The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 14, Ed. 1 Monday, May 16, 1960 Page: 1 of 8
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The Winkler County News
Weather
FAA Official Figures
Wink Airport
High Low
P
Published Twice Weekly—Head Daily
(Member Associated Press)
Friday, May 13 104
Saturday, May 14 105
Sunday, May 15 97
Monday, May 16
(7 a.m.) 77
Vol. 24—No. 14
Classified Ads on Page 4
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas
Of FBI MAN HERE—Francis E. Crosby (left) looks
at program for FBI police training school which con-
cluded here last week. Looking at the program with
him is Kermit Police Chief Bill Pence. A number of
4$ officers from Kermit and surrounding communities
* attended the week-long school. (News Staff Photo)
Traffic Checks
Prod Seekers
Of Driver Tests
Highway Patrolman Tommy
Brown has a way of seeing to
it plenty of customers show
up each Wednesday and Fri-
day at the drivers’ license head-
quarters on the second floor of
the courthouse.
On Tuesday afternoon, Brown
has patrol duties to do single-
handed while E. C. Locklear,
the other patrolman, is off duty.
Brown stations his patrol car
on one of the highways and pro-
ceeds to spot-check for drivers’
licenses. Nobody knows who
will be next to have the patrol-
man stop him and ask, “May
I see your drivers’ license,
please?”
Even though there’s a pretty
stiff fine for failure to have a
license, the two patrolmen say
that a surprisingly large num-
ber . of drivers either have no
license at all or they have al-
lowed their license to lapse.
The word gets around that a
drivers’ check is being made,
Brown says, with the result
that when John Line shows up
on Wednesdays and Fridays,
his office is jammed with peo-
ple wanting to take the tests.
Line is tester for this area.
Checks are not made every
week, but last Tuesday was one
of the days when Patrolman
Brown did his spot checking.
Monday, May 16, 1960
Three Kermit Men Burned
F atally
Oilfield Accident
County Court Term
To Open; Jury Listed
May term of County Court is
to open Monday with the jury
scheduled to report at 10
o’clock, County Judge W. E.
Cook announced Saturday.
First case scheduled for trial
will be that of Clarence Alvin
Pearson, charged with operat-
ing a motor vehicle while intox-
icated, to be followed by the
first civil case set for the term.
The civil case is titled Earnest
S. Gruben vs. The American
Hospital and Life Insurance
Co.
At a docket-setting recently,
two pleas of guilty were made.
Bennie Dee Wyatt pleaded guil-
ty to a charge of speeding and
the
71/1 art in
^yVlanner
BY RAY MARTIN
You’ve probably read, as I
have, that Wasington, D. C. is
the most carefully planned city
in the Nation. Way back when
the Nation’s capital was estab-
lished in Washington, they laid
out the city on an intricate pat-
tern, and then hewed to the
plan, with Pennsylvania Av-
enue as the1 center.
Even parks, drives, lakes-
everything was prearranged in
that way-back-yonder plan. It’s
remarkable that those early
planners had the vision to see
Washington growing into a city.
A few other cities have tried
the same program, but usually
(phey were too late. There al-
ready were too many houses,
too many ill-planned streets, too
many ugly spots, and by the
*|ime they got around to design-
ing a city' they would like, it
was already hopelessly bogged
down in its own haphazard be-
ginning.
Now Kermit has an oppor-
tunity to look at least as far
ahead as 1980. It is working
out its own future while it is
still a relatively small place. It
has hired an engineering firm,
familar with all the minute de-
tails that go into the making
of a city, to do the actual plan-
ning.
Two of those phases which
eventually will be Kermit of the
future have been explained,
and Yours Truly has sat in on
both. It seems odd when you
sit and look at a map to see
roads, by-passes, even super
highways that are literally in
Ap sticks, far beyond the pres-
et boundaries of Kermit.
^The engineers, in pointing out
Kermit of the future, referred
to certain spots as “a caliche
pit at present,” or “you will
recognize this area as a mes-
quite grove.” Things like that.
And some of the spots which
they see as future Kermit are
(Continued on Page 3)
Buffalo Ready to Test Re-Entry
Project in South Winkler County
BY JAMES C. WATSON
News Oil Writer
Buffalo Petroleum Corpor-
ation is preparing to potential
their No. 1 Sealy-Smith Foun-
dation, re-entered project in
South Winkler County.
On pump test, the wildcat
made 33 barrels of new oil and
127 barrels of water in 20 hours,
through upper Clear Fork per-
forations from 5,570 to 5,630
feet.
Originally drilled by Sunray
Mid-Continent Oil Company to
10,890 feet and plugged, the
project is one mile northwest
of the one-well Paladin pool,
15 miles southeast of Kermit
and 660 feet from south and
east lines of section 31, block
A, G&MMB&A survey.
Richardson & Bass of Mid-
land and Fort Worth will at-
tempt to complete a San Andres
producer at No. 5-D-C J. B.
Walton, on the northeast side
of the multipay Keystone field
in North Winkler County.
vonian producer from pay above Jion 40, block 34, H&TC survey.
8,567 feet. It is 660 feet from
west lines of section 3, block
B-2, psl survey and eight miles
east of Kermit. There is no
San Andres production in the-
vicinity.
Standard Oil Company of Tex-
as will drill No. 19-BC W. E.
Baird in the Keystone (Clear
Fork) field. The 5,400-foot test
is 1,905 feet from south and 660
feet from west lines of section
19, block B-3, psl susrvey, four
miles *udv. IMlSt ol Kermit.
Felmont Oil Corporation has
staked their No. 4 Hendrick in
the Hendrick field five miles
west of Kermit. Location is
2,310 feet from south and 330
New Mexico
The Ohio Oil Company com-
pleted an extra-large volume
gas-condensate producer at No.
1 Andrew Arnquist, North Eddy
County exploration.
It reported a calculated ab-
solute open flow of 545,000,000
cubic feet of gas per day with
a gas-condensate ratio of ap-
proximately 100,000-1. The pro-
duction is from perforated zones
in the Bend section of the Penn-
sylvanian at 9,060-9,084
and 9,092-9,120 feet.
The well is six miles south
of Artesia and approximately
one-half mile northwest of
Ohio’s No. 1 Nix, opener for
was assessed a $25 fine and
costs and 15 days in jail. Clif-
ford Perdue, charged with driv-
ing an automobile while intoxi-
cated, also pleaded guilty and
was assessed a $50 fine and
costs and three days in jail.
Prospective jurors drawn for
the County Court term are as
follows:
From Kermit—D. L. Handlin,
John C. Stovall, Mrs. H. E.
Odom, Mrs. A. B. Atwood,
Steve Baldwin, Sam A. Cates,
B. A. Darrow, W. H. Watson,
E. A. Everest, Mrs. John P.
Gammill, D. O. Gray, James
Lipham, Ruth Clayton, C. W.
Wright, P. B. Scott, B. M.
Stodghill, Frank Taylor and
Mrs. John S. Rogers.
From Wink—Lane Newbert,
Lee E. Norman, Mrs. S. B. Nor-
ris, Mrs. Christine Ogle, E. T
Pendleton and F. M. Roark
• }
m v
feet from west lines of section Bend gas-condensate produc-
32, block 26, psl survey. Con-
tract depth is 3,200 feet.
Pickett & Lattimore have
completed their No. 1 Edwards
as a flowing well in the upper
Permian pay in the Leek field.
The test flowed 20 barels of
37.8-gravity oil and no water,
through a 16-64-inch choke in
This operation is an old De- 24 hours through perforation
from 2,974-2,984 feet and 3,016-
3,028 feet.
Gas-oil ratio measured 2,825-1
with tubing pressure being 200
pounds and casing pressure be-
ing 500 pounds.
Location is 330 feet from
south and east lines of section
5, block C-23, psl survey, nine
miles north of Kermit.
Pan American Petroleum
Corporation plugged at 9,521
feet their No. 15-D E. E. Brown
two miles south of Kermit. Lo-
cation was 660 feet from south
and west lines of section 6,
block B-5, psl survey.
John L. Harlan Trustee No.
20 W. H. Martin has been com-
pleted as a pumping well in
the Ward, North (Estes) field
in North Ward County.
The well pumped 42.87 bar-
rels of 36-gravity oil, 39 per
cent water, on a 24-hour poten-
tial through casing perforation
from 2,428 to 2,466 feet which
were fractured with 30,000 gal-
lons of water. Location is 990
feet from southwest and 2,310
feet from southeast lines of sec-
Democrats Name
State Delegates
Winkler County Democrats
have selected Ellis Summers
and C. M. Chastain, Kermit,
and Tom Lineberry, northwest
of Kermit, as delegates to the
State Democratic convention
in Austin June 14.
Alternates named are Tommy
Smead, Elby Choate and L. L.
Young, all of Kermit.
All were named at the Demo-
cratic County convention held
in the Winkler County Court-
house Saturday. O. M. Work,
who was selected as perma-
nent chairman, said about 15
Democrats attended the brief
session. Charlie Ogle, Wink,
was named permanent secre-
tary.
Work said the delegates will
go to the State convention un-
instructed and will vote under
the unit rule.
tion in that area. It reported
a calculated absolute open flow
of approximately 11,100,000 cu-
bic feet daily.
The Ohio No. 1 Arnquist-
State is 1,650 feet from north
and west lines of section 29-18s-
26e.
Union Oil Company of Cali-
fornia No. 1-33 Union - State,
WestLea County wildcat, flowed
oil on drillstem test in the Wolf-
camp and was preparing to
core more hole.
The test was taken in the in-
terval from 9,798 to 9,856 feet.
(Continued on Page 7)
Absentee Voting
To Start Today
Absentee voting starts® today
(Monday) for the second Demo-
cratic primary June 4, Eddie
Mae Mosley, County Democrat
ic secretary, said Saturday.
Voting will be done at the
County Clerk’s office in the
courthouse afty time between
feet today and May 31.
Only four names are to ap-
pear on the county ballot. D.
Leon Nutt will face Perry (P.
W.) Williams for Democratic
nomination for County Com-
missioner, Precinct 1, while Os-
car Warren and W. L. (Puny)
Etheredge are seeking the Con-
stable’s nomination in Precincts
4, 3 and 1.
County convention was held
Saturday, and the State Execu-
tive Committee is to meet in
Austin Tuesday to canvass first
primary returns.
STUDY MASTER PLAN—Engineer Kenneth Esmond, Odessa, left, explains
the proposed sewer system which his engineering firm recommends as part of Ker-
mit’s long-range Master Plan. The map is being pointed out to Gilbert Phillips,
president of the Kebmit School Board. The schools are one of the four participat-
ing agencies co-operating in the Master Plan study. Second phase, drainage and
sewage, was explained at a dinner here Thursday night. (News Staff Photo).
City Needs Drainage,
Sewers, Experts Tell
Master Plan Backers
The City of Kermit, looking Master Plan, and was explained had been considered, as well
to a population minimum of
22,500 by 1980, faces a prob-
lem with its drainage and sew-
er system that may eventually
cost as much as $255,900 to
solve, engineers from the Ken-
neth E. Esmond & Associates
engineering firm told City,
County, School and Chamber of
Commerce officials at a dinner
here Thursday night.
The drainage-sewer program
is the second step in the city’s
Kermit Jaycees Set Membership
Campaign; Jim Stephen Chairman
Former Kermit
Girl Injured
Katherine Ern Woltz, 17, a
Seminole High School junior,
was seriously injured in a two-
car crash Saturday, about a
mile east of Seminole on U. S.
Highway 180.
A 49-year-old Seminole man,
Thomas Medford Morris, driver
of the second car, was pro-
nounced dead on arrival at the
Seminole hospital.
Miss Woltz, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Seth Woltz, former
Kermit residents, was rushed to
Lubbock Memorial Hospital for
specialist treatment of a severe
compound leg fracture.
Miss Woltz is the niece of
Mrs. G. E. Thompson.
Plans for a membership drive
were discussed briefly Wednes-
day night, May 11, at a meet-
ing of the Kermit Junior Cham-
ber of Commerce. The meet-
ing was held at the Permian
Savings and Loan building at
8 p.m.
Don Handlin, president of the
group, announced the planned
membership drive and appoint-
ed Jim Stephen as general
chairman of the committee.
Ken Mays, Kermit High
School baseball coach, spoke to
the group briefly about his Yel-
low Jacket team and next year’s
prospects. He also explained
the operation of his unique sig-
nal chart.
In other business, the group
voted to play the 20-30 Club in
a donkey baseball game some-
time in July. Bill Terry, presi-
dent of te 20-30 group, was on
hand for the ball game dis-
cussion.
In announcing the start of
the membership campaign, Han-
dlin said any young man be-
tween the ages of 21 and 35
is eligible to join.
“If a Jaycee doesn’t contact
you,” he added, “just come on
down to a meeting. Jaycees
meet every Wednesday, 8 p.m.,
at the Permian Savings and
Loan Building.”
Among activities presently
underway by the local group
are the erection of a baseball
diamond and park at the west
end of Austin Street and a
carnival.
The -carnival, to be held here
July 28-30, it is hoped will pro-
vide funds for building the park
and other projects of the group,
Handlin said.
at considerable length to the
officials. First phase dealt
with roads, streets and possible
housing developments and was
unfolded at a similar session
March 1 this year.
The drainage and sewer
problem, Esmond told the group,
“should be started now before
the city has grown until it will
be virtually impossible to pro-
cure land for drainage and
sewer projects.”
City Too Level
He said the problem here is
heightened greatly by the “al-
most level” contour of the land,
which makes disposal of both
rainwater and sewage a major
problem.
The engineers had made a
complete check of natural
drainage facilities, and said
of the two — drainage and
sewer — drainage offers “far
greater problems.” They point-
ed out that much of the north-
side drainage is into a man-
made pit, but that with addi-
tional growth to the north,
which can be expected to oc-
cur, we do not believe the pres-
ent system will be sufficient in
case of flash floods.”
The engineers, with Wade
Howell as spokesman for the
organization, said several ways
of handling the northside drain-
age problem had been consid-
ered, including a vast under-
ground conduit system which
would flush the water to the
southwest onto naturally lower
areas. A large extension of the
present basin in the north also
as an open channel ditch from
the north side to the southwest.
The sandy soil, however, does
not lend itself to an open ditch
type of structure.
Inverted Crown' Streets
Still another means of elim-
inating northside water prob-
lems during heavy rains or
snow thaws would be to use in-
yerted crown paving of streets
along the west side of the town.
“During the greater part of
the year,” Howell told the of-
ficials, “these streets would be
merely nice thoroughfares and
completely usable at all times
except during flash floods. At
such times, they would carry
too much water to permit auto-
mobile travel, but this would be
only for a matter of an hour or
so. For this reason, we offer
this as the most practical
means of solving the drainage
problem for much of the north
and northwest side of town.”
He also recommended en-
larging the existing pit on the
northside of town or acquiring
another one in the same area.
“This pit,” he explained, “can
handle much of the water which
accumulates during exception-
ally heavy rains, and thus pre-
vent flooding, but a means of
draining the pit or handling the
overflow must be considered.
That is our reason for recom-
mending inverted-crown streets
along the west side.”
Eastern Area Problems
Still another major problem
in drainage occurs in the far
(Continued on Page 3)
.Three Kermit men are dead
:as a result of a butane
explosion and fire at 4:30 Fri-
day afternoon at a Leather-
wood Drilling Co. rig south of
Eunice N. M.
The dead:
Gilbert I. Widner, 39, who
lived on Highway 302.
Rudy W. Hood, 49, of 510
Magnolia.
William F. Turner, 35, who
died at 3 p.m. Saturday at Lea
general Hospital, Hobbs, N.M.
He lived at 432 South Tornillo.
Leatherwood officials said the
fire and explosion apparently
resulted when a butane line be-
tween two butane engines broke
as the three men were attempt-
ing to start one of the engines.
All three climbed over the en-
gines and jumped into the mud
pit to extinguish their blazing
clothes.
All were taken to a hospital in
Eunice. Widner died at 2 a.m.
Saturday and Hood an hour
earlier. Turner later was taken
to Lea General Hospital in
Hobbs.
The driller, James G. (Fluff)
Mills, suffered minor burns but
was released after emergency
treatment.
Funeral services for Hood,
who had lived in Kermit for
two years, will be held at
Chickasha, Okla., probably
Tuesday. The body is being
taken to Oklahoma by a Hixson
Funeral Home ambulance.
Survivors, in addition to his
wife, Alidee, are one son, Willis
LaVaughn Hood, Kermit; three
daughters, Loretta Whitten,
Canadian, Texas; Mrs. James
(Delores) Gilliam, Kermit, and
Vela Hood, of the home address
and his mother, Mrs. Naoma
Hood, Cement, Okla.
Funeral services for Widner
will be held at Hixson Funeral
Home chapel at 3 p.m. Mon-
day, conducted by Rev. Clif
McDougal, pastor of Berean
Baptist Church. Burial will be
in Kermit Cemetery with Hix-
son in charge of arrangements.
Widner, who had lived in Ker-
mit for 10 years, was born at
Clarksville, Texas, July 13, 1920.
Survivors include his wife,
Edna Earl Widner; two sons,
Clinton and Wayne; two daugh-
ters, Carol Sue and Joyce Marie,
all of the home address; his
mother, Mrs. Onlie Widner, four
brothers and three sisters.
Widner was a veteran of
World War II.
Funeral services for Turner
will be held at 10 a.m. Tues-
day at Northside Baptist
Church with the Rev. Mr. Boze-
man of Frankel City conducting
and burial will be in Kermit
Cemetery with Hixson Funeral
Chapel in charge of arrange-
ments.
Turner, who was born in
Ozona, Sept. 11, 1925, had lived
most of his life in the Kermit-
Wink areas and was a veteran
of World War II, serving in the
Marines. He was a member of
the Baptist Church.
Turner is survived by his
widow, Mrs. Carolyn Turner,
Kermit; two sons, William
Floyd Turner Jr., and Mack
Lynn Turner, Kermit; two
daughters, Patricia Ann Turner
and Carroll Ann Turner, Kdk*-
mit; a brother, two sisters and
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
liam Turner, Wink.
Kermit Senior and Junior High School Bands Make
BAND CONCERT — Ker-
mit High School bands are
getting all set for their annual
concert, to be staged in the
High School auditorium next
Tuesday night at 8 o’clock.
Left is the Senior High Band,
recognized as one of the out-
standing school musical or-
ganizations in the Southwest.
And at right is the Kermit
Junior High School Band, an-
other prize-winning group,
The two bands, directed by
G. T. Gilligan and Richard
Thomas, both recently won
sweepstakes awards at the
Odessa area contests. (Photos
by Sorrells.).
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Martin, Ramon. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 14, Ed. 1 Monday, May 16, 1960, newspaper, May 16, 1960; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth886231/m1/1/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Winkler County Library.