The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-04-13
SHEEP HERDERS
WERE PRODIGAL
in use OF GAS
Estimated that They Burned up
Nearly Half Million Dollars
Worth i'm Is Months
FLOW OF WELL is ESTIMATED
Snively and Associates to Drill and
the Race for Oil Becomes a
Three-C Cornered One

As rule sheep herders are not Civ
en- to reveling in luxuries or indulging
in riotous living, but up in the Rattle
snake hills there was time when the
sheep herders not only cooked their
frugal meals of bacon and beans over
a natural gas flame, but in a year and
half they consumed nearly half
a million dollars worth of perfectly
good gas in frightening the coyotes
away from their flocks.
Some time after gas was struck in
the well on the Conservative Land
company's holdings, sheep herders
lighted the gas and it was not turned
off until Is months later when the well
was capped. Had the sheep owners
been called upon to pay for the gas
consumed by their herders at regular
commercial rates, their light and fuel
bill would have been the neat little
sum of $26,841.66 month, or $483, $50
for the 18 months.
These figures are based upon the
estimates of w. B. Linn, of the Illi-
nois gas and oil fields, who visited the
gas well last Sunday. Mr.. Linn esti-
mates that the present gas flow of the
well at usual commercial rates'would
be worth 500. a day and is sufficient
to supply the fuel and lighting needs
of Kennewick at the present time.
In the party with Mr.. Linn were
several Kennewick business men and
w. T. Tyler, superintendent of the
Pasco division of the Northern Pacific.
Mr.. Tyler, who was general manager
of the Frisco lines during the oil and
gas booms in Oklahoma and Texas,
like Mr.. Linn, expressed great sur
prise at the strong flow Of the well.
Not only were they favorably impress
ed with the prospects for oil and gas
in the field but were at loss to ac-
count for the apparent Indifference Of
men who for three years have known
of the existence of the gasser.
After visiting the gas well the par
ty stopped at the Yakima Natural Gas
& Oil company's well No. /, where
drilling operations are progressing
most satisfactorily. The drill is now
down around the 600-foot level and
working in a formation that is very
encouraging. The log of the new well
is almost identical with that Of the
gasser in which gas was struck at a
depth of 692 feet.
1t became definitely known this
week that HI. ]. Snively, of North Yak
ina and associates who have large
holdings in the district have matured
plans for sinking a well on their lands.
They have contracted with an exper-
fenced Pennsylvania driller, who will
bring one of his largest outfits from
the east. This well is to be sunk un-
der the direction of State Geologist
Harry Landes, who has been making
the closest study of the field. Mr..
Snively has written that Prof. Landes
will visit the field again soon and re-
quests that delegation of Kennewick
business men meet him at the well.
With the decision of the Snively in
terests to drill, the race for oil becomes
a three-cornered one between them,
the Herbert c. Harris Co. of California
and the Yakima N. G. & o. company
as the other contestants. 1t is known,
too, that unknown interests are quiet
ly at work getting leases with view
to early drilling operations.