B. B. Lockwood being duly sworn deposes and says:

I reside in Los Angeles County, have resided in the San Fernando Oil District in said Co. about six years. During the last winter, I was at the Pico oil wells almost daily being engaged in hauling water for the California Star Oil Works Company since the company has had possession of those wells on the Pico claim.

I have frequently seen oil running to waste from the wells and have seen it running as far down as three miles from them. About tow and a half or three months ago, I saw a man by the name of Smith, who was in the employ of Mr. McPherson, damming up the oil that was running to waste from the Pico wells at least two miles below them to catch it for fuel on the mountains. The soil through which the oil had to run, in going to waste, was sandy, gravelly soil. There was considerable quantity of oil where Smith was damming it up. It was running at the rate of two or three hundred barrels for twenty four hours.

I have frequently complained to Mentry and Bently, who were in the employ of the Cal. Star Oil Works Co., about the oil running to waste, saying that it would ruin my horse’s legs and my wagon, as I had to cross it frequently in going to the wells.

I know that on some occasions, the California Star Oil Works Co. has only had one man employed at the wells. About a month after I saw Smith damming the oil, I again saw it running down in large quantities about a mile and a half from the well. Bently was near by at the time. When I went to the wells, I inquired why the oil was running to waste and Bently said that something had gotten in the pipe that conducted the oil down the canyon to the tank, which caused it to back and overflow and run to waste.

B. B. Lockwood

June 17, 1878