San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-01
O. W. Killam Has Seen Field
Grow From One Well to
More Than Ninety.
LIKED BY OIL MEN
He Is Always Ready to Give
Newcomers Benefit of
His Experience.

= VI lAt va DuSllAtos III inns cNNNlOh VI
Texas is still on the job after three
years of work. The first year of this
time was spent by O. W. Killam in
| drilling for oil in the Miranda Valley
OF Zapata county. Two dry holes We're
drilled before oil was found and Mr..
Killam spent many thousands of dol
lars before the third well was finished
producer some two years ago and
today this same well. Miranda Oil
company's No. 8 is making oil,
good pumper.
o. W. Killam came here from Okla
homa and has made his home in LAREDO.
He is probably the largest operator
in the field today and runs several
rigs and is interested in several COM
panies, besides operating fourteen miles
of pipe line, Mr.. Killam has stuck to
the oil business in the district and
has prospered as the fields haze ex-
panded. He foresaw the vastness of
the oil industry and by his farsighted-
ness leased thousands of acres Of
valuable lands. major portion of which
are producing oil today.
Knew Oil Was There.
After opening up the Miranda Val
ley pool in Zapata county, Mr.. Killam
was convinced that other fields were
along the west face of the escarp-
ment and his first step toward the
further development of the territory
was to form the Schott Oil company.
He went north OF the Zapata field
into Webb county and leased thousands
Of acres Of land. On Survey 462 he
staked out location for SchOtt No.
1 and drilled a dry hole, but there
was enough showing of oil to point
the way to success if persistence were
! used. He looked over the territory
and picked Survey 81 Of the OjuelOs
/ Grant, a piece Of land that necessitated
further bargaining for a lease. He
got the lease and erected n derrick
for SchOtt No. . which came in big
gasser spraying oil. The famous
SchOtt field was discovered with the
result that much outside capital was
attracted and the future of oil indus
, try of this section of Texas assured
SchOtt No. 3 came in an oil well and
, Mr.. Killam began then to look toward
the marketing of the product. A
pipe line was built from the Miranda
pool north along the west of the es
carpment into the Schott field and to
: the railroad where the new
E town Of Miranda City had beer
, founded by Mr.. Killam. Tanks ant
loading racks were built and MIRANDA
! City became a vital factor in the life
of the oil fields.
Pounds New Town.
: Miranda City will forever remain ,
. monument to the genius and power Of
o. w. Killam. The little city j,
hardly a year old at this time and j
numbers nearly 1000 souls Of content
ed people attracted there without tn,
aid of big newspaper headlines or at
tractlve literature telling of the won
derful oil fields. o. W. Killam ha
sold townsite without the aid of tn,
, real estate man and today he has only
l few lots left. His prices have no
E been raised and he has seen lots sci
q Tor more than five times the value h
turned them to the original buyer.
: Even with the comparatively small
= interest in property he now holds !,
$ Miranda City. Mr.. Killam is AWAY
d giving assistance TO every indusfr,
and city improvement and he looks o,
g Miranda City with much pride.
= lt would not be surprising 10 hea
s the announcement some day that MI
c hlllam was going to drill deem tes
= IN one OF the proven areas as he ha
z often been heard to remark that b
e believes the deeDer sands will produc
It more oil and of a better grade. III
z mas Way Of doing things for himsel
IS ana h" has the vision of greatness an
I, the determination that wins success.
i Field Has 30 Wells.
Inc Miranda district has increase
rom one well almost two years ago t
= W producing oil and gas wells. TIL
production Of the discovery well ha
i pointed the way to an ever increasin
output with a total of 54S cars q
Il oil shipped out for the month Of NJ
vember. The daily OUTPUT for III
present time is around 1000 barrel
Of oil and the figures arc being adde
Il to with the almost daily coming in {
new wells.
II The fields have been heightened unt
at present Miranda City is almost i
me center of an oil proven territor
'" miles in extent. truly a great tribut
to the. vision Of o. W. KiIIam. VIII
came here and stuck on the iob eve
IN the face of two failures and aImo,
complete bankrupt. He won not !,
easy. stages but by hard work and az
versity when n less spirited man woT,I
nave quit in disgust and gone back Z
\ ms home in Oklahoma TO RECON- HI
losses. Not Killam. he has made h
fortune where he sunk il
Will Build Road Next
u. w. Killam cut the roads ont :
the brush leading to Miranda cir
and today a contract is about 70 !
executed which will com act tbo iii
and the oil fields with Laredo Inv
modern gravPlled highway. In n
OPINION Of Mr.. Killam this IL ono :
the greatest stems toward ultimate su,
City. P'" ~ MIrahu
The conditions in the fields arc evs
occupying the time and attention :
Mr.. hillam and he is always seeLin
information and advise along moder
development. He realizes the grea
menace OF salt water and is convince
that lack Of properly handling N
drilling of wells is the chief reaso