Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 251, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1920 — OIL ACTIVITY IN GILLAM [ARTICLE]

OIL ACTIVITY IN GILLAM

IS NOW BEING REVIVED IN FIELDS ABANDONED YEARS AGO IN GILLAM. Activity in the Gillam township .oil fields, from all appearances, is to be revived at an early date. For some time a company has been acquiring lease* in the vicinity of Asphaltum where the refinery was located a few years ago and the company is now busy erecting buildings for the use of the employes, commisary and other purposes at Asphaltum and is getting drilling machinery on the ground. Representatives of the company refuse to give any information of their plans but an employe of the company stated that two deep wells will be drilled to teat the field as sobn as the necessary arrangements can be made. This field was exploited several years ago by an eastern company and over a hundred wells were drilled, all of which produced Oil and were- pumped at that time. A refinery was erected at Asphaltum and a branch of the Gifford road was built to that place. The oil was found at a shallow depth. It was of a heavy nature more like asphalt than the oil used for making gasoline. There wpa no market

for that kind of oil at that time and the field was finally abandoned. "The refinery was wrecked and the railroad track torn up. and all that now remain* of Asphaltum is a few dwelling .houses which have been vacant since operations were abandoned and the store that was located there at that time ceased business some time ago. These buildings are now all being put in shape for the employes of the new company. Lots are also being sold for the use of those who wish to build homes. A geologist recently visited this field and expressed the opinion that oil in paying quantities would be found by drilling deep wells. j At present the old wells can be seen in all directions, the piping sticking from the ground and the oil can still be found in the casings of the former wells. Since the abandonment of the old field the land has been farmed around the casing sticking from the ground and . many of the farmers still use- the oil from the wells for lubricating , purposes, as it is' of a superior quality for that purpose. I A shed standing just to the west ; of Roth Brothers’ slaughter house, " about a mile and a quarter west of Rensselaer, was burned to the ground about ten o’clock this Tuesday morning, the fire originating from a blaze which had been started under a large cooking kettle which was used to cook hog feed. Some of the local firemen went fib the scene of the blaze with chemicals but the flames had already consumed the building upon their arrival. The slaughter house proper 1 was not damaged. The loss is placed | at S2OO. ’ .