Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-05-31

on the meThlS-Dd&SOD tract IN lUt
Kevin Sunburst field, this time real
sure enough well which very conser.
vative estimates place at 1000 barrels
day.
Local people are immensely pleased
over the success of our fellow towns
man, G. w. Merkle. whose activities
in coal mining has meant SO much to
the businessmen and farmers during
the hard times.
Tuesday morning the Tribune car
ried the following dispatch from
Shelby:
A we'll that eclipses all previous
compilations in the Kelvin -Sunburst
field was added to the area Monday
afternoon in the Mid-northern-H Howl
ing No. 8, swAnwAneA section O.
1872 W, of an initial production of
3,100 barrels based on oil tanked in a
brief test.
The depth of the well was given as
1868 feet, IL feet into the sand. 1t
was brought in at $3.50 in the after
noon and threw forth flood of oil
from an 8A Inch casing for half an
hour. The tools were then dropped
into the hole but it continued to flow
heavily in heads. A control head was
rushed to the field and was in place
by o'clock. By 8:05 tanks had been
erected and the well in the meantime
had flowed 800 barrels =.
The well was then turned into $50
barrel tank through two-inch pipe
on the control head and in so minutes
had placed AZ inches of oil in the bot
tom of the tank.
The Tribune representative arrived
at the well at 10:30 and at that time
the well was said to have shown evi-
dence of increasing in flow during the
last 25 minutes.
The best well of the field prior TO
this time was the Ohio-Baker No. 8,
which produced 1850 barrels the first
"a hours.
The Howling No. is located on the
80-acre lease held by John E. Dawson
of Great Falls, vice president of the
Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance COM
pany, and George Merkle of Belt, head
of the Merkle Coal mines. The lease
is operated by the Mid-Northern Oil
company under an operating agree
ment. The Stevenson Associated
Royalties hold IL per cent of the lease.
The well is a quarter mile south of
the Howling No. 2 and Swears No. 1.
1t offsets the Northern-Swears
No. 2, which was only fair well
when completed. The diagonal offset
to the southwest is held by A. Boards
lee of Great Falls. A quarter mile TO
the south is the Western Petroleum
Exploration Swears No. /, also a fair
well, estimated at about 80 barrels.
The Baker No. is more than half
mile northeast of the new producer.
1t is understood that the Mid-North-
ern will now shoot the Swears No 2
with heavy charge to increase pro-
duction of that well
Oil men of the Kevin-Sunburst field
regard the bringing in of the Howling
No. as one of the most significant
features of recent development 1t an
swers the predictions long made by
many in the field that large producers
would be found in prospecting the
field.
Since the coming in Of the field, the
expression "the largest well in the,
field" has been gradually rising to in
clude greater production. traced from
the first Gladys Belle well, to the first
Mid d-Northern-H -Howling, then the
Hogan and more recently the Baker
No. 3, to fall before the record Of the
last completion. Oil men are now
looking to the possibility of even
greater production in areas yet to be
opened The fact that this well is off
set distance from well of only fair
production increases the room for
speculation on these possibilities.
The life of wells in this group In
also somewhat difficult to estimate.
The Howiing No. was cleaned out
a few days ago with the intention Of
shooting The perforated length Of