Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1919-12-30
NATURAL GAS BOOM
CREATES FORTUNES
NEARLY OVERNIGHT
-I'-

McRcespcrt. Pa, pec, ~ A hoohs
n. natural gan n uhaer was hrrel com-
parahls 20 the gold rush % 90 Not
long Rgo two young men who believed
that they knew where gas could he
fpuna had trouble M getting people ID
invest, tioo or $3.50 each - huy III
machinery TO drill i we'll Now great
Quantities 81 nus have heen found. and
II saa estimated today thai over Sas-
90 beo N Invested n property. leases
|and drilling operations
Tho scsne of the iIacnvefy IA snahe
hollow. Versailles township. rus, out.
slse the city line. II might have boeg
discovered fifteen or twenty years ago
had attention been paid 60 David Fos.
tcr aud other boys when they told oi
fetting fire To gaseous mkttef esrap-
Ing Ia the fieida As Young Foster grew
% he stsli argued that there must ~
g7s underneath his fathers garm. I.o
'pl laughed al him.
Gas discovered.
But sam BrJnduh 4 tsao a pas
|drs ugistEman ln the Guy Engineering
department, was persuaded that young
fvs.ter was right netween them th
ia iuced q number Of local ciiizen
lnVne of them Rich. to Invest sieu "
Itstb0 each 10 drill well Last August
Iihay had drilled sTut feet dsep into IN
earth and All The was through the
lDankr0.L II was hard work 20 raj !
,.oney, but tha original investors pnl
| i, $50 apiece. and shortly afseFwaFd'
ga Mis- discovered,
Ten days before the well Was capped
,as Eushea Into the aig al the rate
H.. sWa. .ee9 eubie saek slas, eaen eabss
foot worih ~ cents since then ~
Wells have been sunk each produfins
from four ~ thlrty.six million uubls
,eet day. There are nov over 100 der
lsieks m the vicinity uns u heini
supplied aA fas north AZ fiufsala and
south az Csnehinati Nearly an ~ III
I',ss saloons Ia this city ars being ~.
las gas company Offices
III ths first well brought In snsi'
we're "a shares. dtvthed among ~ mef
ana one woman The flrst month ehef
heare drew fa.250 IN profit the seeeni
asUnth. s8.Soa Nine of the twcIvs veil
| bi ought III since then are owned by tii'
4. me group ~ a.
womsr Madr weaIfhS.
The Woman shareholder III the OIL
anal gushei Ii ARA tda POllaek. widow
sad hook aesRef Ahs sai her life SAY
ins Ia the projecs, and could now ne'
her MI f'nsA IN the safisus relis -
1900 .a0o. Seven GisIa IN dsp@ftmen
ere Invested Ia one Of The wells. an
Lave given up their J0ba. A newnpape
man VINO sought shares ~ FAe FIRST wei
III dFAAlag 0vsf sAV6 day, EnE drive
laundry wagrn has bought IN
.andry where he was ssaDgessd. ~
= orkara have Invested huHfreds
b. lara
A mai, who 0whed a emAli h9lAse Ah
Ilo in snake Hollow. orisinaiiy Vasas
III sss8. a0ld To Tor $4,000 two Gay
er. tns purchaser respld is f@f ses'
Ard a ons slxty-fouFih interest
bw,. walss IA be drilled. Tine tn~naia
$1,000 hoard leased the play fara tp
VI 40 refalniag eHs-elghth iHtsfes
NJ ~ wel,s 10 be drilled ThFes ehi- y
cards have Isassd sFosnds ssa y.
% .aure park has besn lsassa Tn
~ council os MEksssport 's'ss -
l.aogizrd the mayor 70 sell Pr zee
~. en acres of ground held tpr saAs
a,eh borders on the sas iislas
one lease Of foaEss~n acres waA ~
tor tizg. 9es In three days = e''h psa J
Of local men cold ts9V.ggg w"rsA
80 weIIn ina assnana for laher = ME
lS,tI,evs zsso ussd 70 gsf " for twsis
..,,sts nov gst 40 ter sishs hours
| orsnDn Agricultural college =.
besn mslsessa As the eallsss y ~. ~.
lthe nezs blsnasaI seAvsaslsn y ~, '
lInss f.Msnda @nd Hsxtaa Aihns -.
lloa social fraternity
A .suu ssAa naW