The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-07-18
WILL START DRILL
ING BIG OIL WELL
NEXT WEEK
Machinery at Des Lacs-Western Oil
Well is All in Place-PrOspects
Appear Bright for Future Finds
Oil in Seven Test Wells.

Appear Bright for Future Finds
Oil in Seven Test Wells.
A year ago last October, on the
22nd of the month, while M. H. Ander-
son, a we'll driller, was at work on the
A. F. Blum farm west of Minot about
II miles, drilling for water, he struck
an oily substance that appeared so
clear and pure that it aroused his cur
iosity and an investigation followed
Immediately after. Mr.. Anderson
struck the oil at depth of 234 feet.
A quantity Of the oil was taken from
the water and tested and it proved to
be of very high grade, even without
being refined, for tests have been
made running engines, both stationery
and automobile engines, with success.
Oil can still be found in the original
we'll drilled by Mr.. Anderson, tho the
we'll has been sealed and is opened
only occasionally.
A number of other wells have been
drilled in that vicinity. Seven test
wells in all have been drilled, and to
OdCS IuC uCCpCoJ CCoC we'll Hdo DCCIl
sunk to a depth of 431 feet.
Peter kulaas, we'll known Minot
chemist, who has been watching the
development of the Minot-Des Laos
oil field with a great deal of interest,
says that the best showing of oil has
been made at a depth of 429 feet,
which leads one to believe and hope
that the deeper the wells are drilled,
the more generous in quantity will the
oil be found.
A. F. Blum, the owner of the land
where the first oil well was found,
homesteaded on the farm away back
in 1900 and is regarded very highly by
all of his neighbors as farmer and as
citizen. He doesn't know much
about the oil game, but naturally his
curiosity was aroused and he will
never be satisfied until it has been
fully determined whether or not there
is oil on his farm in commercially
paying quantity. He proceeded to or
ganize an oil company for the pur-
pose of learning this, as he did not
have the money to go ahead with the
project himself He interested few
of his neighbors and organized what
is known as the Des Laos Western Oil
Co. Stock sales have been confined al
most exclusively to people living right
in this district, good many farmers
in this vicinity, together with bust
nesmen and other citizens of Minot
and other towns in the northwest, in
vesting in Just what stock they thot
thew could afford, in order to assist in
the test
Henry S. Johnson, for years man.
ager of the Rogers Lumber yard IN
Minot, and who became we'll acqua1nt-
ed with Mr.. Blum when he was man.
aging the Rogers yard at Berthold,
was induced to take the secretaryshlr
of the company. Henry doesn't know
much about oil, or didn't prior to tax,
ing hold of the proposition, but he had
faith in Mr.. Blum and has never given
up the idea that there are mighty fine
prospects for obtaining oil in paying
quantities. Everybody who knows
Henry johnson likes him and have the
utmost faith in his honesty of purpose
That's why so many have been willing
to invest moderate amounts in the
venture.
eyes, put little money into the
Des Lacs-Western Oil Co.," the writ
err has often heard, mot because l am
sure Of getting lot of money out OF
it, but because I think there may be
fair chance of striking oil in large
quantities and should this not be the
case, I figure that it will have been
worth all that it cost me to find out
definitely" That's the idea in nut
shell and stock has been sold on this
theory alone.
The writer has heard a good deal
about what Henry Johnson and the
other members of his company were
doing out at the we'll, so we accepted
Mr.. Johnson's invitation to accompany
him out to look the field over the
other evening. Now we don't know
any more about oil than Campbellite
preacher does about Vodka but we
want to say that we like the way the
company is going after the PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. Blum was out looking the wells
over and the writer got into converse
ton with him. 81 went into this to
VIM" he said. "I have had a chance
to get out and be independently fixed
but I long ago determined that every
man who put dollar in this would
share alike with me. Early in the
game it looked like we could not pull
thru, for it took much money. We had
to 60 slow. Our first derrick blew down
in young cyclone. I am carpenter
and took charge of building the pres.
ent derrick, which is "a feet high, and
I will guarantee that this will not
blow down unless regular twister
comes along. We now have about
$4,000 invested, not counting the val,
ne of our leases, and we have 10000
acres of oil leases in this neighbor-
hood.
One of the biggest investments the
company has is the casing. This was
bot a year ago and there are 5000
feet of it ranging from s Ia to Is IL
inches in diameter. 1t would be utter
ly impossible to secure this casing at
the present time at any price, so the
company can be considered exceeding
n Y ~ .'1"f'sss