The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1920-01-22
BEAVER OIL & GAS COMPANY
SPUDDED IN TEST SATURDAY
Location 1S Miles Southwest of Guy
Mon, Oklahoma.-Will Make
Thorough Test.

/ WON, OkidnOmd.-WIl Wake
Thorough Test.
The Beaver Oil & Gas Company,
one of the best organized and strong
est companies in the southwest, spud-
ded in their test 18 miles southwest
of Guymon Saturday morning.
A representative of the Democrat.
in company with Giles E. Miller of
the Guymon Herald, and j. Q. Denny
of the Denny Printing Company of
Guymon, made a trip to the location
to see the work started. j. B. Craig,
vice president Of the company, pro-
vided the transportation and landed
us on the ground just few moments
before the machinery was started.
For several days previously the
crew had put in long hours getting
everything ready for the start and
when the time arrived for starting
the drill the wheels went round and
not hitch marred the proceeding.
The Beaver Oil & Gas Company is
one of the strongest in the wildcat
game. Composed of leading business
men, bankers and ranchmen of this
section it has standing second to
none. And the preliminary work
shows the strength of the organizs-
ton. One cannot help but be sur
prised at the magnitude of the un-
dertaking and the great amount of
money necessary to provide the fa-
cilites placed at the disposal of the
drillers. That the company expects
to work fast and save time is evident.
The rig is built to stand the strain,
the material is ample. Two boilers
have been provided to provide
against stop on account of boiler
trouble. To guard against stops be-
cause of breakdowns two outfits of
equipment have been placed on the
ground, and every tool that might
be needed is there ready to be called
into use.
Mr.. Craig explained that on ac-
count of the distance of the test from
any field of Importance it was neces-
sary to go to this additional expense
to save time. He also explained that
when the well was completed the ma
| chinery and tools would bring a
| greater price than was paid so the in
, vestment was good one.
/ The Beaver Oil & Gas Company is
, Incorporated for $100,000.00 and has
- several blocks of leases in Texas and
} Beaver counties, Oklahoma, as well
as leases in Seward county, Kansas,
J and arrangements are under way for
} starting another test on their Beaver
| county block.
4 The starting of the we'll is the re,
2 suit of more than three years work
2 on hte part of officers of the com.
= pany. The securing of the leases was
, a great task, and the financing of the
operation was also difficult. Consid
cradle of the money had been raised
, when the United States entered the
war, but this practically stopped the
work. When peace was declared ma
terial was difficult to secure and
+ months were spent locating and pur-
chasing the needed supplies. When
these had been purchased the matter
of transportation or lack of transpOr-
, taton caused many delays, while
competent men were hard to secure.
In fact less determined bunch of
men would have given up the propo-
stion as impossible.
However when one scans the list of
officers and directors he must realize
that the men back of the proposition
are not the kind who do things in a
half hearted way and are not accus-
toned to backing up on account Of
discouragements.
j. E. George, president, is one of
the old-timers here. He has made n
success Of large ranch enterprises as
well as business ventures. Mr..
George is president of the First Ma
tional Bank of Liberal, owns one of
the large grocery stores of the city
and has interests in other lines of
business here.
]. B. Craig, vice president, has
large ranch interests and is promin-
ent lumberman of the city. 1t is due
to the work of Mr.. Craig that the
company was organized and he has
had large share of the work Incl
dent to starting the test.
C. w. Woods, treasurer, is cashier
of the First National Bank Of Liberal,
is interested in other business insti-
tutions and has large land and prop
erty interests. He is also interested
in several smaller banks in different
towns in Kansas and Oklahoma.
E. j. Fitzgerald, one of the direc-
tors, is engaged in farming and stock
raising on a large scale, but has
found time to make many profitable
investments in other lines and is
known as one of the progressive men
of the county.
The board of directors is COM
posed of the above officers and Guy
S. Speakman, G. Enz, L. V. Gardner,
and D. B. ALMOND. All are men of
standing in the southwest, being
business men and bankers who have
the confidence of the public thru long
years of fair business dealing.
With men of this class at the head
of the organization the stockholders
have naturally been drawn from
substantial source, and the list of
those who have bought stock contains
the names of more prominent men
than is usual in wildcat drilling prop
ositions.