Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 206, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1916 — THE THAYER OIL AND GAS FIELD [ARTICLE]

THE THAYER OIL AND GAS FIELD

Well To Be Shot Soon—Brief History Of What Promises to Be Paying Field.

George A. Johnson, president of the Thayer Oil & Gas Co., and George J. Culnings, vice president were in the city on business Saturday. . They are at the head of the company which is drilling wells at Thayer in hopes of striking oil or gas. They are very enthusiastic over the prospects of striking paying wells. It is expected that the first well will be ready for shooting the last of this week or the first of next. The drillers, who have spent a life-time at that work, are offering to bet that a producer will be struck in the present well, so confident are they that a paying field exists at Thayer. A well drilled by another company at Thayer a few years ago is still producing gas notwithstanding that 700 feet of water stands in the well, through which the gas has to emerge. The gas is being used by the present oil company, who have secured control of the well, in a cook stove and for lighting purposes, and the pressure is so strong that when a gas jet is turned on full force it will blow oat. The gas has been piped to heat and light a house near the well and seems io be increasing in volume daily. All the gas used in this house for lighting cooking and heating comes through a reducer that one can hardly get a needle through. This indicates that there is a great body of gas and oil below. About a half mile west of this well another well was put down by another company, and it is claimed they also struck a good flow of oil and gas at about the same depth. They shot the well, and started to pump. They pumped about 35 barrels before quitting time, and next morning started up and pumped six. or eight barrels, when oil quit flowing, and although they left the pump running for an hour nothing came up. The men in charge decided the well was dry and without examining the pump to find out why it did not raise the oil, concluded to fill it up to a point about 750 feet down where they had struck oil in sinking; this they did, and shot it again at 750 feet. Oil and rocks were thrown into the air fifty feet, the casing was thrown high in the air, and the derrick was torn loose and thrown down the casing slipped back in the well and collapsed; in trying to open the casing below they got their tools fast and could not get them loose, and finally cut the rope and plugged the well and quit, and this ended the dream of oil at this time. Gas was found in both these wells strong enough to ran an engine for drilling and pumping, and was so used. The history of this supposed field is peculiar. About six ago a few farmers awoke to the possibilities nf nil and gas in the vicinity oi "Thayer, and concluded to sink a well, but were anxious to do it as cheaply as possible. They bought some sec-ond-hand pipe, and engaged a well driller with a poor outfit of tools to sink a well. They pooled together the amount they thought necessary and started work. They finally got the well drilled to the depth of almost 1,000 feet, and it is claimed struck a splendid flow of both oil and gas, that the oil was of high grade, equal to the Pennsylvania oil and that the gas was free from sulphur, burning a blue flame, and did not even color the rope. It appears they did not have casing enough to bring it below the water bearing strata, and brought the well in wet; then they tried to pull the casing, and put it down deeper, but found the gravel and small stones at the bottom had fastened it down, and they were unable to raise it. In the meantime they had pumped about 250 barrels of oil. They sent for an expert who advised them to start a new well as this one was practically spoiled the water was so strong they could not handle it. They were unable to agree how to raise the money to secure new pipe and drill a new well, and about this time one of the principal men died, so they became discouraged and the driller moved his outfit away, and this ended the unfortunate affair. They cold their oil and tanks. The gas all these years has continued to come through the 700 feet of water and oil, and has been piped to heat and light a house near the well. afterwards one of the men working on this well said that after they had filled upjpind plugged the well he examined the pump, and found it was out of order and could not pump at all.