The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-11-15
ELKO OIL STORY
ANOTHER MYTH
Somebody Was Spoofing Newspaper
Man About Standard Oil Sub
sidiary Putting in Well
in the Elko "Oil Field

| Apparently a man named McFad-
den slipped one over on the public
of Elko, which, if it didn't do any
harm, at least made them feel good
for a day or SO and induced news
paper editors in other parts of the
state to prick up their ears and
publish stories which made the fu-
ture of oil development in this
state at least look rosy. The Sill
yer State was one of them, but it
was all bunk. The Prairie Oil and
Gas Company has no idea of test
ing the Elko field.
Concerning the expected oil boom
at Elko the Free Press Of that city
aimed some rather pointed shafts
at promoters of a company already
drilling there, saying;
| The sensational and now famous
Prairie Oil and Gas story, was still
further relegated to the realm of
the fallacious with the receipt of a
wire by the Southern Pacific agent,
w. w. Manning, who last week sent
out tracer in an endeavor to To-
cate the shipment of five cars con-
tanning the rig and other equipment
which was said to have been loaded
for Elko a short time ago. This
wire was from the Southern Pacific
agent at Fort Worth and was sent
from Dallas, where the agent was
conducting a further investigation
in an endeavor to locate the ship
ment, and contained the informa-
tion that the Prairie Oil and Gas
company is not located at either
Fort Worth or Dallas, and had made
no shipment from either point. 1t
further asked the Manning wire the
name of the concern which did
make the shipment in order that
they might trace it further.
All of which might have been ex-
pected in view of the wire received
on Friday by the Elko Free Press
from the general offices of the big
oil company at Tulsa, and which
only goes to substantiate the facts
presented to the public by that pa
per.
Upon an investigation made this
morning at the Elko Hotel, where
the mysterious Mr. McFadsen held
forth during his brief stay in Elko,
lit was found that that individual,
who had stated he would return to
Elko following the consummation Of
business at Wendover where he
went to attend to loading some pipe
purchased by him for shipment to
Elko, failed to return. 1t was also
learned that McFadden had left no
clothes at the hotel whatsoever, and
in addition had very few clothes
with him.
H. M. Yoe, train dispatcher at the
Western Pacific in Elko, is author
ity for the statement that there
was no pipe at Wendover which
might have been purchased by Nc
Fadden or the Prairie Oil and Gas
Company, and neither had any pipe
been loaded at that place.
1t was furthermore discovered
that no one, so far as could be
learned, had seen the mysterious
Mr.. O'Brien, president" of the
Prairie Oil and Gas Company, who
was supposed to have been sitting
in the Elko hotel while MeFadden
was conversing with a representa-
tive of this paper, w. l. Noble, day
clerk at the Elko Hotel, who was on
duty and standing in the hotel at
The time of the conversation with
Mr.. McFadden, also denied having
| H., oil has
person who might have been that
! individual.
The Petroleum Age is authority
!, for the statement that the president
of the Prairie Oil and Gas company
is Nelson X. Moody, and not H. E
O'Brien.
In addition to this it is also
rather foolish to suppose that the
Southern Pacific company, on whose
land the Prairie was scheduled tC
.. drill, would allow the Standard Oh
company to come and drill on theil
:. land, when they are themselves the
: owners of. one of the largest OF
companies in the world, which il
none other than the Associated Oh
e company, which could bring il
e plenty of standard rigs and othel
necessary equipment to develol
5heir own land.
: 1t is not very logical assump
ion to figure that the Standar,
Oil company is coming into the Elk,
'eld, when every prominent geolo
ist who has ever submitted writ
IN opinion of the local field ha
urned it down without mincin,
words in the matter, except thos
yeologists who are connected wit
the Elko Oil Development and I'm
orovement company.
And there's that.