The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-12

eastern part of the state and about 100
miles from the capital Oklahoma Cify.
Tulsa has doubled in population within
| the past two years, and 1t is now about
| 30 times as big as it was in 1900. 1t is 4
modern city of more than $4,000 people.
with l0-story office buildings, large ho-
tells, fine residences and parks and bou-
| levards. Its building permits are now
running from a half million to a mil
/ lion dollars per month, and it claims TO
have on the average 100 permits for
new homes every 80 days. A building pro
gramme is now under way which Will
| include expenditures amounting to S. =
!! 100000, and there is another which will
comprise a HISTORY office building to cost
upward of $4,000, 900. The town is one Of
many rich men, all of whom have made
fortunes in oil. One company recently
sold it's holdings for $35,000000 and two
men who were country merchants only
a few years ago have realized $4,000 600
cash for a portion of their oil property.
Among the wel-to-do are Indians and
negroes. Much of the lands from which
the oil and gas are being taken belongs
to Indian citizens, who have given leases
to various companies. In the past three
years these red men, chiefly Cherokees,
Creeks and Osages have received more
than five and half million dollars in
royalties Their affairs are looked after
by the United States government and
the money is duly collected.
There are a number of oil companies
here, and some of them are independent
of the large trusts. The town has eight
oil refineries one of which has a capac-
ity of 1000 barrels of crude oil per day.
1t was started a few years ago with a.
capacity of only Is barrels. 1t was burned
out, re-established and then destroyed by
cyclone. 1t was again built and has
grown to such an extent that its capt.
tai is. in the neighborhood of 100000.
1t now produces $1,000 barrels of petro-
leum a day.
It Is no wonder these people are grow
ing rich. Last year Oklahoma produced
almost $1S3,000OO0 worth of crude oil.
The total production was equal to more
than five barrels for every family in
the United States and It's value was in
the neighborhood Of g per barrel. Some
thing like 1000 new wells were completed
during the year and more than a half
million barrels of new production were
added to the state supply. About half
million dollars worth of oil is now be-
ing taken out every day and the prices
are steadily increasing.
These figures seem enormous, but the
demand for oil and it's products is so
increasing that new fields will have to,
be found or substitutes created to take
the place of petroleum. The total out
put of all the fields Of the United States
last year was little under 3O0,O00,0 600
barrels. 1t was more than II 100000 bar
rels In excess of the production of 1915
and the increase came chiefly from this
territory. They are now discovering new
wells in Louisiana and Texas, and the
present output will certainly hold its
own.
Nevertheless, there Is danger of fam
inc In gasoline 1 can give you this on
the authority of Mr.. Van H. Manning,
the director of the United States bureau
of mines. He has figured out the in
dustrial demands of petroleum and he
shows that our enormous production is
not large enough to satisfy the wants of
the time He says that the various pipe
line and transportation companies, which
usually keep a certain amount of oil in
storage, have had to draw upon this