The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-08-08
Most Waste Made Before
Oil Reaches Top of
Ground, He Says.
SUCKERS ARE PLENTY
But They Insist on DabbIing
and Their Flounderings
Result in High Cost.

Tho meeting was neither expected
or conventional. 1t wasn't even or
snnlzcd I'm either Of the senhes The
term lmplicg. II was Just ono OF
those casual groups OF old time
friends Who dropped In" at lod>'
hotel several evenings ago Tor an
affectionatc visit with John Carrol.
IL was an "uffootionato" visit bo-
cause every oid-timo oil man In the
county knows this veteran ana those
who know him well enough
and can date their acquaintance
back TO tho good old days OF the
Mcdonald excitement, call m
slack"
MIR. Carol made his debut IN the
oil game soon after he returned
from his little trip 10 Atlanta with
Sherman---h1 was n buRlcr in COM
pany G OF the Fourth PcnnHylvnnin,
His transition from military 10 civil
life was amply the laying off OF \
campaign hat and an ENFIELD
donning n black wool ''sly piece"
and substituting an old fashioned
long handed shovel for the more
dangerous weapon. Mr.. Carol was
an oil field worker when they
"kickod ON in" and shot 'cm' with
flax seed.
InpfC arc rev ffhfhNAtIN Nii'
intarog,inE oil fraternity VINO have
known the game so long or whose
experiences embrace so many fields.
He has been "toollO," rouRtTbout,
driller. pumpot. farm boss. ncont,
contractor operator and has served
In practically every other capacity.
Success has crowned HIS efforts bat
like every other proprietor OF tho
old school, the loan days have come
60 n AHaaH
operated from the warren district IN
tho east TO Bakersfield IN the west;
from wildcat failure at Calgary
to Tampico. Naturally enough he
has accumulated n comfortable for-
tune, but retire2 Ncverl
MIR. Carols first visit TO Tuha
was IN 1904. on that occasion nc
was a guest at the Alcorn which
was then Tulsa's most excmsiye
hosiery. lie had some minor In
terests Mt Rartlesville and at Red
Fork. He also had a few town lot
leases In the pioneer Muskogeo de-
yelopmont but these were nsvcr
drilled. Although mis- interests IN
other Oklahoma fields were at one
time extensive, no has spent little
time In Oklahoma and was there
fore notioably surprised Mt tho won
.
attention throughout the state.
Although his production has
ranged ali the way from two barrels
10 3,OOo per day, Mr.. Carol never
owned q share OF stock In an oil
corporation in all his life. True
he has had partners In all climes and
sections hut these concerns were the
partnerships OF tho old days when
properties were divided into sighths
~.
and paid dividends, and failed or
prospered without no much as n
written contract or memoranda.
"Eyer stuck7" echoed Mr.. Carol
''Many's tho time; sure I have; I've
been skinned alive by a crooked
partner---just once In my whole life
and that poor fellow was afterwarsS
found to be insane and we took him
20 a sanitarium whore he died, But
I'll admit that I've been fooled more
than oncA. BY that l mean that ]
have taken interests In deals that
went wrong but not because any
body tried TO cheat anybody else by
plain ornery dishonesty. Some
lines we all showed poor judgment
we didn't know geology then like
we do now--but I've lost more by
helping TO back up some green horn
who was trying to learn the business
W my 'NPN"S0t '""" 80 ''
way.
"trnderstand me-" continued Mr.,
Carol l don't fight shy OF cor
poratiuns because think they are
not straight; not that at all. |
remember when a young fellow from
Cleveland organized an oil company
and then hooked up with other com
panios and made millions for him
self and his stock holders that no
one man or no single company could
have done In a million years, But
Mr.. Rockefeller was good judge OF
men as he was of oil properties,
happen TO know that no has been
stung on oil deals just as every
other human being who dipped into
the game. But ! never knew him
TO put a man at the head of one n
his companies who didn't know his
business He generally picked up
fellows who had been through the
mill and who had the -Sility which
comes Of education In the "univers-
ity OF hard knocks" In the oil busl-
ness.
"I am not prejudiced against cor.
porations at all. don't believe halt
this bunk hear about them or see
I'm the magazines. But when see a
good bookkeeper spoiled or a fine
wholesale merchant ruined by be-
ing mistaken for an oil operator, |
can't help but pity the poor fish
who give up good money for gold
and green sheets OF paper. Sure,
some OF these fellows make good
II luck is in their favor. remem-
Der some years ago when there was
quite an excitement In northwestern
Ohio. Another Cleveland man had
made a nice fortune In fish business
He heard ahOut the big Welis down