Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-05-30
W. S. Mowris Was Contrac-
tor for Guffey & Daley
in 1898.
FEW WORKING TOOLS
Alex Murray, Well-Known
Character, Was the
Tool Dresser.

Although the presence OF oil in
Kansas was known as early as 1867
there was no attempt to develop the
industry. The first we'll drilled in the
state was at Paola but no others fol-
lowed and the initial well was aban-
doned. In 1898 Guffey & Galley
leased several hundred thousand acres
I'm Kansas and located their office at
Neodasha, in Montgomery county.
The first well drilled on this i'm
mense acreage was on Fail river about
four miles from Neodesha. w. 5.
Mowris of Tulsa, then Of Pennsyl-
vania, was the contractor and Alex
andcr Murray, one of the best known
characters in the oil country, was the
tool dresser and helper. There were
no rig builders in Kansas and rig tim
bers had to be rough hewn and Mr..
Mowris and Murray had to do their
own work from start to finish. And It
was hard work at that.
The we'll was finished in three
weeks and was a big gasser, the first
gas well in Kansas and 1t supplied
NeOdesha and adjoining towns for
years. Thus encouraged Guffey q
Galley contracted for the drilling of
seven more wells and Mr.. Mowris
went ahead with the job. There was
not a dry hole to be found. Every
well was an oil we'll and the initial
production averaged between 20 bar
rcls and 40 barrels day. The depth
was from 700 feet to $50 feet and the
sand soft shale Although there is
a common belief that the sandy shall
low sand wells will not hold up in
production, 1t may be remarked that
the first well drilled at NeOdesha in
1898 was cleaned a year ago and
then produced 12 barrels daily and il
is still a healthy, reliable producer.
Drillcrs Handicapped.
Talking about the early days not
long ago Mr.. Mowris said: I'VE had
a time in those days, we who had been
used to the Pennsylvania pools where
there was any quantity of material
and all the drillers and tool dresserS
that could be employed. out here we
had to start just as though we were
in the heart of Africa. We had nc
supply houses we had no boarding
houses, we had no roads, we had nc
material and there was an absolute
absence of labOring men who could
be used. Alex Murray and myself
went out on the job and we cut Oul
own timbers, built our own rig, cooked
our own meals and generally roughed
It, including the doing Of the washing
We had easy sailing so far as the
drilling was concerned because the
formation was good and the wall,
stood up. We finished the first wei
with four-inch casing and she started
out at the rate of from 25 barrels tC
40 barrels a day. The oil was about
32 gravity and found in a shale. We
went ahead with the work on the
farm, owned by w. NJ. Mills Of Ossa.
watomie and drilled seven wells al
told, during the remainder Of the year
They were all good producers, abOu
all Of the same depth and all of thu
oil was the same gravity.
This was the beginning OF the de
velopment Of the oil and gas indus
try in the Mid-Continent field. Cuff
fey e Galley soon after the compile
ton Of the seventh well sold theil
acreage to the Forest Oil Co., a sub
sidiary. The Forest Oil company devel
oped the Neodesha pool and also de-
vcloped a small pool at Thayer, il
Neosho county, Kansas, a few miles
south Of Chanute In two years be-
tween 1898 and 1895, daily produc
tion Of more than five hundred barrel.