San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-29
WHEATLEY WINS
FORTUNE At
MIRANDA
Three Years in Field Brings
Thousands to
Wildcatter.

MIRANDA CITY, Tex, Nov. 2S.-
Since entering the oil business in
Laredo three years ago, w. o.
Wbeatley has become one of the best
known oil and gas operators in the
Southwest. He came to Laredo with
small sum of money and a weld
ing plant three years ago. He in
vested his small sum in oil and cor
tinued to work at his welding for
a living. Lady Luck" was with him
and he struck the pay.
Wheatley first was attracted by the
Cole Field as a point of putting in
some of the money he made by weld
ing miles of pipe for the Border Gas
company. He became a personal
friend of G. r. Cole.
MONSTER GASSER
He made investments in the Cole
Field when it looked like a failure,
but, like Cole. he held on and kept
putting in dollars until the coming
in of the Cole No. 4 big gasser and the
field took on activity. Wheatley be-
gan to take in money for his faith
in the field and he still holds choice
blocks Of acreage there.
The money made from sales in the
Cole Field soon same to his rescue
and enabled him to make a larger
sale which has placed wheatley
among the favored of the Laredo dis
trict.
WINS AGAIN
Last fall he topped the lease on
the west side of the Vcla Ranch in
Jim Hogg and Zapata counties. He
put up forfeit and a contract that
no production will be brought in to
perpetuate the lease. c. Z. Lang at
this time was drilling a well on the
Vella Subdivision. part of the
leases and it really looked like Lang
would get well and that Wheatley
would lose. One Of those strange
things happened and Lang missed.
Wbeatley won, but he had to pay big
for his bargain and it was from sales
made on his Cole Leases at this
time which enabled him to pay the
remaining moneys due Vela on his
contract.
Another freak of events happened
about this time and the discovery
well of the south extension of the
Henne, Winch & Faris Field came in,
near the Lang hole. A well was drill
ed on the Vela Lands by o. w. Kill
ley and the new lease was perpetual
81 Es1l;nr,a @ha,, lr.I1aI WALL
the Lang well and got oil, but in his
offset hole to the Lang hole is was
dry. Thereby hangs the tale of oil
that made Wheatley thousands.
LARGE DEAL
Events in the new extension Of the
proven area attracted the Rydal and
Rycade Oil Companies and they need
ed leases and Wheatley had them. 1t
is here where Wheatley lifted him
self in prominence. When the result
of the deal was made public Wheat
ley came out with S25, 900 cash and
$4S0,000 to be paid OUT in oil.
In the deal, Wheatley put it into
the agreement that Frank Campbell,
Laredo geologist, was to be his per-
sonal representative in making five
locations on this lease of 2417 acres
in any place that he saw fit. This
work is now being carried out and
Rydal-Rycade are getting ready to
drill on the first location. If any
of the first three locations prove
commercial wells then Rycade-Rydal
are released from accepting the re-
naming two locations of Campbell.
Campbell is the man who located the
discovery well for Henne. Winch d
Faris and also made the location for
the discovery in the south extension.
STILL WELDING
w. o. Wheatley has not forsaken
the welding business and every day for
the past month he is on the job weld
ing five miles of mainline for the
Border Gas Company east of Laredo
to replace a string of pipeline in the
main line supplying gas to Laredo.
Wheatley has never sought publ
city in this district and he is carry
ing on in his own way with few pco-
pie looking on the old acetylene torch
for a source of wealth. The only
real difference in the man today is
that he now rides in six cylinder
car when at home with the family,
but the flivver is his favorite while
in the field just the same as ever be-
fore.