St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-12-02
AN OIL FIELD LIES
NEAR OUR DOOR
Developments at Pine Prairie
Stopped but Promises Good
for Future
MR.. CHAMPION SAYS THE
FIELD rs A GOOD ONE
Indications are That Work Will
Begin There Again Soon, as
Head Knockers" Were
There Last Monday

Myles Mineral Company began
drilling in the Pine Prairie sec
ton little attention was paid to
their operations. Several wells
were sunk but, suddenly, all work
was stopped and few were ac-
quainted with the fact that sew
eral thousand barrels of oil were
shipped from that field.
Last Tuesday a reporter of The
Clarion accompanied Attorney NJ.
H. Thompson of this city on an
automobile trip to the Pine Pra-
irie field. Leaving Opelousas at
IL a. M, we went through Vile
Platte, arriving there at noon. A
brief stop was made in the
Evangeline capital and the car
hit the road on to Chicot. Turn
ing at this latter place the five
miles to Pine Prairie station on
the Rock Island was quickly
made and the short run to the
oil field was soon over.
The railroad was crossed at
Easton, where quite a number OF
building are IN evidence but few
are occupied A sawmill tram
road runs out into the woods
where a mill is located near the
oil wells and the old marble
quarry. Several derricks are
still standing and of the number
Of wells sunk three were pro-
ducers. Two or three oil stor-
age tanks were erected and a
small pipe line laid to the Rock
Island tracks. The wells were
supposed to have gone dry but
many believe this was but a story
told to keep down any further
development. When we arrived
at the wells the driller, Mr..
Champion, who put down most
of the wells, accompanied by the
watchman and several other men,
were tinkering with the pipes.
They did not admit that opera
tions were to begin again but Mf.
Champion admitted to the re-
porter that it was a good field.
Every indication pointed to the
fact that the Myles company
would again start drilling, as two
Of the active heads of the con-
eern were on the ground last
Monday and spent the night N
Pine Prairie.
One of the wells still shows in
dications Of gas. A rust-eaten
pipe leading from the well easing,
when touched with a lighted
match, blazed forth for several
seconds, showing clearly that gas
is still coming from the depths.
The platforms under the derrlcks
Of the three old producers are
soaked with oil and the smell
still fingers in the atmosphere.
! Ruin and desolation, abandoned
machinery, dismantled and rot
tine buildings are all in evidence
bnt these can quickly be cleaned
m if the company decides q
again start operations.
Leaving the scene we stopped
bv the old marble quarry, which
was discovered and operated to
q small extent before the eva
war. The outcropping Of stone
| Is visible, one great boulder lut.
! ting out in the excavation, WINE
any number Of small pieces bfok
en- from the mother vein are scat
tered around. What the quallt5
of this marble is we are IN no pos
ition to say; but we have beer
told that it IS susceptible OF !
high polish and therefore m1gh'
prove valuable.
The return trip followed tn
tram road to the second saWnlill
which IS located on Mr. Thomp
sons land. The surroundlns
seven thousand acres is owned D
large syndicate, and they pp
down a test well Just across tn
creek from the Thompson tracI
Tbe derrick is still standing an;
no were Informed that oil wa
struck and the well then capped
within a few yards Of this wei
;s . field living almost Hat, on
rising from the low territory J
what IS known asa 8 salt dome
- high hill. and this freak g
nature is said TO indicate oil oa
and other mineral denos'ts IN
woodland is thicklv studded VT
toas mounds and every lndlea
t;o., noints - tha section he1np
ralnah1a faI FOR nrospeetlH
now or in the future