The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-11-10

Charles e. Bowles is a prominent
Oklahoma operator who recently
came to Montana to take over the
management of the Gladys Belle
Oil company, the concern which re-
Gently brought in one of the largest
producers in the Kevin-Sunburst
/, field. Mr.. Bowles recently made
an address in Great Falls dealing
with the development of the oil In
dustry, which was very interesting.
Mr.. Bowl es came to Montana from
Tulsa, where he had long experience
during the 20 years within which the
petroleum industry reached the pres
ent large proportions in Oklahoma.
The speaker in the first instance en-
phasized the difference between the
oil business and the oil game. He
said that oil has been much besmirch-
ed by methods employed in the oil
game, but that the real industrial pro-
duction of oil was an outstanding eco
nomic activity with a solid founda-
ton.
He briefly told the story of how
the city of Tulsa had grown in 20
years from little place of 90 people
to its present proportions, with a
population of $4,000. He compared
Montana with the Oklahoma produc-
ton of two decades ago and declared
that oil men believe that Montana has
as much oil or has a right to hope
that it has as much oil as has been
developed in Oklahoma. The situa-
tion with this state is comparable
with that in Oklahoma 20 years ago.
If there shall be an equal develop
ment, benefits just as large will be
reflected in the prosperity of this
state.
In his analysis of the oil industry,
Bowles divided it into four parts,
namely. Production, transportation,
refining and marketing. Out of oil
production, there comes 800 prod
ucts. In four of them, however, are
embraced 80 per cent of value and
quantity in the whole production.
The information under these
heads was outlined with instructive
tables. Under the head of prOduc-
ton, the number of producing wells
in the United States was given as
Of this number, it may be
said that there are 5000 real pro-
ducers. The speaker emphasized the
relative Importance of the gusher and
the steadily producing well. He said
that the gusher was generally posi-
tive detriment in field because it
led to false hopes and rush of in
vestment, and in it there is no guar
anty of steady volume.
These statements are proved by |
the fact that the average production
Of all wells in this country is only At
barrels a well day. In Oklahoma,
It is little higher than this figure
The average being 5.8 barres we'll |
/ day. In Pennsylvania, the average
g only three-tenths of a barrel a day.
These figures indicate that the steady,
small producing well is the one insur-
ng permanent and investment value.
Under the head of transportation
t was shown that there are $4,000
niles of main pipe line in the United
States There nay be added TIC this
Il, 800 miles of gathering lines. SO
within the pipe line equipment for
his industry, is the ability to care for
volume which could not be trans
'orted by all the railways cars that
We have and all the locomotives that
We have. In addition to pipe lines,
here are 139, 200 tank cars and 220
an ksteamers, all of which makes a
Mighty transportation system of :
which we take little account because
is under ground, but which makes
ossible transportation and the mar
.eting of the immense product in :
uestion.
There are Ais refineries in the {
United tSates ranging all the way /
rom the capacity of such plants as +
he one at Casper, WyO., having ca
acity of $4,000 barrels day, or the
ne at Tulsa, having a capacity of
5000 barrels day down to much
mailer ones. The total refining ca
city of all these plants is 100000
arre1s a day. The capacity, there s
pre-, is somewhat larger than the I
ally production. Bowles expressed n
he opinion that one of the promising s
igns of the Kevin-Sunburst field n
as not the opening up of gushers, .
ut the probability of many moderate
reducing wells.
The sum total of petroleum produc- Q
on since 1857 has been 8,000,000,-
90 barrels figure that can hardly b
3 grasped. So important has lubri- s.
lting oil and gasoline become that Fl
lie heavy machinery and many indus
les of the country could not run "a a.
ours If oil production were cut off. ;,
Comparing the different fields, &C !,
,rding to Bowles' tables, the eastern u
cid of the United States has yield
about 10 per cent of the crude oil h
far produced; the mid-continent o.
cid, So per cent; the mountain field, tt
per cent; the western field (Califar-
az, "a per cent. Wyoming and
ontana may not rank with Califor- re
a in time to come, but it would not a,
at all unreasonable if we should n,
ok forward to such an accomplish ia
ent. Wyoming began to produce tn
| in 1894 and it took 10 years to a,
It into the million barrel month OF
n