The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-10-15
Film Shows
Growth OF
Oil Industry
Rotary Sees Movie
In Observance Of
Oil Progress Week

/ - OOo w CSA
An interesting 25-minute
color film based on the dis
covery Of oil in Titusville,
Pennsylvania, was shown at
the regular luncheon meet
ing of the Rotary Club at
the La Concha Hotel yester-
day. The movie was shown
in conjunction with "Oil
Progress Week."
The film is the story of Col. Ed
win L. brakes long struggle to
find an economically feasible way
to produce oil.
In the beginning, the oil was
SKINNED from the surface of a
stream diverted through system
of sluices and removed by the use
OF crude skimmers.
Drake realized that this method
would never produce oil in any
quantity and decided to dig for it.
Unsuccessful Try
His first effort proved unsuccess-
full due to underground water rush
ing into the dug well.
Later he tried drilling for oil
with equipment used by salt well
drillers only to have the same
thing happen.
The company underwriting his
experiments finally gave up and
ordered Drake to stop drilling and
return to New York.
Drake, however, had faith in his
new method of drilling for oil
through a casing that would keep
the water out of the well and re-
fused to give up.
Oil Rush
The story continues with scenes
OF the oil rush following the sue
cessful drilling of the first well and
scenes OF modern refineries, labor
atorles and other allied oil indus
tries.
George Ehrhart introduced Allen
E. Curry who showed the film. N
q brief talk prior to the movie
Ehrhart told fellow Rotarians that
the United States produces two
thirds OF the worlds supply and is
constantly striving to find ways 70
Improve its products.
Our standard of living depends
on the machine age, and the ma
chine age depends on oil and its
by products" Ehrhart added.
Business Session
during the business session IRE.
cedlng the movie, Rotarians heard
report from Ignatius Lester.
chairman OF the scholarship com
mittee.
The committee recommended
that the fund be set up as 4 loan
fund for juniors and seniors in ar,v
college or university in Florida who
are bona fide residents of Monroe
County and graduates of an accre.
oNed high school in the county.
Inc applicants must have a scho-
iastlc average of C or better IS.
1t was recommended that the
loan fund be established through
voluntary contributions from mem
bers of the Rotary Club with !
goal of $1,000.
further recommendations on the
amount of the loans, the repay
ment OF the money and the es.
adjustment of a board of trustees
Tor the loan fund were included in
the report. 49,
Research On Fund
Lester emphasized that the conn.,
mlttee had written to the univer-
sites and had tried to include in
the recommendations the best fea-
lures OF existing loan and scholar
ship funds.
Mimeographed copies of the re-
commentators will be sent to each
member and they will be voted on
at the Rotary meeting, Ocrooer 90.
Visiting Rotarians introduced bv
Art Hunt, fellowship chairman.
were L. c. Frick, Belleville, IlIi.
nols, and David Russell of Bronx
vile, New York.
Mike Padron was the guest of
BOD Dopp who introduced him as
controversial figure in local
sewer circles" and Lance Lester
was cited for attending four con.
secutive Rotary meetings.