Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06

field larger than Oklanoma CITY ana
Kettleman Hills combined-EaSt Texas, where
now thousand gushers are tapping billion
barrel reserve of high-grasity oil. Imagine
solid forest of oil derricks 40 miles in length
and from four to seven miles in width!
It took American ingenuity and engineering
only five months beginning February l, to de-
veIou this pool from three widely scattered
producers In addition. when the thousandth
g,lsher came in there more than 400 wells
drilling.
It has been predicted that by the time the
four-county field is one year old-Octooer OF
this year-the area will have 1900 producing
wells These gigantic wells have daily ca
pacity of from 5000 to 60 600 barrels, but since
May the fields output has been restricted by
order Of the Railroad Commission of Texas.
At that, the restricted area was sending 4OO,-
900 barrels a day into the pipe lines by July II.
Engineering estimates of the total volume OF
Oil recoverable from the reserve vary from one
and q half billion to five billion barrels. This
means that each of prolific oil land will
yield from $4,000 to $4,000 barrels.
Very strange it was that this billion barrel
reserve should have remained undiscovered as
late at it did.
For Is years. major companies had been
punching down. deep tests throughout East
Texas some below 5000 feet. only to miss the
immense reserve by only few miles. Dozens
Of tests had been drilled ON all boundaries OF
the pool as late the Summer of $780,
60 the unfavorabe status of the region for oil
that they allowed large lease spreads there to
expire reduced their blocks and minimized ex-
ploratiun in that
NESTINY has .decreed that a 'wildcatter'
u would find the mcmmoth pool that had
SO long lain dormant. For IA years c. M
dad" Joiner, 45-year-old Dallas operator, had
drilled all over the region in futile search OF
ho
chung to the idea that riches were near, al
though one disappointment after another had
been his lot.
Early in 1880 he obtained the financial aid
of r. A. bob" Motley and Walter D. Tucker,
Overton, Tex, bankers, for Western Rusk
County "shot." Motley ard Tucker loaned
Dad virtually every dime they had. Their
friends were soon laughing at them two
feIlers putin their money into Joiner's post
hole
Never before had encouragement. repeated
well failures and need of capital found a more
game operator-and never before were the
odds against finding oil overbearing. No
evidence of structure" usually present above
large pools, was apparent on the surface
Two dry holes on the Bradford Farm in
Western Rusk County were chalked up 10 the
wiIdcatters experience. But, with smile,
Joiner spudded in his Bradford No. short
distance to the west of these failures That
was In the early Fall of 1880.
It wasn't very easy for the drillers on No. 8
to keep up their waning spirit with the tomb
stones of two dismal failures hooking their
efforts a few hundred feet away.
Tucker had more than bankers interest
in the discovery we'll Joiner was in need OF
ready cash to pay the drilling crew, so Tucker
lent a real helping hand. AfCer his days work
at the First State Bank Tucker would change
to overalls and quietly drive over to the well
on Mrs. Daisy Bradfcrd's farm, where he
spent the balance of his waking hours working
as a 'rought-neck."
He helped to pull casing. repair drilling ma
chinery and did all of the mary duties on the
derrick floor. Somehow they managed to put
the test down to 5000 feet.
Then, ON September 6. the prolific Wood
bine sand was struck-the core was reeking
with oh-they had not labored in vain. By
October II the well was brought in with flow