The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1931-04-23
GAS COMPANY
TO BE MERGED
Holding Company Pre-
pares to Finance Devel-
opment of Gas Fields

The Northwestern Natural Gas
Co., pioneer developers and dis
tributors of the natural gas from
the Rattlesnake Hills field of Ben
ton County, Washington, has or
gained its financial structure,
forming a new holding company
to be known as the Northwestern
Natural Gas Corporation of Dele
ware. ii =. s.. IT,. ......-r>
The present organizations, the
Northwestern Natural Gas Co. of
Kansas and the Northwest Oil and
Gas Co. of Washington, will con-
tinue as subsidiaries of the. parent
organization. The former operates
as the marketing and pipe line or
ganization and the latter is the
producing and operating unit.
The present reorganization is
made to hermit of financing for
the immediate further development
of the field and extension of the
company's gas pipe lines. Plans
call for the drilling of ten addi-
tional wells and the extension of
the line to Kennewick and Pasco
efore the end of the year. Z
Twelve Producing Wells
The company now has produc-
tion from twelve wells in the field,
with capacity of upwards of SIX
million cubic feet daily. 1t is now
serving the towns of Grandview,
Mabton, Sunnyside and Prosser
thru "a miles of pipe lines, built
at cost of approximately one
million dollars. In addition to the
communities now being served,
the company has the franchise for
gas distribution in Zillah, Toppen-
ish, Granger, Wapato, Pasco, Ken
newick and Walla Walla. all in
the state of Washington.
Experienced Gas Men
R. B. Newbern, formerly presi-
dent of the Rice County Natural
Gas Co. and director in other Kan
sas gas utilities, heads the COM
pany. Associated with Newborn
are S. A. McCune of Shreveport,
Louisiana, one time manager of
the louisiana properties of the
Benedum and Tree intereste of
Pittsburg, Pa, formerly owners OF
he Arkansas Natural Gas Co.: Ed
win Hurst, former manager of the
Rice County Natural Gas Co., will
continue in charge of the COM
pany's plants. C. L. Bullock, pres
ident of the Wichison Industrial
Gas Co. of Kansas and an officer
in several other large gas COM
panies is also associated in the
company.
Valuable Holdings
When the present program is
completed the company will own
and control thru its subsidiaries
| in excess of one hundred miles of
pipe line, including laterals, COM
plete distribution systems in six
towns, with necessary installa-
tions, enlarged compressor sta
tions, more than 1000 acres of
proven and semi-proven acreage
owned in fee, approximately 25,-
900 acres of land under gas and
oil leases, and more than $4,000
acres controlled by gas purchase
contracts. In all the company and
| its subsidiaries will own or control
the gas reserves on more than 49,
600 acres located on geologic
structures in Benton and Yakima
counties.
/. The extension to Kennewick and
Pasco will entail an additional in.
vestment of approximately $780,.
900, according to estimates fur.
nished by Frank P. Fisher, noted
consulting gas engineer from Mt
Vernon, Ohio, who recently con.
| Quoted survey of the field anc
the company's properties in con
junction with A. A. Hammer, con