The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1920-08-20

Blowing itself with a force that
sent a column of oil flying into the
air, we'll No. 2 of the Frantz Cor
poration has been flowing at the rate
of 1900 barrels, since $3.50 o'clock Sat-
urday afternoon. In the opinion of oil
men the estimate is ultra-conservative,
and by some it is believed that the
we'll is making fully 1000 barrels a
day.
At the west camp of the Frantz Sat-
urday night and Sunday were being re-
enacted the scenes which occurred when
the well was broken, or rather,
brought in, on the morning of May
IS. Teams of of the Frantz corpora
ion worked to the point of exhaustion
in throwing up huge dykes to hold the
oil that is flowing and which some
hours ago filled the last space in the
big storage tanks, overran the reserve
created by throwing up dam when
the well first overflowed and which
was then wholly inadequate, and ran
crafty in a number of directions down
the coulee below the camp.
Since the first discovery of oil in
Montana nothing to parallel the oc-
curences of the last "a hours has
developed. News that the well had
suddenly catapulted itself to rank at
the head of all wells in the world with
a high grade production has spread
like a grass fire and hundreds of cars
are coming in from all directions.
Nearly depleted of population Win
nett at late hour Sunday is left with
only handful of those who are with
UuJ cars.
What took place was entirely un-
looked for by the Frantz forces. For
the last week a crew has been engaged
in understanding to set packer at
the bottom of the casing to confine
the flow of oil through the aperture
afforded by the pipe and to prevent it
from coming up around the outside
of the casing. Of about 100 feet of
cave, through which the oil was fore
ing itself, all but eight feet has been
cleaned out. Preparatory to sinking
the casing to this depth, the baler was
run again after the understanding
and then was withdrawn.
Faster than it was hauled out the
oil and shale came up after it. No
sooner had the baler cleared the top
of the casing than with roar that
could be heard hundreds of feet, out
of the we'll burst forth oil and shale
Oil welled out of the casing and flowed
a steady stream foot or more above
the top of the hole.
Since then there has been no sub.
sidence of the flow which is now pour.
ing through a four inch pipe anc
swedge connecting placed on the wei
to direct the low of the oil in one dir
ection instead of coming in head as
it originally did, the oil is said to bt
flowing in steady stream which
comes through four inch pipe ane
with tremendous pressure.
Close estimates of the production
were made by Superintendent L. S
Lantz who figured the overflow
amounted to half a barrel a minute
Other oil men, however declared tina
the four inch pipe without much pres
sure to force the flow through it woult
carry more than 1000 barrels day.
With any provision that might b.
made to care for the oil likely tt
prove insufficient and the pipeline t.
Winnett probably not half larg'
enough to carry the oil from the on
well, the Frantz has one chance O
placing the we'll under control. Ont
the ten inch casing, cap might eff
fectively be placed to shut the we'll in
Past efforts however to cap the big
producer failed when it's production
was anly one fourth of it's present vol
ume, SO that any attempt is likely t.
prove futile.
Face to face with most vital prob
lem of conserving the oil, the Frant
will have task of gigantic proper
tions. The two inch pipe line will no
carry off the oil, and the tanks suf
ficient probably could not be erecte
fast enough to handle the flow indef
inately. The effor t to shut in tn
we'll fails the only recourse is tn
uilding of tanks sufficient or in
coulee Glow the camp hold the oil in
vast lake or a number of lakes.