30 University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
sanatorium. Shortly after this a local company was formed, 
consisting of the following business men of Iola: Robert B. 
Stevenson, William H. McClure, W. A. Cowan, George A. 
Bowlus, H. L. Henderson, and others. The object of the com- 
pany was to drill for gas. They were regularly incorporated 
under the laws of Kansas and obtained a charter from the 
city of Iola permitting them to pipe the city for the distribu- 
tion of natural gas for public and private uses. 
The first well this company drilled was located about 1000 
feet southwest of the Acer’s well. They struck the same gas- 
sand found in the Acer’s well and stopped. The flow here 
was very moderate, so that it probably never paid for the 
cost of drilling. Their second venture was near the main 
wagon road leading west from Iola, about midway from the 
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway to the Neosho river. 
They found a little gas here at the same horizon and aban- 
doned it. The third well was put down a short distance south- 
west of where the Lanyon zinc smelter now stands. At the 
proper depth they found the same gas-sand which produced 
the gas in the other two wells and reported that here it 
equaled about 600,000 cubic feet per day—probably too large 
an estimate. Not being satisfied, however, they carried the 
well still deeper and struck a strong flow of salt water, which 
destroyed the well. After this they drilled a fourth well, 
which likewise was located west of the Santa Fe railway 
track and produced nothing of commercial importance. 
About this time they sold their entire interests, city fran- 
chises and all, to Messrs. Paullin & Pryor, and stipulated in 
the contract that the purchasers were to drill at least seven 
wells before they abandoned the field, even though all of them 
should be failures. The first well of the new company was 
located south of the present site of the Northrup lumber- 
yards, on the south side of Madison street and adjoining the 
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe right of way. This was a fail- 
ure also. Well after well was drilled in the western part of 
the town until six out of the seven had been completed, with 
no one of the entire number producing enough gas to pay the 
first cost of drilling. This made an entire number of eleven 
wells which had been drilled with no success. The seventh 
well of the new company, however, was drilled further to 
the southeast, and at 840 feet they struck the gas-sand which 
has been so wonderfully productive in that territory. This 
