Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 June 1901 — Page 1

THE RENSSELAER SEMI-WEEKLY REPUBLICAN.

VOL XXII NO. 78

Oats Are Very Short.

Farmers in this vicinity are not near as well satisfied with the outlook for an oats crop as they were a week or so ago. Instead of making more growth of straw after the rains, as was hoped for, they have begun heading out, and are therefore sure to be a very light crop. Eye is generally good, and wheat, what there is, is fine. Corn has come out wonderfully during the last week, and farmers are everywhere putting in their best licks at loosening the soil and clearing it of weeds.

More Honor for Delos Coen.

At the time The Republican recited the victories of Delos Coen in the field day contests at Highland Park, it was unaware of a higher honor that had been won by him and one that is vastly more gratifying to his parents and many friends here, that of being awarded a medal for the highest scholarship in the Junior year of the military academy he attended. He has not only been able to leap high and far on the athletio field but his leap has also included the distancing of all his classmates in scholastic attainments as well. Should he be successful in winning the same honor in the Senior year, and it is needless to say he intends making every effort to do so, he will be awarded the oollege scholarship for the attainment. Rensselaer students in the various colleges they attend oontinue to bring honor to the city of their birth, and this year two, Auburn Nowels at Culver and Delos Coen at Highland Park, have each won medals of highest attainment at the military sohools they attended.

Old Time Lake County News.

The Crown Point Star is giving every weelp from the files of an old Crown Point newspaper, some 1858 news. In its issue for this week it has some interesting items for the week of Aug. 12th to 16, 1858. Schuyler Colfax is coming to make political speeches in every town and village in Lake county. A howl is made about hogs running at large. One day the editor counted seven big sows on the main street, and every sow had a big litter of pigs. Robt. Gray, of Graytovfn, Cedar Lake, [now the Binyon property] advertised town lots for sale, told of the great fishing there, of the pleasure boat he had just inaugurated, eto., and of the wonderful opportunity he would give mechanics to come there and go into business. He guaranteed that a railraod would run there the next season, starting from Kankakee City. lil., and going via Cedar Lake to Niles, Michigan. That railroad hasn’t got there yet.

Marriage License.

*_ -i ( Reuben K. Hoy, Apnl 15 j Len. O. Foster. See Dr. Merrill, over Moody & Roth’s meat market. Try Vick’s for ioe-cream. He has the Thompson-Reid make. It oan’t be beat. From 100 to 200 quarts Shipmam oelebrated strawberries received every morning. Chicago Bargain Stork.

A Great Chicken Food.

Frank Foe of Goodland Ind., is feeding Acme Food to one thousand young ohiokens. He says he has used many things but that Acme beats them all. Acme Food is now sold in 5 lb. packages at Kresler’s hitch bam.

Death of Mrs. James H. S. Ellis

Mrs. Jessie D. Ellis, wife of I James H. 8. Ellis, of the firm of 1 Ellis & Murray, died last eveni ing, June 14th, at their home on Front street. Bhe had been in poor health for the past 14 years, but the acute attack which caused her death began only about a week be- | fore. Her disease was mitro i stenosis, an organic disease of the valves of the heart. She has pre- | viously had several severe attacks, in whioh her life was dispaired of, but recovered. She suffered greatly j but retained her consciousness to the end. 1

The funeral will be held at the residence Monday, June 17th, at 4p.m. by Rev. A. G. Work, pastor of the Presbyterian church. Interment will be in Weston cemetery.

Not the Only Tabloid Paper.

The Whitley County News, of South Whitley, claims to be the only newspaper in Indiana that has adopted the ‘’twentieth century,” or tabloid form. After experimenting with it for five months F. E. Miner and A. A. Kist, editors es the News, say they will never go back to the common newspaper form whioh publishers in Indiana generally follow, It is a 4 column, 16 page paper. It is not the only “tabloid,” oountry paper in the state, however, for the Lowell Souvenir, now over three months old, has had that form ever since it was started.

Don’t Douse a Hot Fat Hog.

A fine fat pig belonging to Jasper county, out at the county asylum met an untimely end Thursday, and the manner of its taking off may serve as a warning to other owners of corpulent swine during this hot weather. The pig was prostrated with too much hotness and, in the absence of Superintendent Clark, one of the men gave it an allopathic dose of too much coldness. In other words he doused it with a bucket-full of cold water. The shock was too much for a delicately nurtured pig, and in a few hours it was dead. The moral is, don’t douse a heatprostrated fat individua l , either human or swine, all over with right oold water. Pour the water on the ground under the pig, or sprinkle it on slowly, and the water should not be too cold either.

West Baden Had a Bad ’un.

The Mineral Springs hotel at West Baden, the largest hotel in Indiana, caught fire at an early hour Friday morning. There were several hundred guests iu the house at the time but all escaped with their lives, and without serious injuries. The hotel was valued at $200,000. It is a familiar plaoe to the considerable number of Rensselaer people who have made health or pleasure sojourns at West Baden during the past few years,

Worth Several Dead Men.

J. E.( MoCraoken, usually known aa Ed. MoCraoken, who formerly was in the shoe business in Rensselaer, now a commercial traveler with headquarters at Lincoln, Neb., writes baok to a Rensselaer friend, denying most emphatically that he is the Ed MoCraoken who lately went the morphine route at Lincoln. That was another Ed MoCraoken, although he, also, was from Indiana. Our Ed seems prosperous and happy and with no reason nor disposition to take a short out into the hereafter before he is obliged to. Chronic diseases a speciality, Dr. Merrill.

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA. TUESDAY JUNE 18, 1901,

Superintendent Hamilton Again Honored.

Lewis H. Hamilton, oounty school superintendent of Jasper county, has probably received as much recognition among the educators as any county superintendent in the state, for the length of time he has been in office. He has been secretary of the Superintendents Association; a member of the committee on questions for examinations for licenses for three years chairman of the committee on question for graduation and now he has received further honor by being elected president of the State County Superintendent’s Association, at Indianapolis; and which meeting Mr. Hamilton attended.

Remington Ought To Get In On This.

Owing to the fact that the last legislature increased the annual appropriation for farmers’ institutes in the state, the general committees finds itself able to hold probably fifty additional institutes the coming season. In distributing these meetings the general oommittee will give preference to towns near the boundary lines of counties remote from points where the annual meetings have heretofore been held. Application should be made through the county ohairman, who in this county is B. D. Comer of Union Tp. To eaoh of these meetings, at the points approved by the general oommittee, one or two speakers will be assigned, expenses prepaid. Remington would be a very suitable point for one of these additional institutes if the people of that plaoe and surrounding country feel like taking hold of the matter.-

Death of Mrs. Anna Clark.

Mrs. Anna E. Clark, whose sickness has been mentioned, died Saturday, June 15th, at the home of her father, George Haste, a half mile east of Parr. The cause of her death was consumption. She leaves a husband, Robert Clark, to whom she was married iu Jan. 1900, but no children. Her age was about 21 years. The funeral was held here this, Monday forenoon, at the Catholic church, and interment made in their oetaetery, south of town

Prizes for Oratorical Contests.

The pace set by Judge Thompson in his gift of a sl2 dictionary as the first prize for the oratorical contest, to be held here on next Saturday, June 22ud, has been kept up by the other donors. The list of prizes is now complete and consists of the following. Ist prize, Webster’s International Dictionary by S. P. Thompson, value sl2. 2nd prize, Cook’s America, by W. B. Austin, $7.50. 3rd prize, Red Line Shakespeare, John F. Major, $3.50. 4th prize, Holmes’ Poems, by Rensselaer School Board, $3,25. sth prize, Longfellow’s Poems, C. M. Blue, $1.50. The contest will be held at the M, E. church, Rensselaer, from 1:30 to 4 p. m.

B. Forsythe brought the entire orop of Shipman home grown strawberries. Coooanut taffy, newsboy lemon ;ems, ioed Homestead cookies, emon cream bisonit, fig-bar, choooate oresms are all fresh at Starrs. Prof. Hayner, the piano tuner has been unexpectedly called away ut will return on Jane 26th. Leave orders at Clark’a Jewelery Store. Just returned from the city clearance sales, look out for was goods at J price. Chicago Bargain Store.

The Jasper County Oil Field.

[from the state geologist’s annual report.]

During the past .two years active development has been carried on in Jasper County, Indiana, with the result that a considerable area of valuable oil territory has been disclosed. The. oil is found in limestone which, without doubt, is a continuation of the Comifer-ous-limestone formations at present producing oil in the Canadian fields'and at Terre Haute in Vigo County, Indiana; the limestone being easily recognized throughout a large area of southern Michigan and western Indiana, but entirely absent in the eastern and central portions of the latter State. The formation is nearest the surface in the section of Indiana which has since developed into the Jasper County oil field and is found in the most productive portions of this field at approximately 100 feet below the surface. This history of the Jasper County field dates from 1865, when a company was organized in New York to exploit certain oil territory, supposed to * exist in the Kankakee swamps of Indiana. This company was organized during the great oil excitement in Pennsylvania and adjoining states, but no records remain of any active development underraken by this original company. The next interest shown in this section was in 1893, when a well drilled on the W. J. Swisher farm, six miles west of Medaryville, southeast quarter section 33 (31 north, 5 west), Gillam Township, was completed, which produced a considerable amount of oil. This well was drilled by the owner of the farm to provide water for his stock. Not finding water at the usual depth the well was continued to a depth of about 85 feet, when a flow of oil was encountered which, according to flowed intermittenly, its production at certain periods ranging as high as 10 barrels daily. The oil was found to be a good lubricant, and for a number of years the owner of the well obtained a fair income from the sale of it at approximately $lO per barrel. Shortly after the Swisher well was completed a number of test wells were drilled in the immediate neighborhood, but in the light of present development it would seem that none of them penetrated the Corniferous limestone to a sufficient depth to obtain oil in any quantity. The recent history of the field began in July, 1899, when a company, composed of a number of practical oil producers and known as the Interstate Oil Company, commenced active work. They leased approximately 36,000 acres of land, 26,000 of which they obtained from B. J. Gifford at oneeighth royalty, the only condition being that they put down a bore to the oil producing rock on each section of land, one well to be sunk every 60 days, until the tract was drilled oyer. After purchasing the oil on the original Swisher farm, the company sunk a bore 700 feet northwest of the first well, which resulted in a two-barrel producer. Additional wells were completed in section 33 until by the end of the year 1899 a considerable acreage has been proven to be productive territory. About this time the development of the district was brought to the attention of a number of English capitalists known as the Byrd Syndicate, Lmt., of London. That syndicate made a careful investiKtion of the property of the terstate Oil Company, and finally purchased the leases and 19 producing wells, paying therefor the sum of SISO,(XX)- The new company immediately began extensive operations, and by the close of 1900 had more than 100 producing wells in operation. Several other companies were formed soon after the Interstate Company sold its territory and most of the unleased land near by was quickly taken up, either by lease or direet sale. In eastern Jasper, western Pulaski and the counties to the northward, the New Albany or Genesee brown and black shales immediately under the drift and are encountered in sinking wells for water. As already noted, these shales are rich in bitumens, both oily and gaseous. In the yard of J. P. Des Elms, on the northwest of the northeast quarter of section

34 (31 north, 5 west),about a mile northeast of the Swisher well,, a bore was sunk for water in 1893 a few feet into the shale produced gas enough to supply several stoves. It was used in the cooking stove for six months, but as no separator was put on to shut off the water the latter finally found its way into the stove. In April, 1900, the well, after being primed, pumped a few strokes, would flow water for 10 or 15 minutes and at the same time allow a large amount of gas to escape. This when set on fire would burn with a flame several feet higli as long as the water flowed. The Corniferous limestone or oil bearing rock underlying this shale in the productive area of Jasper County is a hard gray limestone which, in a number of test wells which have been drilled through the formation, has been found to be approximately 40 feet in thickness. The upper 20 feet, however, constitutes the oil producing portion of the limestone, and in this 20 feet are found several bands or pay streaks of porous rock which enlarge into crevices with considerable regularity. The usual formation encountered in drilling a Jasper County well is as follows: Drift, consisting of sand, clay and loam, 50 feet, under which is encountered a bed, 45 to 55 feet in thickness, of close grained black shale which forms an impervious cover for the Corniferous limestone reservoir. This black shale or slate does not cave in drilling, it thus being necessary to use but a short length of drive pipe to shut off the drift formation. The operators'use for this purpose 5f inch casing, and by driving it a sufficient distance into the black shale shut off the surface water. With the usual form of portable drilling machine employed in the Jasper County district, an expert crew has completed a bore in the remarkably short time of 23 hours actual drilling time, it thus being evident that the cost of a well is a very small sum.

The oil obtained is unlike any other product found in the Ohio and Indiana oil districts, it being of a black or very dark green color and of a gravity which ranges from 17 to 21. Its thickness and low gravity is without doubt largely due to the shallow depth at which it is found, the more volatile portions having long since escaped through their overlying formations. The oil on examination is found to have a cold test of about zero F. and a fire test of over 300 degrees. It has a good viscosity test and is universally used throughout the Jasper County district for lubricating purposes. It is associated with a strong sulphur water of which a large amount is usually encountered whenever a crevice is penetrated. There is usually but little gas found in the district except immediately upon the completion of a new well, when, for several days following, a considerable quantity of gas is often discharged. There has been but little excitement shown in the development of the Jasper County field, due to the fact that the territory is controlled in large blocks, thus largely eliminating rivalry between owners of the adjacent properties such as furnishes the activity so noticeable in the Trenton limestone areas of Indiana. Moreover, the wells are generally small producers running only from two to five barrels each. This, however, is not always the case, as several wells drilled on the Syndicate’s properties in section 28 (31 north, 5 west), Walker Township, and in section 33 (31 north, 5 west), Gillam Township, having resulted in producers whose first day’s output ranged from 10 to 100 barrels or more. The largest well completed in the district is on the south half of the southwest quarter of section 28, Walker Township. This well, when completed, without a shot, Sve a yield of approximately 200 rrels in 24 hours when pumped in a rather primitive manner with one of the drilling machines. It is quite possible that this well would have yielded a much larger amount had it been pumped with a standard pumping ri£ such as is used in the deeper territory of the State.

On the John Perry farm, two miles southeast of Wheatfield, a bore found the oil bearing stratum at a depth of 105 feet, and a fair producing well resulted. A bore which produced gas only was sunk on the J. A. Campbell farm, northeast quarter of section 33 (81 north, 5 west). According to Mr. McFadden, the total estimated daily production of Jasper County at the close of the year 1900, was approximately 400 barrels. The actual daily production possible is unknown, due to the fact that a market for the oil is as yet wanting, although pipe line service will be installed during the summer of 1901. It is doubtful, however, if the oil can ever be freely moved by means of pipe lines on account of its thickness and heavy weight. What has been sold was hauled in barrels to the railway stations and is said to have brought $5.00 to $5.50 a barrel for lubricating purposes. After the sediment is removed but little difference is said to exist between it and the Mecca, Trumbull Co., Ohio, lubricating oil which brings $lO per barrel on the market. It is claimed that a St. Louis firm has purchased a quantity of the Jasper County product for making an artificial rubber compound, the oil being exceedingly rich in asphaltum and paraffine bases. There is probably no oil field in the world in which the expense of development is aa low as in the Jasper County district. The oil formation lies at an extremely shallow depth and the area which has been found to be petroliferous seems to Jbe fairly uniform in character, resulting in a few wells which will not make paying pro-; ducers. Notwithstanding the small output of the average well, the cheapness with which the territory may be operated, tof ether with the value of the prouct, makes it possible to operate at a profit wells which produce but one or two barrels daily and it may be confidently expected that the life of the wells will compare favorably with the development in the Corniferous limestone formation in the Canadian oil fields, where many wells have produced oil in paying quantities for the Sast 25 years. There is little oubt but that the productive territory will eventually be found to extend over a large area to the north and northwestward of present development.

Masonic Picnic

At Cedar Lake. Monday Jane 24. An all day’s picnic will be given at Cedar Lake, under the auspices of Prairie Lodge, No. 125, F. A. M., to celebrate St. John’s Day, Mondfy, June 24th. It is free to everybody, and the general public is cordially invited to attend. The fare from Rensselaer is one dollar, for the round trip. Children from sto 12 half fare, Go and take the whole family, and enjoy a day of pleasure at the beautiful place. C. W. Coen, H. L. Brown, E. J. Duvall, Committee.

Ice For Sale. Ice for sale, delivered to any part of the city. ’Phone 256. M. P. Warner. Ffae Residence Site For Sale. For sale, very oheap, a half acre tract, in N. W. part of town. Plenty of shade and fruit trees, and a fine flowing well. A fine site or a residence. Enquire of Abe War tena, at Reuickers’ blacksmith shop. The ice-cream soda fountain is now rnnning at Goff’s restaurant 4th Of Jnly Kates, via the Nickel Plate Road, at one fare for the round trip, good within a distance of 200 miles. Tioketa on sale July 3rd and 4th, good returning until July sth inclusive. Write, wire, phone or call on nearest agent, or 0. A, Asteblin, T. P. A., 95 Ft. Wayne, Ind. July 3rd lee f«r bummer. I have my ioe house filled with good ice, am now ready to furnish customers with ice for the summer at reasonable prioee, 0. 0. Stare