Montana Oil And Mining Journal

CUT BANK MEN GAMBLE' ON NEW WELL PATTERN
Because oil men are gamblers at heart. Cut Bank field's spacing pattern under the War Production Board rules will be the southeast corner of each 40-acre tract. Unable to agree on a corner. the Cut Bank operators put four slips in a hat, pulled one out and it was the southeast corner. This solved a heated battle in which a majority wanted a north corner designated. The southeast corner was perhaps the least desired of all those who expressed themselves but Dame Fate came to the side of the minority. A proposal that each operator would be allowed to choose a location on each undeveloped 40 acres. so that it came within the limits of spacing between producing wells, was submitted to Washington by Joseph J. Zorichak, assistant production analyst of the OPC Denver office, and Washington rejected the plan. Thus Cut Bank development must proceed with one well in the southeast corner of each undeveloped 40 acres. The meeting held in the Cut Bank courthouse with Zorichak and H. A. Stewart, member of the regional production committee of OPC. voted to ask for this spacing arrangement as against a chance location of the center of the west line. which does not conform with any field spacing plan heretofore used. The committee named included James W. Johnson, J. E. Hupp, P. Postle. R. C. Jeffries, K. D. Pardee, R. A. Kaulberg and F. Henderson. The man who drew the slip from the hat was Dr. J. D. McKenzle of Havre, who hoped for the northwest corner. since he has casing cemented in his well. his first venture in Cut Bank field. in a northwest corner location. As he stirred the four slips in the hat one of them fell to the floor. It was the southeast corner slip. It was put back into the hat and several expressed the hope that it would stay there. After stirring the slips thoroughly, McKenzie drew one. It was the southeast corner. The Cut Bank meeting voted to ask for one exception for the rule, on behalf of Dr. McKenzie. asking that he be allowed to complete his well on the northwest corner, since his casing was cemented before the effect of Order M-68 was known and understood.