The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-08-07
GAS FLOWING FROM
|[L|PAH FIELD WELL

News of strike of gas on the prop
erty of the Illipah Petroleum Com
pany, organized in this city and in
which a large number of local people
are financially interested, was re-
ceived here yesterday afternoon. The
first telegram is as follows:
Drill struck small flow of gas at
depth of two hundred and forty-six
feet yesterday afternoon. Gas so
strong that it will blaze about fifteen
feet above the hole for few minutes at
time. Considerable excitement at Ely.
&C. H. BENT"
Another telegram was received at
the local Office today from j. E.
Amenda, secretary of the company
who had been here several days at
tending to business matters and meet
ings of the board of directors. He left
for the field yesterday afternoon. His
telegram follows:
big gas flow of high grade struck
at 246 feet Roar from the well can
DE heard four hundred yards. May
nave to move the boilers. Fire out
Excitement high"
Before leaving Amenda called the
company directors together and a res
olutiOn was passed to raise the price
Of stock, but no date or definite price
was fixed until Amenda had chance
% visit the well.
Concerning the strike the Ely Rec
ord of yesterday says:
Last evening the town of Ely was
thrown into frenzied excitement by
the report telephoned in from Illipah
that the Petroleum Company had
struck a strong flow of gas in its well
at depth of 246 feet. The good news
spread rapidly over the entire district
and for a time was the only topic OF
conversation.
Soon after the news came in J. c.
Wheeler, C. H. Bent, b. Diedrichs. E.
f. Campbell and Grover Stultz, all of
whom are largely interested in the
district, left in autos for the well. re-
turning early this morning. All of
these gentlemen confirm the first re-
port, and statg that the rumbling dis
charge of the gas can be heard several
hundred feet from the well. They
ignited the gas several times, which
burned for a considerable distance
above surface.
Ruben Kerr, who is in charge of the
drilling. stated that previous to strik-
ing the oil the drill passed through
about four feet of sandstone. which is
the Gaping over the gas, holding II
| hole. When the gas was first struck
| the fires were withdrawn from the
| boilers, as the extent of the flow al
| that time could not be ascertained
| hence it was thought best by the man.
agement to be on the safe side. How
ever, after the arrival of the party
from Ely the fires were rekindled and
the drill put in operation, hence it is
altogether probable that even much
stronger flow of gas may be expected
as the hole drops down to the deep.
The discovery of this gas. while not
an absolute guarantee of an oil well
or a gusher, is considered by all oil
men as most encouraging, because il
is positively known that gas pockets
and gas fields are almost invariably
found everything stratas of oil. How
ever, in an undeveloped field like that
of Illipah, it would be idle to attempt
to even speculate upon the distance
vet to be sunk in order to test out the
ground, as the gas discovered may be
coming from a vent in the ground oil
from the lower portion of the anti
cline. which would in a measure ac-
count for its lack of greater pressure
IL is stated by oil men that in case the
gas had been struck higher up, oil
practically on top of the anticline, the
pressure would naturally be much
stronger.
But the important fact remains thai
gas has actually been struck, which
proves out the theories of the geolo-
gists, who contend that the lllipaf
basin is an oil field and well wortf
testing out. It Is also of great en-
couragement to the companies ant
shareholders putting money in for de
velopment purposes.
There has been considerable della!
in operations at Illipah. which in
measure has had a discouraging effec
upon investors. but they must remem
her that practically the same condi