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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1914)
HOME ANT FARM MAGAZINE SECTHO!? Intense Interest In Inland Empire brer Developments in Flathead OU Field. J5IO GUSHEBS PREDICTED BY GEOLOGISTS. Tie flattering reports of the world 'a taet geologists and the reeent develop ments in the Flathead Valley Oil Field Of British Columbia has attracted the attention of the most skeptical business nen of Spokane and the Inland Em pire, and they are beginning to real Ice the importance of the Flathead y alley as a commercial oil field and What it will mean to Spokane and the Jforthwest. The Flathead Valley has been known as a possible oil field for many years, but development has been held in abey ance pf-pding a final decision in the legal struggle carried on by the Cana dian Tacific Railway Company to se cure these lands. Quite recently the privy council of London settled the title in the Province of British Colum bia. Active work has resulted, and development work was being conducted prior to the Calgary excitement, and is in no way an outgrowth of that strike, but is a distinct field and should not be confused with any other district. Thero are ten companies operating in the Flathead Valley field, which ' own or control practically all of the desirable oil lands. Throe shallow wells all under 200 feet in depth have produced quantities of oil of remarkable quality. While these test wells were not drilled for commercial purposes, they have demon Btratod that thero is a large body of oil at a greater depth and wells are now being sunk to tap the main body, Dr. G. M. Dawson, a famous geolo gist of Canada, while in charge of the Canadian geological surveys, in speak ing of the Sago Creek Valley, in which field the claims of the Flathead Val ley Oil Company are located, said: "The oa Indications certainly seem sufficiently promising to warrant out Lay in development work." Harry B. Johnson of Los Angeles, one of the greatest oil experts in the country, after eareful examination of the district, has located upon land im mffcly adjoining that in which this Company has oil rights. Other California oil people who have sent experts into this district, are Julius Fried, original owner of the famons Lake View property in the Mid way Field, and Ralph Arnold, an oil operator and geologist of national re pute. All concur in stating that the Flathead seepages are among the best they have ever examined and that they are of such a nature as not only to clearly indicate the presence of oil and natural gas, but the strong probability that they will be found in commercial quantities at a reasonable depth. Oil Expert Sees Flathead Valley Sinclair Thinks British Columbia Com pany Has Good Showing in Its Lands. Flathead Company Certain to Get Flow, bnt Depth Is Not Yet Known. E. J. Sinclair, oil expert who has been associated for a number of years with some of the largest petroleum companies in the United States, has been retained by Walter Nicholls to investigate oil lands in the Flathead Valley and other regions in which he and other Spokane men are interested. Mr. Sinclair has just returned from a visit to the Flathead district. "In company with Colonel W. E. Mann and Olaus .Teldness, presiuent and vice-president of the Flathead retro leum Company, and Fred Loomis, gen eral manager of the Peyton Invest ment Company, I visited the oil fields on the north fork of the Flathead Biver, just north of the international boundary," said Mr. Sinclair at the Spokano yesterday. Investigated Oil Seeps. "Wnila Colonel Mann was directing the preliminary operations of the Flat head Petroleum Company, I spent four days working out the geology and in vestigating the oil and gas seeps, which are located on Sage Creek, just at the mouth of the canyon. "The British Columbia Ou Company has drilled two shallow wells near the oil seeps, and both of them show good indications of oil and gas for the depth, as neither of them is much more than 100 feet in bedrock. All the geology west of the oil seep is covered by glacial deposits, so it is impossible to say at present what is the source of the oil, but all the seeps visited come from the shale. Think Oil Is There. "The country has undergone so many ehanges in its geological history that it would be impossible to say just where the oil will be found, but that it is there in commercial quantities can not be doubted after seeing the amount of gas and oil that is forced u. through the rock at the oil seepages and the strong gas pressure in the two oil wells drilled by the British Columbia Oil Company. "There is no doubt that the Flat head Petroleum Company will strike oil but it is impossible to tell how deep they will have to drill," Holdings In The Flathead Valley Spokane Men Organize New Company for Operations in Oil Field. Capatiliied for Three Million Shares at Ten Cents Each. Articles of incorporation of the Flat head Valley Oil Company, capitalized for 3,0flo,0i0 shares at 10 cjjnts each, were filed with the county auditor yesterday morning. The incorporators are Horace C. Peyton, Harlan I. Pey ton and Fred Loomis, all of the Pey ton Investment Company, and th of ficers arei John Senrf elder, well-knows local capitalist, president; Jake Hill, of the Hill Shoe Company, viee-prcsiden an Fred Loomis, manager of the Pey ton Investment Company, secretary treasurer. The officers, with James Fisher, oil operator and pioneer British Columbia iwvng man; W. A. Mitcneu, railway construction contractor; P. Moriarty. veteran Great Northern rail way locomotive engineer, all of Spo kane, and B. Helms of Vancouver, a. C superintendent of the Dominion Ex press Company, comprise the director ate. The principal offices of the company will be maintained in Spokane, with quarters in the Peyton building, and the fiscal agents are Bhodehamel, Bab cock & Co., also in the Peyton build ing. A manager has not been selected nor have detailed plans for develop ment of the company's holdings been outlined, but a meeting of the direc tors will be held in a few days to con sider both. "Our holdings comprise 2,000 acres of land in different psrts of the Flat head Valley, just across the interna tional boundary, north of Glacier Na tional Park," said Mr. Fisher yester day. "We contemplate beginning active development' as soon as possi ble, and will send a geologist into the field about September 1 to select a site for the first well. Equipment and casing will be ordered soon anA w anticipate having drilling operation well under way this fall. "Some of our land adjoins holdings of the Flathead Petroleum Company, which already has begun sinking a well, and we feel eonfidc'nt that we will get oil "ithin a few weeks after we begin drilling. Possibilities of the dis trict are indicated by the fact that Harry R. Johnson, formerly with the Spreckles interests in California, re garded as one of the most competent geologists and oil experts in the world, hss indorsed this region after an ex haustive investigation nnd has pur chased laud adjoining ours. "I expect to leave for the district in about a week and will be accom panied by a number of p-ospeetive pur chasers of our stock. "Spokesman Review, August 9, 1914. We P..d For lh.Ab.v. Reader "Ad." JQ Ajrf Y0Ur AttenUOH To Ouf Offer! RAT IU! J U EAD THE L G I OFFERS FOR A LIMITED TIME ITS First Block of Treasury Stock at 10c a Share Oil Development in the Field may cause an increase in price without notice. Buy SO Mi' now. Yoa can afford to lose $10 to $100 But you can not afford to lose $1,000 to $10,000. If you DO buy, you MAY LOSE. If you DON'T buy, you CAN'T WIN. The good names of our directors guarantees that ?very dollar will be honestly spent for Development Purposes. We are Developers NOT Promoters. Rhodehame,Babcock&Co. Ftathpflf. Vfl.W Oil ftl Capitalization, $300,000.00 Fiscal Agents 227 Peyton BIdg., Spokane, Wn. 1 lUUItaU V" Assets, 2000 Acres of Selected Drilling Sites. OFFICERS AMD DIRECTORS. President John Sengf elder, Capitalist, Spokane. Wm. A. Mitchell, Railroad Contractor, Spokrst Vice-President Jako Hill, President Hill Bros. Shoe Co., Spokane. P. Moriarty, Great Northern Railway Co., Spokane. Secretary-Troasiirer P. Loomis, Manager Peyton Investment Co., Spokane. R. Helmo, Supt. Dominion Express Co., Vancouvor. James Fisher, Land and Timber Operator, Rossland. Herchmer ft Martin, Barristers and Solicitors, Registered Agents, Ferule, B. O. Bhodohamol, Babcock & Co,, Fiscal Agents, Flathead Valley Oil Co, Spokane, Wash. Gentlemen Please send your prospectus of the Flathead Valley Oil Co, free of any cost w obligation to me. Name Address.. Bhodehamel, Babcock 4t Co., Fiscal Agents, Flathead Valley Oil Co, Spokane, Wash. Gentlemen I hereby subscribe for ..shares of the Treasury Stock of the Flathead Valley Oil Co, at 10c per share. Name.. Address..
