Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 1

MAKE OYER Oil discovery in Pen field may indicate large reservoir STAN KAUFMAN time. Mrs. Beverly Champion, a state geologist, said it is what is "a tight hole." This means the producer Mobil Oil wants all information kept confidential until the well is completed and ready for production. Sheconcluded, however, that the new discovery is not connected with the two oil strikes on the Joseph McCluskey property off M-66 McCluskey No. landNo.lA.

A second geologist said that the McCluskey strikes are not producing very good oil. The little information about the possible reservoir comes from Mrs. Marion Reid and her daughter, Miss Shirley Reid, -who live on Gorsline Road. The well was drilled on Mrs. Reid's 96-acre farm at 103O4 Gorsline Road.

"They struck oil," said Mrs. Reid, "But we didn't know about it for several days after-' wards. It was about a week ago. "They told us nothing about it. They (workers) capped the well and pulled out the heavy equipment," Mrs.

Reid said. Her daughter, Shirley, said they "did hit oil somewhere around 3,000 feet." "The geologists were very They didn't say much. Everything about the discovery was very guarded. We heard nothing but know they hi tthe oil after a week of drilling. Now the derrick is gone and the well is rapped.

"I also heard that other oil companies are trying to buy up mineral rights in this neighborhood," Miss Reid said. A search of the records in the Calhoun County Register of Deeds office in Marshall disclosed that Mobil Oil has oil leases on several thousand acres of land. The leases cover properties from Bedford Township east to Clarence and Sheridan townships. The leases at $10 per acre are for five or 10 years. leases call for the prop-( erty owner to get one-eighth of the proceeds from all hydrocarbons oil or natural gas extracted from the ground at the prevailing price at the well head.

Teledyne Corp. of Houston, is in the area preparing seismic graphs of the underground reservoir. The result of the geological exploration is being kept secret. One worker said that "all we do is make the seismic graphs and send them to Houston for analysis." He also refused to identify the client for whom the graphs are being made, but one source identified the client as the Mobil Oil Co, A Mobil spokesman at the company's Mason office refused to give any specifics about the well. E.D.

Terrell said that "probably nothing will be said from here until all the testing is done and the Mobil Oil drilled the McCluskey wells but turned over the rights to Cotton Petroleum and the Sullivan both of Tulsa, Okla. Mobil gets a one-sixteenth royalty from the oil taken from the wells. A state geologist said the De partment of Natural Resources is anxious to learn the results of the testing. The DNR sets proration rates for the production of a new well field. Mrs.

Champion, the geologist, said the number of wells permitted would vary per 40. 80 or 160 acres, depending on the reservoir pressure, "so as to not hurt the reservoir." The McCluskey wells are producing a "heavy oil and are not very good a state geologist said. He said that 1.279 barrels of oil were taken from the McCluskey No. 1A in December. Only 14525 barrels were taken in November and 252 in October by Cotton Petroleum.

A DNR geologist said that energy crisis makes the new-found oil much more important because Michigan requires a tremendous amount of fuel. To meet 1973 needs. Michigan imported 47 million barrels of 6il last year 19 million from Canada and the remainder had to be shipped here from Texas, Louisiana or Oklahoma. The geologist said there is some thinking in Lansing that Gov. William Milliken would seek legislation to keep all oil produced in the state for use in Michigan and prohibit any export to other states.

A new oil discovery inPenn- Township might be a good strike and as valuable as the oil field discovered 15 years ago south of Albion. The Albion-Scipio field has yielded more than 100 million barrels of oil Expectations are hieh that the Marion Reid No. 1 oil well on Go rs line Road might reveal a large reservoir of oil in northern Calhoun County. Mobil Oil theowner, isn't talking about theresult. pure guess about the quality of the oiL The state has no information about the well at this NEW! Study shows $750,000 needed for safe roads ENQUIRER AND battle creek 15 cents Serving South Central Michigan Thursday, Jan.

31,1974 ireso ixo in ws he n't Jin), i out Dimes 10-poinflisf of goals at LaVista Boulevard. North Avenue at Morgan Road. E. Emmett Street at N. Raymond Road.

Michigan Avenue at 1-Mile Road and at 15-Mile Road. In most instances the traffic safety survey recommends widening of roads and improvement of signs and street markings. The safety division presented copies of the 534-page study to county and city officials at the meeting. In addition to recommendations, the study incorporates work sheets prepared by the survey staff indicating conditions of roads and signing in the county. The system in Calhoun County includes 156.91 miles of state trunkline, 507.13 miles of county primary roads and 929.52 miles of county local roads.

The road safety survey excluded the cities in the county. Joseph L. Meszaros of the traffic and safety division said the aim of the report is to develop engineering capabilities with local expertise to make the roadways safer. Meszaros said 68 per cent of the state's 1972 accidents TheMichigan Department of State Highways, after a one-year study, reported Wednesday that more than 1750,000 should be be spent to make primary roads in Calhoun County safer. The department's traffic and safety division surveyed county roads and then evaluated conditions before issuing recommendations for corrective measures.

The E. Columbia Avenue-Main Street intersection was called the most dangerous among the 13 high-accident locations indicated by the report. The intersection had 101 accidents in 1972, the study year. Columbia Avenue between Main Street and 20 th Street was the most dangerous stretch of road in the county, according to the traffic safety report Seven of the 13 high accident locations in the county are on Columbia Avenue. The other hazardous Colum bia intersections are 20th Street, Riverside Drive, Grand Boulevard.

Arbor Street. La-Vista Boulevard and Woodrow Avenue. Other intersections singled out were: Territorial Road at 20th and President says peace will be his legacy crtK AkXi b4 ft liVr- Energy chief says it's too early to raise gasoline production WASHINGTON (AP) Vowing never to resign. President Nixon has given a qualified pledge in his State of the Union address to cooperate with House impeachment investigators. Nixon's promise came in a dramatic finale to the Wednesday night speech delivered to a packed joint session of Congress and to millions listening and watching across the nation.

But he said his cooperation would have to be tempered by his presidential responsibilities, a remark that drew skeptical comments from some Democrats. Declaring that "one year of Watergate is enough," Nixon called on the Democratic-controlled Congress to join him in making 1974 "a year of unprecedented progress" in accomplishing a 10-point agenda of national goals. He called for action to "break the back of the energy crisis" and said he was sending Congress major proposals in the fields of health insurance and welfare reform. He promised action to safeguard personal privacy, a proposal that produced audible snickers from some Democratic lawmakers. He said Arab leaders will meet soon to consider li t-ing their oil embargo and he disclosed his proposed federal budget would total $304.4 billion, with increased defense spending but no new taxes.

Nixon drew one of his biggest cheers of the night when he declared that a lasting peace is "the chief legacy I hope to leave from the eight years of my presidency He combined revisions of previous proposals and some new ones in the 10-point program, which he called "an agenda of truly significantprogress." It also included a pledge that there will be no recession, continued efforts toward a settlement in the Middle East, continued efforts toward his goal of American self-sufficiency in by 1980, decentralization of government, increased transportation aid to communities and reform of the federal educational aid system. Nixon launched his Watergate remarks, delivered without a text, after it appeared he had finished his speech. He declared he wanted to end on a personal note. Stating he had cooperated with the Watergate special prosecutor, Nixon said "the time has come" to end that and other investigations. When he asserted that "one year of Watergate is enough," virtually every Republican in the chamber rose to his feet, and most applauded vigorously.

Sen. Edward W. Brooke, who has urged Nixon to resign, stayed seated. Noting the House Judiciary Committee probe, he said: "I want to indicate on this occasion that I will cooperate with the Judiciary Committee in its investigation. "I will cooperate so it can conclude its investigation, make its decision, and I will cooperate in any way that I consider consistent with mv responsibilities for the office of the presidency of the United States," he added.

He said he will follow the precedent of past presidents "of never doing anything that weakens the Office of the President of the United States or impairs the ability of the presidents of the future to make the great decisions that are so essential to this nation and the world." Noting he had been elected President "for the purpose of doing a job and doing it as well as I possibly can," he said, "I want you to know that I have no intention whatever of every walking away from the job that the people elected me to do for the people of the United Sta tes Along with the Republicans, seated to the President's left as he faced the chamber, the most vigorous applause came from Cabinet members seated in front and the President's family and top a ide Alexander M. Haig seated in a front row gallery. Temperature hits record high in city Nixon receives By TheAssociatedPress Energy chief William E. Simon says it's still too early to step up gasoline production, although stocks of crude oil are creeping upward. In another three weeks, it would be safe to decide whether to increase gasoline production in anticipation of summer travel.

Simon said Wednesday. Gasoline production has been cut back to allow for increased production of fuel oil. Simon made his comments shortly before the American Petroleum Institute (API) its wee1 oil statistics reporting that imports for last week increased 3 per cent API also said crude oil stocks had leveled off, ending a steep decline, while jet fuel stocks rose and distillate oil and residual oilstocks declined slightly. In other energy-related matters: Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter charged the major oil companies and the Nixon administration conspired to impose cost increases of up to 410 per cent for bottled gas.

Rep. Charles B. Rangel, said while the oil com panies were supposed tobe preparing for the energy crisis they were spending at least half as much money on advertising as they were on research. New regulations limiting price increases on propane gas were announced by Simon. A Senate subcommittee' was told by two tax experts that multinational oil companies pay little or no U.S.

tax on profits earned abroad. Witnesses before the Senate Foreign relations subcommittee on multinational corporations questioned whether oil company payments to foreign governments for oil production should be treated as taxes instead of royalties. Subcommittee Chairman Frank Church, D-Idaho, said the decision in 1950 to allow the payments to be deducted from U.S. taxes wasmade by U.S. ficials without approval.

The Edison Electric. Institute said Americans used about 1 per cent less electricity in the first four weeks of 1974 than they did in the sameperiod lastyear. (TurntoA-2) Cooperation pledge hailed, blasted A Some say if's sufficient, others call it meaningless By Combined Wire Services President Nixon's pledge of cooperation to settle Watergate and the House impeachment inquiry has drawn praise from Republicans but open skepticism from some Democrats. "I honestly think the President was trying to get sympathy from the public," House Democratic Leader Thomas P. O'Neill Jr.

said after the President' nationally broadcast State of the Union address Wednesday night. O'Neill contended 'that the President's pledge to cooper-; ate with the House impeachment inquiry was in fact just the opposite because of Nixon's condition that he would do noth- ing to weaken the presidency. "It looked to me like he was directly challenging Congress." O'Neill said. lMd(To Union message. (UPI Photo) Said Vice President Gerald R.

Ford: "It was a great State of the Union speech." Did he like the remarks on Watergate? "It was a great speech," Ford repeated. But along with such high praise from Republicans and several Democrats, the President' address also drew criticism. "The President's address tonight reflected more the state of his mind than the state of the union," said Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey, D-Minn.

Rep. Henry Reuss, said Nixon's address had "an air of Some other reactions from key senators and congressmen: Sen. Edward W. Brooke, who has called for Nix-' on's resignation: "I regret his statement that Watergate has been with us a year and should be gotten behind us. "In my opinion, Watergate will end when all of the guilty (TurntoA-2) THE STATE OF d1 This Week's Winning Numbers: 655 186 'Bonus Numbers: 884 977 greetings from congressmen Related State of the Union stories on A-3.

But Chairman Peter W. Ro-dino of the House Judiciary Committee, conducting the impeachment inquiry, said he interpreted Nixon's remarks as offering cooperation "with certain limitations." And Rep. Joe D. Waggoner of Louisiana, a leader of House Southern Democrats, said he thought Nixon's one limitation on his impeachment inquiry cooperation pledge was ''totally satisfactory. "I think the man's got a responsibility to govern," Wag-gonner said, "and he damn sure can't do it if he says, 'Come in snoopers and see if you can't find something Senate Republican Leader Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania of Allentown, Pa.

Four Youngstown, Ohio, food suppliers said their trucks weren't moving, preventing food deliveries to 450 area gro-' eery stores. Steelmakers there also said they were unable to ship by truck. Groups of about 200 independent truckers blocked service station pumps or parked at truck stops in several states as part of the protest movement, and other groups met to decide after finishing his State of the called the President's address "complete, comprehensive and conciliatory." House Republican Leader -John J. Rhodes of Arizona said he believed the President's ad-, dress would set a new tone for the nation. "I think it will get people to thinking about solutions for the future instead of concentrating on problems of the past," Rhodes said.

The Nixon family was all smiles as they watched rom an executive gallery while the President delivered his address. Spokesmen said Mrs. Nixon was "radiantly happy" over the reception given the President With Mrs. Nixon were daugh- ters Julie and Tricia and their husbands David Eisenhower and Edward Cox. whatcourse they would pursue.

Militant truckers are pro- testing high fuel prices and oth-eroilandfuel-relatedissues. A spokesman said the driv-. ers were members of the Na- tional Association of Indepen-dent Truck Owners and Operators and would stay at the truck stops "until we get what we want" A driver named Bobby Kelly said: i VWe can't continue like this (TurntoA-2) Trucker killed in Pennsylvania when rock smashes windshield date was 44 degrees in 1952. But by" 10 a.m., the temperature for the area had dipped into the 30s. The temperature readings will continue downward throughout today as a cold front moves in from the northwest.

Tonight a low of 10 degrees is forecast and Friday the temperature is expected to be in the teens. If you woke up late this morning, you probably won't believe that Battle Creek registered its highest all-time temperature for this date today. The last of this January's thaw was ushered out with a record 45-degree high at 8 a.m., a time when most people were too groggy eyed to appreciate it. The previous high for this The Michigan House has passed a major consumer protection bill which defines unfair trade practices and provides the attorney general with the power to seek court injunctions to halt the practices. The bill would also allow class action suits.

D-8. Murray M. Chotiner. long-time friend and mentor to President Nixon, died Wednesday at the age of 64. D-2.

Workmen have begun knocking down trees along Duck Lake Road near Albion to allow the roadway to be widened. But environmental-minded residents could take heart that their action had saved many trees which otherwise would have been lost. D- United Auto Workers President Leonard Woodcock, in response to the auto industry's huge unemployment difficulties, has proposed that Congress should impose temporary quotas on imports of foreign-built autos. B-3. Comics D-7 Sports V-.

Deaths B-7 Television A-8 Editorials s' AS Women's News By The Associated Press Pennsylvania authorities said a truck driver was killed early today after a large rock-was thrown through the windshield of his truck. On the edges of Ohio, truckers said they were staying out of the state in fear of the violence and vandalism which has marked a trucker shutdown. Police said the unidentified trucker was killed when his rig left US-22 about 20 miles west Pan Am jet crashes on Samba NEW YORK (AP) A Pan American World Airways jet with 101 persons aboard crashed short of the runway at Pago Pago. Samoa, today and caught fire, the airline reported.here. An undetermined numberof survivors were token out of the wreckage of the 707 jet, a Pan American spokesman said.

The plahe was bound for Los Angeles from Auckland, New Zealand, with stops at Pago Pago and Hawaii. It hit the ground about 1,000 yards short of the international airport on the American island, he Colder tonight, low near 10 to lower teens. Details on B-7..