Drilling Soon.

Two thousand acres of land between
Tenino and the Skookumchuck river,
in the southern part of the county,
are being leased by the Washington
Oil company of Seattle which, after
considerable investigation and pros
pecting in that part of the county, ex-
poets to begin drilling for oil and gas
within short time.
This company, which is now drilling
an oil well at the Forks in Western
Clallam county on the western slope
OF the Olympics, is the third to enter
the Thurston county field. Reports
are current that other interests have
ben quietly investigating the local
field and it is possible that even more
activity will be noticed in the next
few weeks, in addition to these three
companies.
The Crescent Oil company of Seattle,
in which Olympia and Tenino people
are quite heavily interested, this week
began the erection of derrick on the
Dixon farm near Little Rock, part Of
the tract of 10000 acres they have un-
der lease from Tenino to Black Lake,
to prepare for the installation of the
drilling outfit which is now on the
way. This company has already
sought the advice of the county engi-
neers of Thurston and Lewis counties
as to rights of way for natural gas pipe
line, indicating that 1t believes strong
ly in the success of its venture.
AS told in THE WASHINGTON STAND
ARD last week the Tenino Sandstone
company reports escaping natural gas
in Its quarries. To find out whether
1t exists in commercial quantities this
company has also made arrangements
to drill for oil and gas, SO that II pres
ents plans are carried out at least
three drilling outfits will be searching
for oil and gas in this county within
the next few weeks.
This is the same number OF COM
panies as are operating on the whole
length Of the western slope Of the
Olympic mountains, the Washington
Oil company drilling at the Forks. the
Jefferson Oil company Of Aberdeen at
the mouth of the Hob river, and the
Indian Oil company Of Tacoma at Ta-
hn1o fbn iv,fo T~I
tion. Considerable activity in other
districts along Puget Sound was re-
ported in various local newspapers last
spring, but nothing has been heard Of
them lately.
The developments of the last two
weeks have followed several months
of quiet investigation, prospecting and
the obtaining of leases. The Crescent
Oil company began it's operations in
this county quietly last spring and
withheld the announcement of it's In
tentions until 1t had placed 10000
acres under lease.
Last winter a Seattle professor,
claiming to have had wide experience
in the oil drilling business, came to
Olympia and leased quite large acre.
age on one Of the bays near the city,
stating he had interested Seattle capt.
tai in the probability of striking oil
near here. Nothing more has been
heard of this proposition, however.
The existence of oil and gas in COM
mercial quantities in this county has
been confidently predicted by various
authorities for some time, but the only
actual drilling ever done to test it was
made by the Olympia and Tenino peo-
pie who sank we'll in 1903 on the
christopher holdings, which were TAX
en- over by the Crescent company.
While it is claimed that natural gas
was found in paying quantities at that
time, the well was so badly drilled
that it filled entirely with water and
the company was unable to handle it.