The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-10

Our Last OIL Boom.

far from . billion barrels OF ~,
and It viii take about a quartz, =
. century to exhaust 1t. Incidsst
ally. when that quarter Of 4 ~
fury Is over. almost the entirs ~
supply within the United St,S.
win probably have been exhaust
and that struggle for oil which ~
become the leading feature OF q.
worlds Industrial life and thu 49,
ing motive OF its international nc,;
tics. will have shifted forever ~
other scenes. "
The field IL described A aRo,,
ing q good opportunity for ~.
who wish to enter the oil busins..
but 1t should be fully under,toos
that this Is an investment for csr,
tai and affords no opportunities x,
the man with no money or mi.
money. The prospective oners,ce
must be prepared to pay dom NM s'
ffth OF the amount he agrees "a ~.
the government for a lease. i !.
impossible to say what the lss...
will sell for. but 1t is suggested h.s
100000 might be the bonus An
tract OF $40 acres. In additioc -
this,s the bidder must be prens,sS
to sink wells, and the present ~.
Of sinking q we'll in the Salt crsss
Field is about $4,000.
An Orderly Development
The prospect, therefore, is for =,
orderly development by well or,sr
ised companies. This oil field vin
have a busy and respectable fntn,.
But its past is not without a toncs
OF romance. The government i.
vestigators. who have been exanin.
ing the titles to various facts h,v.
uncovered many interesting sforis,
The value Of the field has besn
known for 40 years or more ana
all OF 1t has been taken I'D BY pros.
pectors, some OF it many times. m.
law requires that a certain amonnt
OF work must be done on such ,
claim II the claim is to be yaln
These claimants were for the moss
part poor men. The field ia n
miles from railroad. Boring IA,
OIL Is expensive. They were AHA
to hold mineral claims BY dir.
ging shafts with their own hand,
but they were not able to bore oil
wells, for the most part.
In 1903. when the approach,n,
shortage Of oil was realized. tbs
government withdrew its oil iands
from entry, and there was no pro
vision for developing oil deposN,|
on government lands until the pau.
ing OF the leasing bill in 1920. Nov
that these lands are to be LEASED
the government must pass upon TIM
titles Of all these small Claimant
Many of them will be dispossessss
because they have not done enouri !
work to make good their claim
but some Of them have succeeded n
patenting their lands.
The field has not been without n,
romance Of wealth. For examps
one man came there as a boo,
driller and took up lands. He mar.
ried and raised a large family and
took out other oil lands in thai
names of his wife and children. Tn.
able to get capital to develop thes.
lands. he leased the right to do so
to others and SO made a good deal
OF money. He is said to have been
zealous litigant over his right
and to have won the sympathy d
the court In many cases by holdins
himself up to its mercy as a Door
working man in the hands oil
sharks Now his children rds /
around in automobiles and even ayI
around in airplanes.
Another set Of claims which n,
said to have merit, derive from /,
pioneer who stopped at the Sail
Creek Field in the late seventies al
his way back from the Califons
gold rush. He was one of the earl
lest and most successful prospects
ors for oil. He persuaded a mum.
Der OF persons Of all sorts to givs
him a certain power of attorney b!
which he took out lands in Their
names. Although he died a poor
man in 1907, it seems probable
that His heirs and assigns will prd. f.
1t richly by his nose for Oil" and
his shrewdness.