8 
BULLETIN 102, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
by him, becomes his personal property, under his absolute control, 
and he can do with it what he pleases. 
WELL GATES 
DOTTED L/NE SHOWS 3HADEN HEAD* 
THAT AHAY BE USED TO CONNECT TL/0- 
;/V<5 A HD CAS/HG 50 AS TO COLLECT 
ANY GAS THAT MA Y COME/NTO THE 
CAS/NG EBOMSTPATA A0OYE THE 
PACES# : 
SUBEACE 
I HI 
I 
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\r* 
DEFINITION OF LEASE. 
A natural gas lease is a contract for a consideration establishing 
a vested right to enter upon a definitely described parcel of land, 
for a determined pe- 
riod, to prospect for, 
reduce to possession, 
remove and market 
natural gas. The 
vested right is the 
crux of the whole 
matter, and it is im- 
material whether the 
instrument creating 
it is called a “ lease,” 
“ contract,” “grant,” 
or “ deed of convey- 
ance.” 
In a given tract of 
land it is always a mat- 
ter of doubt to what 
extent, if any, mineral 
may exist in paying 
quantities, until very 
considerable develop- 
ment work has been per- 
formed, which requires 
in most instances large 
expenditure of capital. 
For this and other rea- 
sons, a custom long ago 
arose for the owner of 
supposed mineral land 
to grant to a mine op- 
erator the right to 
enter upon the land and 
search for and extract 
mineral, and the form 
which the contracting 
parties pretty generally 
adopted to express their agreement was a “ lease,” which purported to entitle 
the “ lessee ” to occupy such part of the premises as was necessary to carry on 
his mining operations, and to use, mine, and extract the minerals therefrom. 
(Lindley on Mines, ed. 3, p. 2134.) 
RESERVE ACREAGE. 
Based on. the United States Geological Survey statistics for 1916, 
natural gas producers in this country carry an average of 313 acres 
r 
i 
V3 
5 
Fig. i.- 
-DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW NATURAL GAS IS REDUCED TO 
POSSESSION. 
