The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-12
GAS IN ABUNDANCE
Good News Comes to Kansans
From Producing Company.
Fuel Supply Limited Only by
Pressure in Pipes.
many EXPERT TESTS MADE
Wells Almost on Top of Big
Pipe Line.
More Gas This Winter Than
Ever Before, Says Stone.
MANY EXPERT TESTS MADE

For the first time in a good many
years Kansans may be able to toast
their shins around a real gas fire this
winter. The Kansas Natural will send
every bit of fuel thru it's big mains
that the pipes will carry. Authorita-
tive announcement is made that the
fuel supply will be limited only by the
pressure which the massive pipes
from the Kansas-Oklahoma fields will
stand.
The announcement means bit
of joy for Topeka, Kansas City,
LeavenWorth, Lawrence, Atchison,
st. Joseph and a score of other
towns. Except perhaps in a severe or
protracted cold spell, the gas COM
pany officials promise enough fuel for
cooking and reasonable heating. Elk
perts have made tests and there IS a
unanimous opinion that the supply of
gas will be adequate and sufficient for
the winter. In fact information IS
said to have been directed to the dis
tributing companies to pick up few
thousand extra patrons if possible
limited only by ability Of the local
compan- es to scatter their supply to
their customers.
Back in the old days-a dozen years
or so agO-before the Kansas Natural
receivership became political foot
ball. Kansans used to say harsh things
when they saw the name of the little
town of Scipio in the newspapers
Scipio was the site of one of the mann
moth pumping stations maintained by
the Kansas Natural. Every time a
blizzard hit Kansas the man in charge
of the big pumps at Scipio climbed out
of bed and went to WORK Always his
hurry calls seemed attended by hard
luck.
Bad News From ScipiO.
Just when the gas was coming thru
the mains to Topeka and Kansas City
in seemingly unlimited quantities. the
telegraph in the newspaper offices be-
gan to clatter. And it was bad news
from Scipio. There would be no gas
for three days or a week.
Today there is just pile of con-
crete along the Santa Fe right-Of-Way
in Anderson county to mark the old
town and the seat of the gas con-
sumer's ancient nightmare. The Scipio
pumping plant was dismantled.
Seemingly, tho, there is a bit Of re-
verse luck to come out of that once
condemned country. Just as Scipio
won the wrath of the gas consumer
and the paragraphs conducted edf-
tOrial searching parties for the site of
the pumping plant. the country just l.
bit to the south is to redeem the dis
tric'- -
Open New Gas Field.
Almost right in the center of Main
street in Colony. a new gas field has
been opened. OF course the field has
spread out into the country and new
Colony produces SO many millions of
cubic feet of natural gas a day that
an adding machine is needed to find
the total 1t seems as tho Colony
has enough gas to keep the whole
universe warm this winter if only some
means could be found to transport it.
That isn't the only good luck. The
gas wells are almost on top of the
Kansas Naturars big several million
dollar pipe lire. When the wells came
in the Doherty interests-owners of
the Kansas Natural-bought the pro
duction Now they have more gas
than they can squeeze into the dis
tributing pipes.
Robert Stone. an attorney for the
Kansas Natural recently attended
conference of Kansas Natural off
Gals in Bartlesville.
There will be more gas this winter
than at any time in years" he said.
1T is just a question of how much gas
can be sent thru the mains tc the big
consuming centers."