 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The Creston Community Christmas party will be Saturday, December 15 at the Creston Community Building. Bring a covered dish for the meal.
The Wirt Oil & Gas Group will hold a meeting at 9 A. M. on Saturday, December 8 at the high school auditorium in Elizabeth to go over the lease. There are already 50,000 acres in the block that is to be offered for Marcellus development. Royalty on the Marcellus is now 20% and bonus figures/acre range from $4,000 and up.
It was learned that the first lateral on the 6 horizontals being drilled at Normantown by Noble on CNX/Consol/Dominion/Mother Hope leases near Normantown in Gilmer County is about done and that the Marcellus has been found to be wet. Earlier the naysayers were telling all who would listen that the high pressure [good stuff] ended to the north of the area, blah, blah, blah. Of course a well record from McDowell County which is much farther south drilled with cable tools in 1931 found a pressure of 2,500 lb. in the Marcellus. Folks need to remember that this is perhaps the largest [definitely the second largest] gas & oil field on the planet and those who pooh pooh matters are out to con someone. Noble Energy paid $7,100/acre for the right to participate in Marcellus drilling on the Rockefeller family leasholds.
A big crowd was on hand for the Creston auction. Those present included Calhoun County Commissioner Bob Weaver and Wirt County Commissioner Robert Lowe, Mr. & Mrs. Jim Bush, Mr. & Mrs. William J. Ward, Jerry Campbell, Vera White, Mr. & Mrs. Delbert Bunner & family and Casper Shuman. The next one is scheduled for January 5th, next year.
Jeremy Ferrell is doing mechanical work on his chariot.
The neighborhood watch was out and about the other evening when a pack of dogs was heard yelping along with what sounded like cries for help from someone being attacked. However, the dogs and the person were not found.
The Wirt road crew was doing berm work on W. Va. 5 in the Creston area. Orders & Haynes has started to move in equipment to tear down the old Annamoriah bridge.
Spencer oil & gas man Harry Clay Boggs, age 84, passed away after an extended illness. He was a local pioneer in deep drilling. He was also active in aviation. Several local folks, over the years, worked for him.
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church and served Holy Communion. He was somewhat laid up as he shot a big deer that did him in dragging it out of the woods.
Governor Earl Ray and his buddies are having problems as state severance tax is down 15% because of the decreased coal production [primarily because of his buddy the big eared one] and the crash in the price of natural gas. It was noted that even with the Marcellus production the price fall has not been overcome. Of course the state apparently isn't aware that the price turned in for most of the gas sales is a fiction as the real sales with the real money is in ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, etc. which sales apparently are unreported. It is expected that coal production will drop 50% within the foreseeable future.
The folks who hold sway down in the swamps along the lower Potomac say they want to raise the tax on "rich people". It was noted by the government people themselves that the proposal to tax the "rich" at the old rate would generate enough money to run the federal government for 8 to 10 days. However, some in the Congress said, "That is just the start. We want fairness and on a world level." Apparently we are to be judged by "brother George" who resides in a Narobi slum on $1/month or some such. Some say "the people spoke" but others note that tour buses took voters from precinct to precinct and perhaps from state to state. Also there was 100% voter turnout in facilities that hold mental patients.
Charles Russell was calling on Parris Parsons, Ray Gumm, Mrs. Tanner and brother Euell over a the Miletree center in Spencer.
One local tobacco grower took his burley to market. The damp weather had allowed the leaves to "get in case". Some years back Bill & Hillary put most local tobacco growers out of business so friends of theirs could bring in tobacco from Brazil.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude oil rose to $89.31/bbl with drip (formerly called Appalachian light sweet) fetching $78.37, Marcellus & Utica light $83.55 and medium $90.81.
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