West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

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,« - m 1 m y r 1 M „ T ' Jfy i iJ ii ' fcjrf 1 tf H % . i v . KT J ■ M. ... ? L T, Im ■1 1 w J Ss 1 - There are at the present time in West Virginia some 19,000 oil wells with an annual production of some three and one-half million barrels of oil, valued at over five million dollars, and over 11,000 producing gas wells with a total annual production of some one hundred and fifty billion cubic feet, valued at some forty-five million dollars. To operate such an industry requires many com- pressor stations, gasoline plants, oil refineries, hundreds of miles of high pres- sure pipe lines, as well as thousands of skilled workmen. Such an Industry creates taxable wealth to help provide State and County revenues. It helps make possible better schools, churches and highways. The property taxes paid by this Industry reaches 46 of the 55 counties and in some, exceeds 50 percent of the total taxes levied. In addition to property taxes the Industry pays about $2,000,000 gross sales tax. It also returns to the land owner in rentals and royalties an excess of $5,000,000 annually. West Virginia and West Virginians have played an important role in the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. The State has served as the laboratory or training ground for many of the men prominent in the development of this industry m other States. It was I. C. White, a West Virginian and State Geologist, who ,gUCCessfuUy demonstrated the application of the anticlinal theory, the most im- portant single contribution to the location of oil and gas fields. The State, through its Geological Survey located at West Virginia Univer- sity, has published and made available complete sets of reports and maps on the State that have been of inestimable value to the industry. The department of geology and engineering school keep abreast with new technique and de- velopment so as to be of service to the industry in helping solve their problems and in the preparation of students with the best possible training to carry on. The Oil and Gas Industry will be an important one in West Virginia for many years. It will, however, experience many changes in character. The oil remain- ing in the sands, will be recovered by new methods including repressuring with gas, air and water flooding. This requires new technique and procedures. Deeper and deeper wells will be drilled. This presents new problems. The Industry has met and Solved its problems before and will continue to do so in the future.

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A gas compressing station. At tiiese stations the gas is compressed, gasoline and water vapor removed and the dry gas then transmitted to points of consumption. lir - A f li i i A Gasoline Refiner At ' mtr e icimeries, the natural gas-gasoline, or petroleum, are sepa- rated into their component parts. From these — gasoline, liquified petroleum gases and numer- ous other products are obtained. The Oil and Natural Gas Industry has be a real factor in the development and prosperi of West Virginia. Oil discovered on Burning Sjorincfs Creek ir Wirt County and on the Hughes River in Ritchi County about 1860 was marketed at that time for medicinal purposes, although gas had beer discovered earlier in Kanawha County in dril ing for salt brine. The real beginning of the Ir dustry was in 1889, when a well drilled on thej Burt Farm near Mannington, produced a large quantity of oil There had been a few gas Wells drilled priof to this, but they were abandoiSed on account o the expense of finding a market, (although one- or two towns in the northern part of West Vir ginia were supplied with gas piped from Penri- sylvania. The Burt Well started the wheels o| development that in a few years spreacU many of the counties of the State. In the drilling for oil, gas wells with enormous volume were discovered. At first gas was conj sidered a liability as there was no market for it Some producers would prefer a dry hole to gas well. The number of gas wells, however, bs came greater and it was necessary to find mar-, kets, and these markets were great distances . from West Virginia and required millions of dol lars capital. The supplying of gas these grec distances was an innovation and to carry this ' out required men who had both optimism ah(! vision. Some of the early oil companies orgc ized gas companies to supply towns adjacent to the oil and gas fields in West Virginia. At that time there was neither paved high- way, automobiles, trucks, nor tractors. The We Virginia roads were dirt roads, narrow, ove£ hills and across streams, and there were but te- bridges. Horses and oxen were used on roac that were, for the most part, impassable, except, to the men in the oil field. Pipe lines were laid m all directions to connect these gas wells to large transmission lines. Compressing statioisa were built, duplicate bnes were constructed to .- take care of emergencies, as the supply had to be continuous to consumers many of whom, were more or less timid in using gas for do- mestic purposes. Improvements of :every kind were rapidly de- veloped. New macshinery and better pipe and fittings were reqijired so that manufacturing plants were organized to produce oil fiejd equipment. Local men became interested and, soon the oil and gas man became a fixture ir his communit y. Drilling for gas by both the cori anies and individuals developed a pro- duction in West Virginia which led all States and the farmer (whose farm in many cases hoc n losing money) became a receiver (hey frorrfc-pi source he had not known

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Hauling :he Old Way Hauling the New Way Inside View of Machinery in Compressing Station Outside View of q Compressing Station