Show Farmers Dream Of Drilling Gas GasWell Well WeD Comes T me RENOVA A Pa Dorsey A A. A Cal- Cal Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun houn a farmer dreamed one night about 15 years ago that he heard hearda a voice which told him if he would drill a gas well near the base of an old apple tree at the foot of Cal- Cal Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun houn he would never have to work again and arid neither would his children or grandchildren He told his wife about it and set setout setout setout out to sell the idea to neighboring farmers and to friends and business acquaintances in nearby towns All I wanted he said was enough money to put put one hole hol down But folks f said I was was crazy crazy They laughed at me But Calhoun refused to forget his dream By Apra 1949 he had round round- rounded ed up 30 relatives and friends who were willing to put up apiece to drill a well well near near the base of the old apple tree on the Calhoun farm Second hand ri in held together by bailing wire and rid re re- resembling resembling re- re resembling the equipment used by wildcatters in the Texas and Okla Okla- Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma homa oil fields years ago was ac ac- Experts looked at it and shook their heads It wouldn't last they said Investors Calhoun and his associates form form- forming forming ing the Leidy Prospecting Co found out in a hurry that it costs consid consid- considerably considerably considerably more than to drill a agas agas agas gas well Once again Calhoun took to beating the bushes for prospective prospective prospective tive investors Shares in the com com- company company company pany pany were were offered at each No Noone Noone Noone one was permitted to buy more than 10 shares More and more folks seeing the ancient steam engine derrick in ac ac- action action ac- ac action tion only about yards from the Calhoun farmhouse stepped up with money in their fists to get in inon inon inon on the gamble Soon the number of investors had grown to and nearly was in the bank- bank more than enough to pay the total cost of sinking the well to toa toa toa a depth of feet On January 8 with a shrill whistle a shower of earth and stone flying steel cable and a jet of white gas shooting skyward a full feet Calhoun well No 1 came in Representatives of ot a number of oil and gas companies hurried to the farm The well they figured was at least a half million dollar I Iwas bonanza capable of yielding around 20 million cubic feet of na- na natural na I tural gas a day 1000 a Month I The New York State Natural Gas Co purchased sole rights fights to the output At present the company is drawing out about cubic feet a day At this rate rafe the experts I believe the well should continue I producing for about 10 or 14 years As owner of the property on which the well is located Calhoun gets one-eighth one of the price paid by the company for the gas This now comes around a month month month-a a tidy sum for a man of ot 45 who pre pre- previously previously previously earned only a modest in in- income income income come as a farmer and and road con con- construction construction construction engineer The second Calhoun well sunk to a depth of feet and considered con con- considered considered to be even more of a strike th an h h is r L nde 1 i er J I ga gas gas-asso s as soon soon 1 as ris s the Yr Y r finishes laying a 42 mile long pipe pipe- pipeline pipeline pipeline line to handle it Three other wells in Leidy also have blown in since the Calhoun drilling operations began paying off The score is Five wells drilled five strikes no failures Eighteen i additional wells are in drilling stage and more locations are arc be be- being beI being I ing surveyed |