The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1921-03-10
OUR NATURAL GAS
WORTH MILLIONS
(By w. A. BartlettD

(By w. A. BartlettD
The most remarkable fact about
the local oil and gas situation, In
my opinion, is not that this district
has every proof Of being rich gas
field with good prospects of oil, but
that so many people In the Payette-
Ontario district are absolutely asleep
on the subject and some even Oppos-
ed TO any effort to develop these re-
sources which mean so much to the
prosperity and wealth OF this dis
trict.
II Is strange that every practical
oil man and geologist who has visit
ed this district in the last few years,
so far as | have been able to find
out, including both government and
state representatives, have been
most enthusiastic over what they say
Is one of the great natural gas fields
of the country. while many of our
local residents scott and laugh at
the possibility of our natural gas be-
ing valuable.
The only excuse one can make
for their attitude Is that they have
been disappointed so often in in
vesting In highly colored blue-prints
OF distant oil fields, which they have
never seen, and In the ill-advfsed
prospecting which was done on this
district without geological advice
years ago, they think every oil or
gas proposition Is fake.
Their attitude can also be explain
ed by very common trait OF human
nature which we can illustrate by
saying that the grass always looks
better In the other mules pasture.
Few people In any community APP
preciate the advantages which lie at
their own door-steps. The fishing
and hunting always looks better fur
ther up the creek.
People like TO invest IN an OIL
prospect In southern Texas. and for
get that we have had several flow
ing gas wells furnishing natural gas
right I'm Payette and Ontario for
the past nine years.
have talked to business men In
both towns who have never taken
the trouble 20 walk a few blocks and
examine that gas. They have be-
grudged q few minutes time to read
state and government reports as to
the pressure and life OF that gas.
the development OF which would
mean 40 much 20 their business pros
perlty and land values
And when some one tries to en-
llyen their interest In gas for local
lighting, heating, and power. they
say that Il In only small pocket OF
vegetable gas, or that the we'll was
'saltedd' and the gas poured In the
well.
Now To answer such arguments. Il
is only necessary to turn to our
State and Government reports, both
OF which give the gas pressure from
40 to $50 pounds to the square
inch, which II from eight to ten
times as much pressure OF gas now
being used commercially IN other
fields, And the fact that these wells
have been furnishing gas for eight
or nine years is very good proof
that they are not from small pockets
OF marsh gas and will probably fur /
nish gas for many years yet to come
With no such gas deposits found
anywhere else within 500 miles In !
any direction from this district. the !
Industrial prosperity and wealth It's !
development would bring TO this
district can hardly be estimated. [,
A good gas we'll Is almost as valu- |
able as an oil we'll. This district Is |
consuming about half million dol /
lars worth OF coal every year, ac-
cording TO conservative estimates, !
and gas would replace a large part