The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-05
OIL AND GAS NEWS
EVANS IMPRESSION
OF THE OIL FIELDS

Dr' Charles Evans, former president
OF Henry Kendall college Of Tulsa, ac.
companied by Anton II. Classen. tho
Oklahoma City street car magnate
made recent visit to Ardmore and TO
the Healdton fields. DR.. Evans was so
pleased with the trip that he has writ.
ten his Impressions of the oil fields. in
which he says:
Miles OF moving iron hands ceaseless.
ly dipping into subterranean lakes of
oil and lifting this wonderful power into
the channels of commerce is the i'm.
preston the Healdton field makes upon
its visitor. The mind that knows some.
thing of the uses and demands of ne.
troleum products is bewildered as IL
observes miles and miles Of derricks
drills, wells, machinery, teams, homes.
towns and about all Of these, men. force
ful restless, eager and achieving men
moved by master minds to a definit,
end, to feed the wants of a mighty
nation.
1t was a fine June day when. in the
company of Anton H. Classen. the trim
to the fields was made. The road was
good and the world was afoot or rather
AFFORD, because the constant stream II
automobiles convinced you that you
were on a thoroughfare Of wonderful
import. 1t occurred to us who rode 20.
gether that here was a need for a gem
uine and thoroughly constructed pike
or macadam roadway If ever one ex
listed in Oklahoma. Ardmore, the very
hub Of this world-renowned activity. viii
do this work in its own fine fashion.
and viii not wait long. Off on the hori.
zon a plume Of purple smoke rose high
and marked the spot where the streams
ran riot with oil and at the touch of a
match could be transformed into streams
OF fire. In little while we were in the
edge Of the field.
Man Proposes, God DispOses.
II Is strange how the old adage that
man proposes and God disposes still
sticks. Here and there were revealed
efforts Of men to make this stream of
underground millions move their way.
Perhaps 1t was a group Of abandoned
derricks or pile of wasted machinery.
but II was the town or village where
men had proposed to live, regardless of
oil which pointed this moral and adorn.
ed this statement most Over here was
town that spurned an offer to sit by
the avenue which commerce brought
its way. The Ringing road was not
needed, they would pay no tax and
make no gift TO court its favor, so IL
passed over beyond the fields In few
months tat town wasted away and
now the coyote howls unmolested about
its abandoned homes and stores. Over
there was Ringing, and across yonder
where great, splendid school building
topped the horizon was New Wilson,
towns that needed the early calls Of ma
lures production and the railroad and
today they are fine centers Of thrift.
Down, down into the rich, oozy oil CEN
ter we dropped until the very valleys,
hills and air were alive with energy,
wagons, pumps, homes, business and
people.
In all this chaos of wealth the wonder
grew why was there no town or center
OF dominating influence and attraction.
No place had yet been seen where the
men Of energy, plan and power of the
great Healdton field might establish
modern homes. stores, churches. schools
and with law and that natural concen-
tration Of all this wealth and strength
which should and does always come TO
some one point, build a wonderful town.
That wonder was satisfied, for at the
noon hour our guide came up out OF
the oil district and rounding a curve in
the roadway we found ourselves moving
along streets uniform and clean, lined
with neat homes and bearing every evi-
dence OF solidarity. Here was New
Healdton, where, In less than no time,
not only was every lot in the town sold
but at the time this visit was made
a demand had been issued that big
addition should be opened up. and al
ready New Healdton had expanded from