OKLAHOMA: Oil Man Forever

Year ago Ernest Whitworth Marland, who made and lost many millions in oil, became Governor of Oklahoma. It was a cold January day when he and his young second wife moved into the Governor's Mansion in Oklahoma City.

The Mansion, a handsome hybrid on the northeastern fringe of the capital, was something of a comedown from the magnificent $1,000,000 Marland estate at Ponca City. To make matters worse, before the Marlands moved in, retiring Governor William Henry ("Alfalfa Bill") Murray had had all the grounds ploughed up.

Nevertheless the Governor's Mansion was well removed from that part of town which was ruined by oil derricks when the Oklahoma City field was discovered in 1928. In fact a law forbade oil drilling in that section. Yet one morning last fortnight Governor Marland was awakened by the monotonous tarnp-tamp-tamp of drills sinking a test well in an unprotected area just across the street from his Mansion.

Last week Governor Marland, now 61 and a bit dumpy, buttoned on his overcoat, went out his front door, trudged across the street to see British American Oil Co.'s No. 1 Piersol well. There they were taking oil at the rate of 500 bbl. an hour out of sand 6,000 ft. under the Executive Mansion. Even politics had at last placed Ernest Whitworth Marland on top of an oil dome.