Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-06-18
SLATER AFTER $4,000
TO OPEN CRESCENT
TELLS STOCKHOLDERS HE WILL
OPEN WE'LL NEXT WEEK If
MONEY Is RAISED.


John G. Slater of Seattle to raise by
Saturday $4,000 with which to pay
$500 worth Of bills against the Cres-
cent Oil company, the balance to be
used in completing the we'll, and as
surances that if the stockholders
won't help him he will raise the
money himself, so that he can reopen
the well next week, and with the DOS
tive, unqualified statement from him
that the company has struck oil
though he does not know the extent
of the production, this week has seen
many interesting developments in the
local oil situation.
ers' meeting in Tacoma Monday
night, after silencing a crowd at first
hostile to him and winning them over
to his side. He made no effort to
open the well Tuesday, the 18th, as
had been previously announced, con-
tenting himself with the statement at
raising by Saturday night the amount
of money he needed $4,000 he would
start work at the we'll next Monday
and would be able to show produc-
ton within "a hours.
Interesting features of the weeks
developments were the obtaining of
two judgments against the company
in the Tenino courts last Saturday,
one by a Centralia grocery firm for
1895 worth of groceries and one for
s36 by firm of cement dealers; the
declaration by Slater at the stock
holders meeting last Monday night
that the we'll had been "salted" at
$40 feet, "to make showing for the
Centralia Chamber of Commerce"
adding that "Mr. Williamson knew
nothing about it," the deciding back
to the company by Slater Of 40
acre tract upon which the present
we'll Is located; admission by Will
hanson that the common stock OF the
company had been over-issued; dec
larations by a Tacoma woman. who
paid Slater $4,000 for stock after he
had taken her to the we'll and shown
her "oil," that there would be "some-
thing doing" il Slater did not show
production soon; assertions by Slater
that the recent agitation by Tacoma
stockholders had spoiled two deals
for him on his recent visit to Califor-
mia.
Slater bitches Hoffman.
Slater and J. v. Hoffman. his su-
perintendent, have apparently parted
company. Strangely. Slater's state
ments that the company now had Oil
at 1875 feet do not jibe with asser-
tions by other officials Of the COM
pany that the we'll is down 2,126 feet.
Slater's charge, too. that the well had
, been salted at $40 to make a showing
for the Centralia Chamber Of Com
merce was Indignantly denied by that
organization, in a statement IN wnicn
they referred far from kindly to the
Seattle man.
Tacoma stockholders held another
meeting Thursday night Of this week.
The meeting Monday night was called
at Slater's direction, Immediately
after his return from California.
Slater told Of the history Of the well,
how it had been bankrupt when he
took charge, Of his struggle to raise
the necessary funds. Of the many ac-
cidents that had happened during the
drilling and of how oil was finally dis
covered. He promised that II the
sum Of $4,000 were raised the we'll
would be opened next Monday and he
heatedly declared he was positive
there was oil in the well, but that IL
was impossible to say just how much
At the close of the meeting various
persons present pledged total OF
5000, stock to be issued to them at .
cents a share.
Christopher Leads Opposition.
After Mr.. Slater's address the
stockholders began to question him.
1t soon developed that his most per-
sistent opponent was c. Christopher
who has several times pubhciv
charged him with trying to obtain
control Of the we'll to the detriment
of the stockholders. christopher had
the crowd with him at the start, nut
when he declared that he intended to
take the entire case into court the
sympathies of the other stockholders