Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-26
sPEcULAToRs BORING FOR OIL
CEASE WORK ON GENERAL
WELLs.
LEAkv TANKS NEAR ~
CAUSE OF WASTE OF MONEY
{ mptylns Of R~essrveir erinss Con.
elusive TSst - Product Ceases 70
Come Up in Wells When Source Of
Supply 10 Cut om-Lsaky Tanks Fl.
nally Run Dry, and Flow csasss.

Sioux City. Jan. 26.-Leeds' oil boom
died aborning.
The excitement into which the sub.
urb was thrown by the u~ncoverins Of
an oil dow in three or four places has
ended.
Prospectors have dropped their picks
and shovels. Well shafts have ceased
In the sinking, and yesterday there
went out from the suburb the state
ment that what apparently was an oil
vein had origin in the two 5Oo-gallon
tanks owned by the Independent OIL
company.
The discovery wa long in the max
ing. because the Leeds of the
Oil company had lost data showing how
much oil had been placed in the tanks
and how much had been taken out
from time to time.
When the discovery was made John
Mcdonald believed that possibly the
tanks had been leaking. Mr.. Mcdonald
had trenches dug about the tanks, but
at no place could signs of a leak be
detected.
est wells Were Sunk,
Going on the theory advanced by
Oklahoma oil men that the oil might
be coming from the hill district to the
north. n that It had been forced to
surface by the weight of the hills, Mr..
Mcdonald had a number Of test wells
sunk, and into each we'll there flowed
approximately w gallons of oil an
hour. The space tested was sixty feet
wide and ran north toward the hills.
Mr.. Mcdonald. while hoping that
perhaps oil might be located eventually
on his property, continued an investi-
cation aimed to determine whether or
not the oil was from the tanks. He
also continued the removal of oil from
his we'll, as 1t flowed in. Finally the
owner Of the we'll went to the oil COM
pany and to the manager and suggested
that If there really was a leak the facts
could be learned by the removal of all
oil from both tanks. He learned from
the manager that the amount Of oil
known.
Oil Removed From Tanks.
On Saturday one week ago all the oil
was removed from the TWO tanks. Since
Saturday little work has beer done
N1SAS ~ e IL IA &A1O dIXO
Rich properties. On Thursday the oil
flow had decreased so materially that
the owners Of h property We're on the
point of announcing that the source
was from the tanks, but delayed to be
certain. Friday but a few gallons were
found in the wells n yesterday the
Rich we'll. being dried out. caved In.
little oil had entered the Nc.
Donald well during the last twenty
four hours. Both owners at once
nounced they would cease operations.
1t was estimated by some Of the
Leeds men that more that 1000 gallons
of oil had seeped out Of the tanks and
followed a water line through the
earth, remaining at the top until a
pocket wide in area had been formed
underneath the Mcdonald and the
Rich holdings. Much of this oil soaked
into the pocket sides to harden the sur
face and make a container. Later the
wells afforded a way for the oil to
escape. and when the source was shut
the pocket ceased it's overflow.
Explanation Of Quality.
The oil. because it had source from a
containing gasoline and from an
other containing kerosene. by seepage
and intermixture In a clay stratum.
lost much of the elements of both and
merged to such extent that wen ex-
perienced oil men We're puzzled.
H. L.. Houghton. who is interested in
an Oklahoma project. was so i'm
pressed with the samples that he wrote
the state geologist to come here and
look into the situation. 1t was also
Mr.. Houghton's plan to ask the Com
mercial club to hire an Oklahoma ex-
pert to come on here and if possible
locate the oil pools from which the
Leeds flow was coming.