The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-03-28
MORE GAS AND
OIL COMPANIES
ARE ORGANIZED
Local Men Incorporate for Pur-
pose of Drilling Well Near
,Kennewick
MANY RIGS ARE COMING IN
Midsummer Will See Many Drilling
Derricks Along the Slopes of
Rattlesnake Hills


Rattlesnake Hills
Believeing that the Rattlesnake hills
form perfect and unbroken anticline
clear to the southern limits of Benton
county, number of local men have
organized company for the purpose
of bringing the gas and oil field closer
to Kennewick.
The new company which has been
added to the county's steadily growing
list of companies is a corporation
known as the Highlands Gas & Oil
company. It is capitalized at mil
lion and half shares of stock at a
par value of one dollar a share. The
company already holds leases on sew
eral hundred acres Of land and expects
to add more to their holdings. The
officers and directors of the company
are: president, J. w. Vickers; vice
president, Guy ]. Hayden; secretary
treasurer, n. w. Desgranges; C. A.
Crawford, w. F. Henderson and o. L.
Hanson.
The holdings of the company in
clude leases on lands along the first
bench between Badger and Hover,
some holdings not far from the Rattle
snake gas wells and some near White
Bluffs.
The company's leases are on decided
lands, the owners Of which are stock
holders in the company and future
leases will be taken on this basis. The
company will give each lessor not only
the customary production royalty of
8 and 10 per cent, but block Of the
company's stock, a large block of stock
having been set aside for this pur-
pose.
The advantage of this plan Of opera
tion as pointed out by President Vick-
ers is that each lessor will share in
the benefits Of any strike made by the
company, even tho no gas or oil is ever
found on his place. A strike on any
of the holdings of the company will
bring profits to every land owner.
Thru Mr.. Vickers, who has had con-
siderable experience in the oil fields
of Texas, California and the Philip
pines, negotiations are already under
way with an experienced driller who
is desirous of entering this field with
his big standard rig. The company
intends to begin its first well between
Vista and Badger, a few miles north
west of this city.
Another new company which has
started activities is the Rattlesnake
Hills Oil company, Of Hanford. The
officers Of this company are: president
Stephen H. Collins, of Tacoma; sec
1etary, F. L. Bash, of Hanford; sales
manager, D. C. Priddy, of Hanford;
funds trustee L. E. Johnson, of this
city; land trustee, Chas. M. Sanford,
of Hanford.
This company has no stock for sale.
1t owns tract of land and two leases
near Hanford. It has subdivided 20
acres of its holdings into lots Of 400
square feet which are to be sold at $50
each and each purchaser is given a
pro rata interest in the company's two
leases and likewise is to share proper
tionately in any wells drilled by the
company on any of the IL drilling
sites which have been reserved by the
company.
This plan of operation has been fol-
lowed by many companies in produc-
ing oil fields and is said to furnish
the small investor safeguard against
being "frozen out" It is understood
that all funds derived from the sale of
lots are to be deposited with the First
National Bank and are to be used for
development purposes only.
7 There are now four rigs in the field
and within the next 60 days there will
probably be double that number. The
Columbia River-Puget Sound Natural
das company is drilling about four
mile this side of the old discovery well
". 4. Crawford, secretary of the COM
pany, was in the city from Seattle the
nrst OF the week and said that his com.
pany would have one and possibly two
more rigs in the field very soon.