Kennewick's Oil Boom That Keeps Waiting for the Drill

When one listens to the stories of those who have survived gas and oil booms in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas or some other place and then attempts to picture what will happen to Kennewick if the Rattlesnake district "comes in" as a real oil field, he grows dizzy with the sheer bigness of the thing. If he attempts to compute the many, many new avenues of business that will be opened up, he gets to feeling like a millionaire right away, and if there is any truly uncomfortable sensation it is to feel like a millionaire when you haven't the million. The work of this community is not to conjure up beautiful visions of what will happen if the field "comes in," but to plan what to do to help bring the field in.

What the field really is, or will be, of course, is a matter of conjecture and speculation. There are two features, however, that have advanced beyond the speculative stage. There is gas in the field and the gas comes from high grade petroleum deposits. Whether the old well has tapped the main body of gas or where the petroleum deposits are, nobody knows, and with the exception of scientific views and expert opinions, the gas well is as much a mystery today as it was when gas was first struck nearly three years ago.

That the field is to be given a thorough test both for gas and oil now seems assured. But in the matter of development, as in possibilities, the purely speculative features far outnumber the actual facts. There are drillers and rumors of drillers, but as yet, with one exception, no companies, no men, nor combinations of men, have begun actual physical development work. This one company has been at work for months and their drill is slowly nearing the depth at which gas was struck in the first well.

Men of large holdings, men whose acres in the district number into the thousands, who have known of the existence of this gas for nearly three years, are still getting ready to drill. The dates set by other companies for the beginning of active operations have grown from "immediately" to June 1, or July 1, or some time, and big standard rigs which were on the ground or on board cars weeks ago are still coming. Companies which were financed from their very inceptions are now selling stock in Seattle, Tacoma, Walla Walla and other cities.

It may be that all the rumors will materialize and every company that has announced itself really intends to drill and has sufficient capital to carry out its intentions, but the facts are such as to justify the belief that the "buck" has been passed up to the company already in the field and the others are playing a quiet little game of "watchful waiting."

Kennewick's interest lies in seeing the field developed as soon as possible, and it is apparent that speedy development has been left up to the operating company. If they strike a strong flow of gas at 700 feet, most any of us would drill and most any of us could then finance a company. But just supposing that for lack of support, they become discouraged, pull up their drill, plug up the hole and wait for the other fellow to go down and see what he can find. What then? Well, the sheep herders might again take charge of the well and light 'er up to frighten the coyotes.

If Kennewick really wants to hasten the development of the field, the one best bet seems to be to render what assistance it is able to the company that is already on the job.