Brown County IL Archives Newspapers.....Second Well Showing Good Prospects Hit Saturday ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sherry Ward hippygirl@sc.rr.com June 5, 2001 Newspaper: The Democrat-Message: November 18, 1959; Oil Stories: Brown County, Illinois Headline: Second Well Showing Good Prospects Hit Saturday Subhead: It Happened Here . . . A lady checking out groceries in a local store recently learned at first hand how an oil boom can benefit the innocent bystander. Following her was one of the men who has been here in the interest of oil. He asked: "Lady, how can you eat all those groceries?" She replied: "It isn't the eating that worries me, it's the money to pay for them with." "Money is the least of our worries", he said, and took out a wad of green stuff from his pocket, insisting on paying for her groceries. The lady desisted vehemently. He insisted sternly. And, he finally got his way. Subhead: Suit Seeks Half Interest in Oil and Gas Leases A complaint in chancery was filed in Brown County Circuit court Nov. 13 by Fred Bertram, plaintiff, naming Charles W. Eager, defendant, in which Bertram seeks an interest in the oil and gas leases obtained by the defendant. The complaint states that the plaintiff and defendant orally agreed that in consideration for the plaintiff's geological surveys of certain areas in Buckhorn township, the defendant agreed that all leases would be shared equally. It further states that the defendant obtained from the plaintiff information which resulted in obtaining oil and gas leases in certain sections of Buckhorn township and that subsequently an oil well was brought in on the William L. Davis farm, that the said well has been and is now producing oil in commercial quantities, and that the defendant in violation of agreements has made certain transfers of working interest. The plaintiff states that he is entitled to a half interest in each interest held by the defendant in Brown county, and seeks a decree that requires defendant to convey and assign to plaintiff a half interest in all oil and gas leases; an accounting for the royalties and profits obtained by the defendant, and an injunction to restrain the defendant from disposing of any interests in oil and gas leases or other interests in Brown county. Subhead: Geological Survey Considers Brown Co. May be New Oil Pool John C. Frye, chief of the state's geological survey, Urbana, announced last week that the oil strike in Brown county, may indicate the opening of a new oil pool - the first with commercial possibilities. Frye said Thursday the gusher that Charles Eager brought in Oct. 28 on the W. L. Davis farm near Siloam, southwest of Mt. Sterling, "means somebody has struck an amazingly large oil producer at a very shallow depth." Since the strike the survey office has been beseiged by questions for more information about the oil area. Eager's well came in at 650 feet compared with the 2,500 to 3,000-foot average for most Illinois wells. Shallow wells are more profitable because less drilling is required. The new well is a little deeper than the Colmar-Plymouth field, 20 miles t the north, said Dr. A. H. Bell of the survey. The Colmar field, which was started in 1914 and has yeilded four million barrels from 500 wells, is abut 20 miles to the north of Eager's strike. Quality of the oil was reported relatively high at the Brown county well. Not enough wells have yet been drilled to indicate the extent of the field. Illinois' new black gold has brought people form as far as Oklahoma to inquire about the strike, Frye said. In work described in maps included in Survey Bulletins 31, 40 and 45, structures were mapped on the No. 2 coal bed. "These maps reflect the shape of the coal bed that occurs in the rocks overlying the oil producing rocks," Frye said. There is some indication, Frye said, that the variations in porosity and permeability of the oil bearing rocks have as great an effect on the local occurrence of oil as does the structure. Subhead: Expect to Put Well in Production Thurs. The second oil well in Brown cunty which shows evidence of being a good producing one, was brought in at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. The well is located on the Birdie Robison farm, several hundred feet to the west of the first one hit on the William Davis farm in Buckhorn township. Richard Moore of Timewell is leasee and operator of the well and all those who have a share in it are local me. J. B. Bushnell, who drilled the Davis well, drilled this second well also. The oil was hit on this new well at 551 feet below surface. Considering the difference in surface elevation of the two wells, the oil was hit at approximately the same depth. Several of those who have an interest in the well and others were present when the oil was struck. The driller went into the "pay" only a few inches and when the drill was brought to the surface, it was covered with oil. Baling began immediately, but the oil flow was faster than it could be baled. A test on the oil in the well revealed it to be good quality-36.5 gravity at 60 degress. Promoters of the well have already ordered the necessary equipment to put the well into production and hope that pumping can be started by thursday. As the road is bad back to the well, the storage tanks will be set about 1,000 feet to the southeast and that many feet of pipe laid reaching to them. Production of the well of course cannot be determined until actual pumping is started, but the promoters are of the opinion that considering its action, it will be a good producer. The driller has moved his rig over on the Carpenter property several hundred feet to the east of the Davis well and drilling was expected to get underway there Tuesday. This well is backed by the same group of local men with James Yakle as leasee. In the meantime, many more wells are being drilled. Others have been started on the Davis property, one south of the producing well. A well wich was completed Tuesday afternoon by Driller Mike Callahan of Pittsfield was dry. The required depth was reached but no evidence of il was found. The leasee and promoter of this well is H. E. Tracey and it was located across the Little Missouri creek, southwest of the producing well on the Davis farm. Other well drilling rigs are moving into the county and within the next few days, there will be probably 12 or more in the process of drilling. Each day brings new and encouraging news of the development of the new oil pool in Brown county. http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/brown/newspapers/oilstory1.txt