White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-11-18
COMPANY ORGANIZED TO
PIPE GAS TO TOWN S
Kenneauick Courier eporter

~-N'''S''NSSfS
The immediate piping of the natural
gas from the Benton county fields and
the erection of at least ore factory Is
in prospect accorl nA to report
mace public today by J. w. Vickers.
who spent several hours last evening
IN company with Geo. w. O'Conne1,
representative Of the company which
Las taken over the management of the
fields from the Walla Walia company.
MT. O'Conner has been in Yakima
and Sunnyside this week making ar
rangernents for the handling of the
gas in that part of the valley, and he
stopped off in Kennewick yesterday
to make some inquiries here. In his
talk with Mr.. Vickers, Mr.. O'Conner
stated that his company had taken
lease on the Waila Walla holdings in
the gas field, the lease being signed
some time ago by Mrs. H. D. James,
1Ilo has been the active mead of the
Walla Walla company for the past
CIV months.
1t is understood that the company
now IN charge will proceed with the
development of the field and will drill
at least one well deep enough to ascer-
tain if there is oil in commercial guam
titles in the field. Other gas wells will
be driven at various locations to prove
up on the state leases, and the work
will be in charge of Mr.. Hall who
has worked for years in that field.
Mr.. O'Conner's company is not par
ticularly interested in the retail distri-
button of the gas and proposes to pipe
it to some point within the city limits
only, the distribution being taken care
of by others possibly the municipal.
ity. One feature which captured Mr..
O'Conners fancy was the use of the
gas for orchard heating. He stated
that at the rate his company would
make, ten-acre orchard, with one
hundred large heaters to the acre.
could be heated for a solid month,
day and night, for fifteen hundred
dollars. This would figure about two
cents per heater per hour. They also
agree to help finance the piping of the
orchards for this protection. The pipes
for the gas heaters could then be used
with stationary spray outfit after
the frost danger had passed. He made
the further provision that there would
be no servicecharge of any sort for the
orchard l.eating, that if there was no
necessity for it's use there would be
no charge made for the service.
Mr.. O'Conner stated that company
which manufactures natural gas burn
ers and fixtures cf various sorts, has
planned to locate at some point in this
valley. Owing to the railroad and
river transportation at Kennewick,
this point has received the preference
SO far. Other prospective users of the
natural gas are in touch with the pipe
line company, and factories of one
sort or another will come to this Sec
ton of the state according to Mr.. o.
Conner. A glass factory, pottery works
s.1d ether large users of natural gas
are gathering information relative to
tl.eir necessities.
Mr.. O'Conner told Mr.. Vickers that
his company would install a compress
sor to boost the gas thru an eight inch
line to Prosser. From there to Yakima
the pipe would be twelve inches. For
the present the plans include piping
up the valley to Yakima, and down the
! valley to Kennewick and Pasco. Later
the company plans to extend their
lines to Spokane and Walla Walla.
I Mr.. O'Conner states that his COM
pany is fully financed and that there
is no stock for sale. He will return
to Kennewick next week with view
of asking the city council or the COM
mercial club to make survey of the
local field to ascertain what the proha.
BILE consumption would be in this
territory, and to determine the best
method of securing franchise for
the distributing concern.