Bulletin No. 282 A> Economic

B) Descriptive Geplogy) 85

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

OIL FIELDS OF THE TEXAS-LOUISIANA 

GULF COASTAL PLAIN

BY

M.

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1906

CONTENTS.

Pvige.

Introduction...;........................................................... 9

Acknowledgments..................................................... 9

Previous knowledge of the region......................................... ] 0

Topography of the Gulf Coastal Plain..............:. .I......................... 11

Rel i ef ................................. .^............................. 12

Drainage............................................................. 12

Timber............................................................... 12

Geology of the Gulf Coastal Plain........................................... 13

Description of sediments............................................... 13

Stratigraphy ........._... ............................................. 13

Difficulty of correlation............................................ 13

Fossils.......:......................-....-...-....-....-......... 13

Kennedy's general section........................................... 15

The mounds................................................'........... 16

. Formations .............................................. .^. .\.... 16

Relative positions of formations..................................... 17

Spindletop field............... ^........................................... 18

Topography.......................................................... 18

Area................................................................. 18

Surface indications and first drilling......................:.............. IS

Well sections. .'...........I...............................'............. 19

Sedimentary formations above the oil.................................... 24

Sands............................................................ 24

Gravel........................................................... 24

Limestone........................................................ 25

Shell beds...........................'............................. 25

Clays....'....................................................... 25

Lack of continuity............. '................................... 26

Age of beds........................................................ 26

Rocks closely associated with the oil............................... ^..... 26

Porous limestone .................................................... 26

Formation between oil horizons..................................... 28

Formation beneath the oil rock........ '. ............................ 28

Sulphur.......................................................... 29

Gypsum.......................................................... 30

Rock salt.......................................................... 31

Pyrite........................................................... 31

Position of the oil................................................. 31

Generalized column............................................'.... 32

Geologic structure .................................................... 33

Two or more oil horizons ........................................... 33

Depths and dips of the oil rock...................................... 34

Dimensions of the dome.............................................' 35

Structure beyond the limits of the dome..............-....'............ 36

3
4 . CONTENTS.

Spindletop field Continued. Page.

Gas......................................'..._..........._..._'........ 36

From above the oil.._.............../.........._.................. 36

From the horizon of the oil......................................... ' 36

Salt water ............................................................ 37

Production........................................................... 37

Quantity of oil............................................. '....... 38

Character of the oil................................................ 38

Sour'Lake field............................................................ 38

Surface indications and history.......................................... 38_

First observed evidence of oil....................................... 38

Early exploitation................................................. 38

Beginning of production.....................'....................... 39

Topography.......................................................... . 39

Geologic formations.................................................... 40

Well sections..................................................... 40

Coastal Plain sediments ........'..................... .^.............. 42

Porous limestone.................................................. 42

Formation below the limestone...................................... 43

Gypsum.......................................................... 43

Rock salt..:...................................................... 43

Pyrite..........:...............'................................ 43

Structure............................................................. 43

The sedimentary formations.............................:........... 43

Structure indicated by the porous limestone..._._....'_.__..____.___._ 44

Inferences......................................................... 44

Nature of the limestone............................................ 45

Occurrence of the oil .................................................... 45

Classification of wells.............................................. 45

. Wells in the limestone............................ .'L................ 45

Wells in the sand.................................................. 46

Salt water............................................................ 46

Regular advance.................................................. 46

Irregular advance..............................J.................. 46

Hot water ........................................................ 47

Gas.................................. ............................... 47

Production........................................................... 47

Number of wells........................... J......................:. 47

Quaiatity of oil.................................................... 47

Character of the oil................................................. 48

Batsbn field............................................................... 48

History...........................;...................-.............. 48

Location and topography............................................... 48

Limits of the field..................................................... 49

Geologic formations ................................................... 49

Well sections ...................................................... 49

Sediments...................... J. 1 ............................... 52

Porous limestone................................................... 52

Sulphur, pyrite, gypsum, and salt ..................................... 53

Formation below the porous limestone............................... 53

Structure...........................-......-..--.---.--.--...-.--.....- 53

Depths and dips of the limestone.........................:.......... 53

A higher porous limestone............:.................-........... 54

Summary........................................................ 54
CONTENTS. 5

Batson field Continued. Page.

Occurrence of the oil............................^...................... 55

In the limestone ................................................... 55.

In the sands...................................................... 55

Salt water and gas..................................................... 55

Horizon of salt water.............................................. 55

Advance of salt water.............................................. . 55

Relations of gas, oil, and water...................................... 55

Hot water........................................................ 56

Production........................................................... 56

Number of wells. ..............^.. .\............................... 56

.Quantity of oil ..................................................... 56

Character of the oil................................................. 56

Saratoga field............................................................. 57

History and surface indications ......................................... 57

Similarity to other fields.................................. 1........ 57

Recent development................................... 1........... 57

Location and topography........................................... 57

Geologic formations..............."...................................., 58

Source of information...................................:.......... 58

Sand and gravel................................................... 58

Limestone........................................................ 58

Zones............................................................ 58

Occurrence of the oil.................................................... 60

Depths........................................................... 60

Gas and blow-outs................................................. 60'

Water............................................................ 62

Development and production........................................... 62

Dimensions of the field .......................... ....:.............. 62

Amount produced ................................................... 62

Character of the oil................................................ 62

Matagorcla field........................................................... 63

Location J........................:................................... 63

Geologic formations.... I............................................... 64

Well.sections..................................................... 64

Sediments above the oil............................................ 64

Porous limestone.................................................. 64

Formation below the porous limestone............................... 65

Sulphur....................................................I.:... ' 65

Structure of the mound........................................ '. ....... 65

Occurrence of oil, gas, and salt water............................ J.. 1.... 66.

Production........................................................... 67

Humble field.............................................................. 67

Historical account.............................. t>............... .*"...... 67

Geologic formations. .................... i............... ^.............. 68

Gas.................................................................. 69

Minor Texas districts...................................................... 69

Nacogdoches County.................................................... ' 69

Jasper and San Augustine counties...................................... 71

Sabine Pass oil ponds .................................................. 74.

Theories of origin ................................................. 74

Examination of mud from Gulf of Mexico............................ 75

Sea wax.......................................................... 77

Scattered wells in Orange and Jefferson counties........................... 77

Pligh Island.............................'.............................. 79
6 CONTENTS.

Minor Texas districts Continued. ' Page.

Barbers Hill......,............................................'....... 83

Vicinity of Dayton...................................:................ 85

Scattered wells near Houston................................ '. .......... 86

Hoskins Mound....................................................... 86

Amsterdam........................................................... 86

Bryan Heights........................................................ 86

Kiser Hill............................................................. 88

Damon Mound........................................................ 89

Vicinity of Ottine..................................... i..'............. 91

Vicinity of San Antonio............'.................................... 92

Sutherland Springs ......................... i........................ .^ . 92

Jennings field............................................................. 94

Location.................. '. .......................................... 94

Topography..........................;............................... 94

History and production................................................ 94

Growth of the field................................................ 94

Individual wells.................................................... 95

Reservoirs and pipe lines ............ ^.............................. 95

Uses and character of the oil........................................ 95

Geologic formations.................................................... 95

Well sections...................................................... 95

Clay. ........................................................... 98

Sand and gravel.................................................... 98

Limestone........................................................ 98

Pyrite. .......................................................... 98

Occurrence of the oil..............................'.......'. ^............ 99

Principal zone.................................................... 99

Shallow wells...I................................................. 100

Salt water....................................i .... .........'...........'. 100

Gas.................................................................. 101

Limits of the field..................................................... 101

Welsh field........................................................'...... 102

General description.................................................... 102

'Well sections......................................................... 103

Gas.................................................................. 105

Salt water..........................:................................. 105

Ansela Butte field........................................................ 105

Description........................................................... 105

Surface indications._..........................................:....... 106

Well sections......................................................... 106

Sediments............................................................ 107

Occurrence of the oil................................................... 108

Geologic structure....... *............................................. 109

Salt................................................................. 109

Minor Louisiana districts................................................... 110

Vinton.....:......................................................... 110

Hackberry Island..................................................... Ill

Bayou Bouillon....................................................... 112

Origin and accumulation of oil bodies........................................ 114

Origin of petroleum...................................'................. 114

 ' Classification of theories............................................ 114

Theories of inorganic origin.:....................................... 114

Theories of organic origin........................................... 114
CONTENTS. 7

Origin and accumulation of oil bodies Continued. Page.

Origin of petroleum Continued.

Theories of combined organic and inorganic origin..................... 1.15

Conclusion.......:................................................ 115

Accumulation of the oil................................................ 11.5

Conditions for accumulation........'................................. 115

The oil supply.................................................... 115

The reservoir rock........................................... .^..... 115

The impervious cover.............................................. 116

Anticlinal structure................................................ 116

Saturation of the rocks and circulation of the saturating fluid..........: 1.1.6

General relations of gas, oil. and water................................... 116

Natural flow. 1 ..'..................................................... 1.1.7

Geologic relations of the Gulf Coastal Plain oils ............................... 117

Source of the hydrocarbons..........'................................... 118

Movements..............................................'............. 118

Effects of irregular beds............................................. .118

Accumulation at Spindlctop........................................ 1.1.9

Reservoirs............................................................ 119

In the sand....................................................... ' 119

In the limestone................................................... 120

Movement of ground water in the mounds................................ .120

Salinity............1............................................. 120

Temperature................:..................................... 120

The work of rising ground waters.................................... .1.21

Relation of the oil to gas and salt water.................................. 12.1.

Gas.............................................................. 121

Salt water........................................................ 12.1

Independence among wells.................................'......... -122

Well phenomena........ t.............................................. 122

Loss of water..................................................... 122

Sudden dropping of tools........................................... 122

Well pressure..................................................... 123

Surface indications.................................................... 1.23

Indications common to oil fields in general ........................... 124

Indications based" on local conditions.................................. 1.24

Physical and chemical properties of the Texas-Louisiana oil..................... 125

Physical properties...................................................^ 125

Color and odor.................................................... 125

Specific gravity................................................... .125

Flash and burning point............................................ 125

Viscosity......................................................... 126

Chemical properties.................................................... 126

Composition....................................................... 1.27

Volatility...........................................I............. 128

Constitution...................................................... 130

Results of refinement.....................'......................... 130

Associated hydrocarbons............................................... 130

Natural gas........................................................ 130

Utilization of the Gulf Coastal Plain petroleum................................ 131

Illuminating oil....................................................... 1.31

Fuel................................................................. 131

Theoretical value.................................................. .131

Safety........................................................... 131
8 - . CONTENTS.

Utilization of the Gulf Coastal Plain petroleum Continued. Page.' 

Fuel Continued. . ^

Practical tests in steam raising....................................'.. 132

Comparative fuel value of coal and Beaumont petroleum. .............. 133

Locomotive tests........ J...............-.................:......- 133

Methods of burning the oil. .............................................. 134

Storage and transportation............................................. 136

Methods and cost of well drilling............................................' 136

Rotary method..................................................... ^.. 136

Machinery and operation... 1 ............................................ 137

Cost of drilling. ....................................................... 138

Finishing the well..................................................... 138

Index.................................................................... 139

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE I. Index map showing oil fields and prospects......................... 9

II. Map of Spindletop .oil field........................................ 18

III. View of a portion of Spindletop, 1902............................... 24

IV. Fire in Spindletop oil field, September, 1902......................... 28

V. Map of Sour Lake oil field........................................ 38

VI. Map of Batson oil field........................................... .48

VII. Map of Jennings oil field......................................... 94

VIII. Sand gusher at Welsh, La........................................ 104

I.. .Williams burner: A, Section through center .of burner; B, Horizontal

section through center of burner................................. 134

X. A, Chapman rotary drill; B, Hoisting and operating machinery.. : . .. 136

XI. A, Fishtail bit;'j5, Core-barrel bit; C, Adamantine or shot drill...... 138

FIG. 1. Section of Spindletop oil pool......................................... 32

2. Map of Saratoga oil field.........................................'.. 59

3. Sands in Saratoga wells, showing irregular distribution................. 61

' 4. Map of Matagorda oil field........................................... 63

5. Part of Nacogdoches County, showing location of oil wells.............. 70

6. Map of Sabine Pass, showing location of so-called oil ponds............. 74

7. Sketch contour map of High Island..........:.......:........... '.... 81

8. Sketch contour map of Damon Mound............................... 90

9. Map of Welsh oil field. ............................................ 104

10. Map of Anse la Butte, La........................................... 108

11. Theoretical relations of gas, oil, and water in the reservoir rock.......'... 117

12. Ideal section of irregularly interbedded sands and clays.......... 1...... 119

13. Boiler furnace with oil-burning equipment............................ 135

14. Boiler furnace arranged for burning oil............................... 135

15. Derrick and machinery in place..................................... 137
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO.° 282 PL.

INDEX MAP SHOWING OIL FIELDS AND PROSPECTS.
OIL FIELDS OF THE TEXAS-LOUISIANA 

GULF COASTAL PLAIN.

By N. M. FENNEMAN.

INTRODUCTION.

The discovery of oil in the Gulf Coastal Plain created a demand for general geologic 

knowledge of that region and for specific knowledge of the geologic relations of the oil. 

This demand was for the time met by the.publication, in 1903', of a report a by Messrs. C. W. 

Hayes and William Kennedy. The rapid development of the industry an'd the discovery 

of new pools, as well as the exhaustion of the edition of the former report, indicated the 

need of a new examination of the fields. The work whose results are reported in this bulletin was done between June 15 and September 15, 1904, and was directed chiefly to those 

phases of the subject on which new data were-available. Accordingly, no stratigraphic 

work was attempted. Of the methods of drilling, the use of the oil as fuel, and (for the 

earlier-known pools) the physical and chemical properties of the oil there is little to be said 

now which was not well said by Hayes and Kennedy. It was not possible to visit all the 

localities where prospect wells have been sunk. Of many of these there is nothing to say 

except that nothing noteworthy was found. The number of such abandoned wells is so 

large that to ascertain merely the location and depth of each of them would have required 

much time and travel. In some cases it has been deemed advisable to publish the logs of 

such wells for comparison. In a few cases where the locality was/examined and the results 

of drilling were learned by Mr. Kennedy and nothing has since been done, the statements 

made in the former report have been repeated in this. A large part of the work consisted 

in the collection of logs, A few are here published, having been selected on account of 

their representative character or because of special interest. Some were received in 

confidence. The remainder arc preserved in the archives of the Survey and may be 

published later. In publishing logs the wording of the driller has been changed as little as 

possible.

ACKoSTOWJVEDC MJSSTTS.

To Messrs. Hayes. and Kennedy, authors of the former report, the writer is under the 

greatest obligations. Where parts of that report have been used in this, the fact has been 

indicated by quotations or footnotes when practicable. Information and assistance in 

the field were received from a very large number of companies, managers, and drillers. 

Special acknowledgment and thanks are due to the following: President J. S. Cullinan 

and the officers of the Texas Company, for well reports of Spindletop, Sour Lake, Batson, 

and Saratoga, and for accurate maps from which Pis. V and VI and fig. 2 were made; to 

the officers of the Higgins Oil and Fuel Company; to President J. M. Guffey and General 

Supt. J. F. Fisher, of the J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company; to J. S. McNamara, of the 

United Oil and Refining Company; to E. Peperkorn, for maps; to W. E. Brice, Prof. F. C. 

Thiele, Underwood Nezro, Geo.-ge A. Hill, A. W. Hamill, Pattillo Higgins, W. H. Cunningham, and C. K. McFadden of: Beaumont; to B. J. Harper, of Sour Lake; to Lee laager,

a Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.
10 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

of the Rio Bravo (Southern Pacific Railroad) Oil Company; to H. B. Goodrich, of the 

Santa Fe Company, for special kindness in furnishing logs; to Dr. P. S. Griffith, for information concerning the Matagorda field; to J. A. Otto, of Ottine; to the Hey wood Brothers, 

of Jennings; and to Robert Martin, of St. Martinsville, through whose kindness the visit 

to Bayou Bouillon was made possible. Important information was received from Mr. 

Holland S. Reavis, editor of .the Oil Investors' Journal. For recent statistics and information of developments after the completion of the field work, the writer has relied chiefly 

upon the reports given by Mr. Reavis in his journal.

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF THE REGION."

From Mississippi River westward through Louisiana and Texas, along the border of the Gulf of 

Mexico, is a low, flat country, partly swampy or marshy, as in the southern parishes of Louisiana, 

and partly a broad stretch of clayey and sandy land but slightly elevated above the level of these 

marshes. The marshy areas extend westward to the eastern shore of Galveston Bay, while the clayey 

areas may be said to extend as far west as Guadalupe River, in Victoria County, Tex. West of that 

stream, as far as the Rio Grande, the country is covered with sand and has a semiarid aspect. It may 

be added that this condition exists for many miles along the coast of the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. 

This region is known as the Gulf Coastal Plain.6 . It extends inland for a distance of from 50 to 100 

miles. Forests of pine, oak, and magnolia fringe its northern border on the higher grounds, various 

species of gum occur on the lower'benches, and heavy forests of black and red cypress occupy the low 

river flood plains, but the greater portion of the Coastal Plain is a treeless prairie.

These prairies have usually been designated the "coast prairies,"and the beds which occupy the surface within the area are grouped under the general title of "coast clays." Comparatively little geologic 

work has been done in this prairie region, partly because the country was not considered of any economic value, and partly on account of the difficulties'caused by the absence of anything like a natural 

section. The country is very flat, there are few streams flowing across it, and these few are flowing 

through broad, shallow channels filled with recent alluvium.

The only references made to these coast deposits in the published reports of the Texas State Geological Survey have been cursory and of a very general character. The most important is as follows:

"Immediately bordering the Gulf shore and forming the underlying slope we find a series of beds of 

clays, sandy clays, blue, yellow, red, and often mottled, which frequently appear black upon the surface 

from the combination of vegetable matter with the lime of the calcareous nodules which are found scattered through them. These clays are heavy, massive, containing small crystals of gypsum in places, 

and so compact that bluffs from 15 to 20 feet in height are often found along the streams and bay shores 

even in such a moist climate as that of Texas. 

" The various strata which form these beds dip so slightly to the southeast as to appear.nearly horizontal, and form the basis of the level coast prairies which stretch inland from the Gulf for distances 

varying from 50 to 100 miles. '

" While the underlying beds of clay are seemingly identical for-the entire Gulf coast, the overlying soil 

is somewhat different, being more sandy on the eastern and western borders and more clayey between 

Brazos and Nueces rivers."c

McGee regarded these deposits as belonging in -part to his Lafayette formation and in part to his 

Columbia. He considers the region to have been built up for the most part from long wave-built keys 

separated from the mainland by sounds, although he says that" east of Galveston the keys and sounds 

appear to fail; yet the wave-built barriers are continuous as in southern Texas and eastern Mexico, 

though submerged beneath the Gulf waters to form Sabine Bank, Trinity Shoals, and Ship Shoal, and 

their connecting series of bars parallel with the coast."d

R. T. Hill describes these plains as a belt of prairie land not over 100 miles wide bordering the Gulf of 

Mexico in Louisiana and Texas. He regards it as a grass-covered constructional plain newly reclaimed 

from the Gulf of Mexico. The interior margin of this plain rises scarcely 100 feet above the sea, and it is 

characterized by an exceedingly level surface hardly broken except by a few low drainage grooves, which 

become fewer and more faintly developed toward the Rio Grando. Upon this plain.a youthful drainage 

system is being established, while the seaward extensions of the through-flowing streams cross it. 

These rivers have wide and deeply indented valleys with gently terraced slopes filled with old alluvium.

" The floor of the sea border of Texas is a submerged gently sloping sandy plain, or shelf, extending 50 

miles seaward. By action of tide, wave, current, and wind this sand is piled into long island strips 

which fringe the coast and stand almost at sea level. These are separated from the land by shallow 

lagoons, in which most of the sediments of the river are deposited. The building up of the sand bars by

a Reprinted with slight revision from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.

6 This is the popular use of the term "Coastal Plain!" Among geologists the term is applied to a 

broader belt, including the whole of the Louisiana and East Texas Timber Belt. As thus defined the 

Coastal Plain includes much hilly ground. See Hill, R. T., Physical geography of the Texas region: 

Topographic Atlas U. S. Geol. Survey, folio 3..

c First Ann. Rept. Geol. Survey Texas, 1889, p. xxxii.

d Twelfth, Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 1892, p. 316.
TOPOGEAPHY. 11

wind and wave and the filling up of the lagoons between them by river sediments, in connection with 

gradual uplift, may possibly explain the origin of much of the adjacent coast prairie. "a,

Sufficient work has not been done in southwestern Louisiana to give us any clue to the structure of 

that portion of the Coastal Plain.

According to Hilgard, this portion of the coast country is built up partly of littoral and cstuarine 

deposits and partly of swampy lagoon and fluviatile deposits, whose thickness and location are manifestly dependent upon the topographic features of the continent at the time they were laid down. The 

land at that time was being slowly depressed, as is shown by the nature of the deposits and by the 

numerous superimposed generations of large cypress stumps embedded in laminated clays, which exhibit the yearly fall of leaves. This view was also held by Hopkins in his survey of southwestern 

Louisiana in 1870-71.

The above theories regarding the upbuilding of the Coastal Plain may possibly apply to the .newest 

extension in the east, along the Gulf of Mexico, which at present is altogether marshy, or to the comparatively arid region west of Nueces River, where at present we find a chain of such keys with their 

accompanying Iag9ons. The largest of these lagoons Laguna de la Madre is being rapidly filled up 

by the drifting sands from the higher dunes of Padre Island.

A study of the submerged portion of the Coastal Plain, as shown by the Coast Survey charts, shows 

that the general slope of the sea floor, as far out at least as the 5-fathom, or 30-foot, line, is not more than 

5 to 7 feet per mile, and that there does not appear to be any uniformity in the deposition of the materials forming this floor. Lens-shaped deposits of hard blue clay and soft mud occur, irregularly interspersed with banks of fine and coarse gray sand and broken shells. The Sabine Bank is reported as 

being made up of a gray sand, with black specks and broken shells, which closely resemble much of the 

gray sand obtained from the different wells in the southeastern portion of the oil fields, especially in the 

neighborhood of Beaumont. It is probable that the upbuilding of the Coastal Plain, at least throughout about 500 feet of its upper portion, was carried on in the same manner as at present. Under the 

present Gulf the sands appear to be the heaviest deposits, and the well records at many places show the 

same conditions to exist down to a depth of 500 feet.

The existence of petroleum in this portion of the country has been known for many years. In 1860 

Wall, quoting from Taylor's Statistics of Coal, mentioned the existence within 100 miles of Houston of a 

small lake filled with bitumen or asphaltuni, and having, in its center a spring from which during the 

summer months an o'ily liquid (probably petroleum) continually boiled up from the bottom.b

In 1880 S. F. Peckham quotes N. A. Taylor as to the existence of maltha in Texas, and gives Sour Lake 

as one of the localities. On the map accompanying his report oil-producing localities are marked as 

follows: At the mouth of the Brazos (near Bryan Heights, where considerable drilling has since been 

done); close to Port Arthur, in Jefferson County; in Newton and Orange counties, Tex.; and at several 

points in Calcasicu Parish, La.c

When the present oil development began, it was considered advisable to undertake the study of the 

Coastal Plain in order to bring together such geologic information as was available concerning the 

geologic relations of the various deposits and to assist in the economic exploitation of the oil fields.

[With this object in view the Gulf Coastal Plain was thoroughly studied by Mr. William Kennedy in 

the years 1901 and 1902, The various deposits of. sands, clays, and sandstones were examined and 

compared, their continuity across the country was traced, and their geologic conditions and position in 

the general section of the region werejstudied. Mri Kennedy's inferences were, so far as possible, drawn 

from observations on the small bluffs and cuttings seen along the courses of the rivers and creeks-, as well 

as on such cuttings as could be found along the various railroads traversing the country. In addition 

the logs of the various deep wells throughout the whole Coastal Plain, so far as obtainable, were gathered, and the results of the borings collated and compared. The results of his study are published in 

Bulletin No. 212.<* In the work which forms the basis of the present bulletin much attention was given 

to well sections and but little to natural exposures.]

By these means the general underground conditions of the region to a depth of about 2,000 feet have 

been determined and have been described so as to be readily understood by those immediately interested 

in the development of the field. There are, however, many questions regarding the underground structure that can not be answered until much more drilling has been done.

TOPOGRAPHY OF THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN. e

That portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain under discussion may briefly be described as a belt of country 

having a width of from 50 to 100 miles, extending around the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and embracing 

in Louisiana, in whole or in part, the parishes of Vermilion, Lafayette, Acadia, Cameron, Calcasieu, and 

Vernon; and in Texas the counties of Orange, Newton, Jefferson, Hardin, Jasper, Chambers, Liberty, 

Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Matagorda, Fort Bend, Wharton, and portions of Waller, Montgomery, 

San Jacinto, Polk, and Tyler.

a Physical Geography of Texas: Topographic Atlas U. S. Geol. Survey, folio 3. 

b Geology of Trinidad, App. G, p. 136; Taylor's Statistics of Coal, p. 223. 

c Tenth Census, Vol. X, p. 20, and map, Washington, 1884.

d Hayes, C. W., and Kennedy, William, Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain: Bull. 

U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212,1903. 

« Revised and reprinted from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.
12 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

BELIEF.

The surface features of the Gulf Coastal Plain are extremely simple. In the immediate vicinity of 

the coast and for 15 or 20 miles inland, in the parishes of Vermilion and Cameronand in the counties of 

Orange, Jefferson, Chambers, and Galveston, the general level is scarcely more than 3 or 4 feet above 

the average tides of the Gulf. At a few points, such as Grand Chenier and Hackberry Island, in Cameron Parish, La., and Dig Hill and High Island, in Jefferson and Galveston counties, Tex., there are 

pronounced elevations,- of a few hundred acres in extent, rising to heights of from 40 to 50 feet above 

the level of the coast marshes. [These are called "islands/ 11 mounds, or hills. In the following pages 

all elevations of this class, whether in the coastal marshes or on the flat prairie farther inland, arc 

termed mounds.]

Bordering the marsh along its northern edge is a second belt, largely prairie land, whose surface rises 

gradually toward the northwest, at an average rate of from JO inches to a foot per mile.

A few small prominences appear within this belt, as at Spindletop and Fairchild Hill, in Jefferson 

County; at Sour Lake, Dayton, Barber Hill, Kiser Mound near Columbia, and Dainon Mound in 

Brazoria County; and the Sun Mounds, in Waller County. These, however, do not present any great 

elevations, Dainon Mound, probably the highest, having a maximum of 83 feet above the plain, or 

probably not more than ]40 feet above the Gulf.

[Aside from the elevations commonly called mounds, there is on the uneroded parts of the Coastal 

Plain another typical topographic feature, usually spoken of as "gas mounds." The name is objectionable because their origin is in doubt. Their presence makes the. so-called "pimpled plains." They are 

circular lumps, generally 1 or 2 rods in diameter and ranging in height up to 5 or 6 feet. They are scattered over thousands of square miles and, considering their vast number, their approximate uniformity 

in shape and size is noteworthy.]

The third or inner belt of country belonging to the Coastal Plain rises comparatively rapidly from the 

second and has a more broken and generally timbered surface, with numerous small rounded hills. The 

general elevation of this belt does not appear to exceed 175 to 200 feet above sea level.

jmAESTAGE.

In the eastern part of the region throughout Louisiana the rivers are deep and sluggish. The few 

streams of any magnitude are the Bayou Vermilion, Bayou Mermentau, and Calcasieu River. Each of 

these streams is narrow, deep, and clear, has scarcely any appreciable current, tends to expand into a 

broad, shallow lake, and enters the Gulf through a shallow bay. Bayou Vermilion flows into Vermilion 

Bay. The Mermentau shortly after the junction of Bayous Nezpique and DCS Cannes expands into the 

broad, shallow Grand Lake, with a depth of little over 3 feet, and again contracts only to enter the Gulf 

through a wide mouth. The Calcasieu forms a series of shallow lakes such as Calcasieu, Black, and 

West lakes, extending all the way from Lake Charles to the coast. These Louisiana rivers all have the 

peculiar characteristics of drowned or submerged streams.

Throughout the Coastal Plain in southeast Texas the streams are similar in character to those in 

Louisiana. The Sabine and Neches'unite to form Sabine Lake; the Trinity debouches into the eastern 

end of Galveston Bay; the Colorado reaches the Gulf through Matagorda Bay, and the Nueces flows 

into Corpus Christi Bay. Of all the rivers in this area the Brazos alone enters the Gulf directly and 

without the intervention of any lagoon or bay.

West of the Nueces the coast drainage fails almost absolutely, as the whole stretch of coast line to the 

Rio Grande contains only two small creeks, the San Fernando and the Olmos, and thes/! unite to form 

Copano Bay, near the head of Laguna de la Madre.

These streams of the Gulf Coastal Plain may be divided into two groups an older, pre-Pleistocene or 

prc-Golumbia, and a younger, post-Columbia. The pre-Columbia (and probably even pre-Lafayette) 

group includes the Sabine, Neches, Trinity, Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe, and Nueces, all of which 

appear to have been in existence during Lafayette time. The younger, or post-Columbia, rivers are the 

Vermilion, Mermentau, Calcasieu, San Jacinto, Buffalo, Clear, Oyster, San Bernard, Caney, Lavaca, 

Aransas, San Fernando, and Olmos.

A glance at the map of the region a will show the reasons for this division. It will be noticed that all 

the rivers included in the older group pass completely across the Coastal Plain, heading upon the older 

formations of the interior, while the streams of the second or younger class arc confined wholly to the 

plain itself, heading within it, or in the strong springs which rise from the Fayette sands at its northern 

border.

Notwithstanding the large number of rivers which occur in the Coastal Plain, much of its surface is' 

poorly drained. Water stands in many small lakes or ponds throughout the year, and over considerable areas the surface is largely under water during the wet season.

TIMBEJR.

Regarding the timber of the Coastal Plain it may be broadly stated that the cypress is confined to the 

eastern end, or to the swamps occurring within the immediate drainage area of the Mississippi River, 

very few of these trees occurring west of the Sabine River. The magnolia ( M. grandiflora) is found in a

a Bull. XJ. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, PI. I.
GEOLOGY. 13

belt stretching in a general southwestern direction through the parishes of Sabino and Vernon, La'., 

and the counties oi Newton, Jasper, Hardin, Liberty, and San Jacinto, Tcx., terminating in a few 

straggling trees in the neighborhood of Houston. The western end of the great southern belt of pine is 

reached near the Brazos River. West of the Brazos the tree growth is mostly represented by oaks and 

mesquite, the latter gradually becoming the only timber to be found.

GEOLOGY OF THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN. 

DESCRIPTION OF SEDIMENTS.

As indicated above under the heading "Previous knowledge of the region," the sediments 

of the Coastal Plain consist of generally unconsolidated clays, sands, and marls. The beds 

lie in essentially the same position in which they were deposited. Their seaward dip is a 

little greater than the seaward slope of the surface, causing younger beds to come to the 

surface nearer the coast.

The first of the sediments to become consolidated are the marls. Beds of limestone from 

a few inches to a few feet in thickness are of common occurrence. It is repeatedly noted 

that the consolidation .of the calcareous beds bears a distinct relation to their thickness* 

the consolidated beds being generally thin (see pp.25,98). Sands cemented by carbonate of 

lime are found, sometimes as sandstone beds and sometimes as concretions or "bowlders." 

No consolidated beds of clay are known, but some of the clays contain concretions. In 

addition to the consolidated sedimentary beds, there are certain solid materials of secondary 

origin, described on page 16. The most important of these is the crystalline and cavernous 

limestone from which a large part of the oil has been derived.

STRATIGRAPHY.

DIFFICULTY OF CORRELATION.

These deposits have not yet been sufficiently studied to make possible an entirely satisfactory or final classification. Correlations between widely separated exposures are often 

only tentative. There are three reasons for this imperfection of the present knowledge: 

(1) The almost complete lack of natural exposures;, (2) the want of sufficient evidence from 

fossils, due largely to the scarcity of exposures; (3) the lack of lateral continuity in the 

physical character of the beds and the corresponding variation in vertical section in beds 

of the same age.

By a comparison of a large number of well sections from one locality, it is generally possible to subdivide the formations into broad but indefinite/ones, each characterized by the 

dominance of a certain kind of sediment (see pp. 58, 99). Such zones may be a few hundred 

feet in thickness. Within these zones each well section shows numerous well-defined beds, 

the characters of adjacent beds Often being sharply contrasted; but when sections of 

neighboring wells are compared it is found that beds of like character and thickness do not 

occur at similar depths in the several well sections. Generally it is quite impossible to 

identify the individual beds passed through in one well with those passed through in 

another (see fig. 3, p. 61). Attempts to do this have led to grotesque assumptions of folds 

and faults. .

FOSSILS.

A few fossils have been obtained from borings, but these fix the age of the sediments only 

within very broad limits. The best-known section whose fossils have-been studied is that 

of the Galveston well. According to Harris,« the deposits appear to be as follows:

Section of Galveston well.

Feet. 

Pleistocene.......................................................... -46- 458

Doubtful........................................ t ................. 458-1, 510

Upper Tertiary..................................................... 1, 510-2,158

Miocene (upper)..................................................... 2,158-2, 720

a Fourth Ann. Kept. Geol. Survey Texas, 1893, pp. 89 et seq.
14 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

In- harmony with this generalization is a small amount of evidence from fossils taken 

from wells in or near the Spindletop field'. Hayes and Kennedy give the following section :a

Section constructed chiefly Inj means of fossils obtained from wells in the Beaumont district.

Location.

Spindletop. ............

River.

Ira 0. Wyse well, Spindletop. 

Plunger well, Texas Oil

and Pipe Line well 

No. 1, Spindletop.

Bayou City well, on 

Iowa Colony land.

Frio clays, Newton

County.

Character of strata.

and yellow.

bluish-gray sand and

and shells.

gypsurn; oil rock 

'shown in every well 

on Spindletop.

Coarse bluish-gray sand 

with shells same as 

found in Ira 0. Wyse 

well at 1,000 feet

ous nodules.

Depth 

in feet.

40

45

390

800

1,000

1,030

. 1,910

Fossils.

Nassa beaumontensis 

Aldrich.

Tornatina canaliculata 

Say.

Natica tuomeyi Whitfield.

tonensis.

[Mulinia, Balanus ....... 

\Ear bone of small fish. .

Crassatellites trapaquara Harris.

0 s t re a alabaniiensis; 

Cerithiura venericardia, 2 sp.

Crassatellites antestriata (Gabb).

Age.

>Miocene.

A number of fossils from a depth of 323 to 333 feet at Batson (Gilbert well No. 10) are 

pronounced by Dall identical with those of the Galveston well and probably uppermost 

Miocene. The fossils are:

Olivella mutica Say. 

Nassa acuta Say. - 

Utriculus canaliculatus Say. 

Pecten, fragm. 

Area transversa Say, young. 

Area (Adamsi? Smith), fragm.

Solen, fragm.

Dosinia (very young).'

Mulinia laterals Say, young.

Corbula galvestonensis Harris.

Balanus, fragm.

Bryozoan, fragm.

A sample from a depth of 649 to 668 feet in a well at Bryan Heights, near Velasco, contained organic remains which are not older than upper Miocene. Three fossils from the 

Magenta well at Montegut, Terrebonne Parish, La,, were taken from depths between 1,386 

and 1,767 feet. They indicate that the beds at that depth are the upper Miocene shell 

sand, represented by the lower 1,500 feet of the well at Galveston.&

It may be safely inferred that the same stratigraphic horizon which is 323 feet below 

the surface at Batson is between 400 and 800 feet deep at Spindletop and from 1,500 to 

2,000 feet deep at Galveston. This implies djps of from 10 to 20 feet per mile.

"Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, 190?, p. 25. The determinations of the Miocene fossils were by 

Dr. W. H. Dall. 

6 The determinations of the fossils from Batson, Bryan Heights, and Montegut are by Doctor Dall.
STEATIGEAPHY. 15

KENNEDY'S GENERAL SECTION.

While no system of classification and correlation of the systems of the Texas Coastal Plain 

is universally agreed on and any such system may be altered by fuller data in the future, 

Mr. Kennedy's section, given below, is valuable as a description of the formations. His 

geologic mapo is based upon the stratigraphic classification here given. The geologic 

boundaries given on PI. I are taken from a map published by Mr. Lee Hager, by whom they 

were compiled from various sources. For reasons given under the heading "Geologic relations of the oil" (p. 117), a knowledge of the general,physical character of the entire mass 

of sediments is belived to be more important in the study of the oil than are the details of 

stratigraphy. ,-

General section of eastern division of Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain.

Thickness 

.' in feet.

1. Recent: Coastal marshes, consisting chiefly of sea flats subject to overflow at

extremely high tides, swamps, and partly submerged lands, and the bottom 

lands along the rivers. The life is represented by recent shells, such as

Rangia cuneata and Ostrea. Beds of these shells occur along the rivers,

and at many of the smaller lakes in this region......................... 5 to 25

2. Pleistocene, with probably some Pliocene: f

a. Beaumont clays! Brown, blue, and yellow clays, carrying nodules of 

limestone in places irregularly distributed through the clays, making 

the soil black where found; brown and blue sands with great quantities of cypress wood and recent shells .............. ; ............ 25 to 400

b. Columbia sands: White, yellow, gray, and mottled sands with beds of

blue and yellow clay, some decayed wood, and a heavy deposit of

gravel at base. In the clays belonging to.these beds at Sour Lake

such vertebrates as.Mammut,- Megalonyx, Equus, Smilodonfatalis,

' etc., have been found b.............................I............. 50 to 200

3. Neocene (Miocene, with probably some Pliocene): .....

. a. Lafayette sands:- Blue and red thinly laminated clays; massive red and 

: brown clays; and red and brown cross-bedded sands and gravels carrying pinkish inclusions of clay. ............................'...,. 30 to 375

b. Blue, brown, and gray clays; sands-with: thin beds of limestone and containing small1 quantities of oil....................-....-............. 300 to 480

c. Blue clays and thin-bedded irregularly .deposited sandstones. .......... 200

d. Blue, red, and gray clays and sands and thin-bedded limestones; limestones dolomitized and associated with sulphur, gypsum, gas, and 

petroleum. Sands carry fossils of Miocene -age................... 300

4. Eocene:' . .... ia. Frio clays: Blue, brown, red, yellow, and green clays, thinly laminated, 

partially stratified and massive. The laminated clays carry small 

crystals of gypsum, and the. ,massive clays numerous concretions of 

lime from 2.to 4 inches in diameter and calcareous-ferruginous concretions from 6 inches to 2 or mpre feet in length. Fossiliferous-.in 

x places and changing to sandy, calcareous clays to the west......... 260

b, Fayette sands: Oray sarids and gray and white sandstones interstratified 

1 with gray, white, and pink clays and sandy clays. The" lower,.sandstones are often hard and glassy, and bluish or pinkish in-color. The 

upper sandstones are soft and chalky white, and contain numerous 

casts of grass, reeds, palmetto, and 'other marsh .plants. At some . 

localities a thin bed of limestone in these upper ^sandstones carries .

oBull. U. & Geol. Survey No. 212, PI. I. .-- . - - -' -

*>Leidy, Joseph, Contributions to the extinct vertebrate fauna of the, western Territories: Mon. 

U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv._Terr., vol. 1, 1873.

Bull. 282 06 2
16 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

 Thickness

in feet.

lo,wer Claiborne fossils, and a yellowish-brown sand contains a considerable number of plant impressions .......................... 400

c. Yegua clays: Dark-blue gypseous clays and dark bluish-gray sands

with considerable deposits of lignite............................. 1, 000

d. Upper marine beds or Cooks Mountain beds: A series of greensands, fos- x 

siliferous greensands, fossiliferous clays, stratified black and gray 

sandy clays, black and yellow clays with limy concretions. A very 

prolific Claiborne fauna....................................... 390

e. Mount Selman beds: Brown sands; blue clays, greensands, glauconitic 

sandstone, and heavy deposits of limonite. More or less fossiliferous, 

but fauna mostly represented by casts..............'............ 260

f. Lignitic: White, yellow, gray-brown, red, blue, and black sands with 

interstratified and interlaminated blue, gray, and brown clays with 

heavy beds of lignite. Apparently unfossiliferous except for a few 

plant remains, including the palmetto........................... 1,060

g. Wills Point clays: Yellowish-brown sands containing bowlders of sandstone and limestone with some calcite concretions; dark-blue and 

brown laminated and massive clays and fossiliferous white limestone 260 

5. Cretaceous. o

THE MOUJSTDS.

FORMATIONS.

Beneath the mounds (p. 12) are various materials which, in general, are not found elsewhere on the Coastal Plain. These materials crystalline limestone, sulphur, gypsum, and 

rock salt are generally covered by the unconsolidated sediments described above. In 

some cases this covering is very thin, as at Damon Mound, where the limestone outcrops, and 

at Avery Island, Louisiana, where the rock salt was found at one place within 15 feet of the 

surface. At Spindletop the limestone is 800 to 800 feet deep, and at Hackberry Island, 

Louisiana, a similar rock was found more than 1,600 fe^t deep.

The limestone is frequently dolomitic and at places entirely crystalline. When stained by 

oil it resembles maple sugar. At some places it is dense. Both the dense and the crystalline 

varieties may be cavernous. Some limestone bodies are more than 100 feet thick. It can 

not be doubted that the pure calcite which forms large parts of the porous oil-bearing limestone is deposited from solution in water. Some large masses may thus have been formed by 

material brought long distances. In most cases observed, however, there is an abundant 

source of carbonate of lime in the highly calcareous sediments immediately adjacent to or 

below the secondary limestone. Some of these calcareous beds are in the original condition 

of marl, others consolidated without the formation of crystalline calcite. Still others are 

partly composed.of redeposited material, so that between the original marl bed and the 

entirely secondary limestone there are all possible gradations. The nature of this porous 

limestone is further discussed in the descriptions of the several fields (see pp. 26,45, 52).

At about the horizon of the limestone and sometimes contained within its caverns (see 

table below, p. 17) sulphur is frequently found. In many cases it is almost chemically pure. 

Well-formed crystals more than an inch long have been obtained. Probably these are generally from cavities in the limestone. Some of such cavities which have been filled with oil 

are lined with minute sulphur crystals. Sands at higher horizons occasionally contain a 

. large admixture of sulphur.

Gypsum occurs both as a massive rock and as an admixture in sands and clays. It generally lies deeper than the limestone and the sulphur (see table below).

Salt is abundant. In the salt islands of Louisiana it is very pure. That which has been 

found below the limestone of the oil fields is likewise believed to be pure rock salt. Salt no 

doubt also impregnates some sands, especially on the borders of the large masses of rock salt.
THE MOUNDS. .17

RELATIVE POSITIONS OF FORMATIONS.

The relative positions of these substances which characterize the mounds are given in the 

i'ollowing tables:

Occurrence of characteristic materials in Coastal Plain mounds. 

POROUS-(FREQUENTLY DOLOMITIC) LIMESTONE.

Spindletop.................Between sediments above and sediments (often marly) below.

Two horizons of limestone at many places.

Sour Lake.................Between sediments above and marl or sand below.

Batson....................Between sediments above and sand or "soapstone" below.

Matagorda ................Between various sediments above and marl below.

Damon Mound.............Outcrops at places; at others covered by sediments.

Bryan Heights.............Overlain by sediments, but lies above gypsum and sulphur.

Kiser Hill.................In bodies of unknown form, inclosed by sediments.

Dayton Hill................Limestone, probably of the character here referred to, occurs

between sediments above and gypsum below.

Big Hill (Jefferson County). .Between sediments above and gypsum below.

Hackberry Island.......... .Overlain by sediments; underlain by sand and gypsum.

Sulphur Mine..............Between sediments above and a mixture of limestone and sulphur below.

SULPHUR.

Spindletop.................In, above, and below the oil-bearing limestone, probably generally in caverns of limestone, but at places mixed with sediments above the porous limestone.

Batson....................In porous limestone (?).

Matagorda.................Abundant, probably in caverns of limestone;.some in marl

below limestone; some in sediments near horizon of the oil.

Damon Mound.............Mixed with gypsum and overlain by pure gypsum; at other

places mixed with loose sediments.

Bryan Heights.............In gypsum, below the small showings of oil.

Big Hill (Jefferson County). ."Seams" in gypsum underlying dolomitic limestone.

Vinton Mound............. .Mixed with sediments; probably associated with gypsum at

greater depths; crystals in cavities of limestone (?).

Sulphur Mine............". .In cavities of limestone; overlain by solid limestone.

GYPSUM.

Spindletop.................Between porous limestone above and salt below.

Sour Lake.................Below oil-bearing limestone (?).

High Island................Between sediments above and salt below; also cementing some

sediments.

Damon Mound.............Overlain by loose sediments; underlain by "sulphur and gypsum," beneath which is coarse sand.

Bryan Heights.............Below loose sediments and crystalline limestone.

Barbers Hill.............. .Mixed with sand or occurring as concretions at various depths.

Dayton Hill................Between limestone above and salt below.

Big Hill (Jefferson County). .Beneath dolomitic limestone; possibly also streaks (?) in the

limestone.

Vinton Mound.............Beneath sediments; may be solid or mixed with sediments.

Hackberry Island.......... .Separated by 10 feet of sand from crystalline limestone

above.

Sulphur Mine..............Unverified reports give a mixture of gypsum and sulphur

beneath limestone and sulphur.
18 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS:LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

SALT.

Spindletop.................Below gypsum; thickness not known.

Sour Lake.................Below sand or marl which underlies porous limestone; thickness not known.

High Island................Below gypsum; not passed through by well 2,600 feet deep.

Damon Mound............Separated from gypsum above by 8 feet of sand; drilled in

from 587 to 1,160 feet; not passed through.

Dayton Hill................Beneath gypsum; salt not drilled through at 1,300 feet.

Anse la Butte..............Beneath sediments; drilled in from 220 to 1.603 feet without

passing through; ofl'shoots from central mass have sediments 

above and below.

Salt Islands................Beneath loose sediments; at least .several thousand feet thick

in some cases.

^ 

From the above tabulation the conclusion may be drawn that the normal order of depth

of the materials in the mounds or oil fields is as follows: 

4. Unconsolidated sediments. 

3. Porous limestone. 

2. Gypsum. 

1. Salt.

While the position of sulphur varies, it is most frequently found in or near the limestone. Petroleum is associated with the porous limestone and the overlying sediments.

SPINDLETOP FIELD. 

TOPOGRAPHY.

The low mound which, since the oil development there, has been known as Spindletop, is 

3 miles southeast of Beaumont. It has a maximum elevation of 30 feet above the sea and 10 

feet above the adjacent coastal prairie, which is entirely flat or of the type called "pimpled 

plains" (p. 12). The area of the mound is but little more than 200 acres. About one-half 

of this area is more than 7 feet above the prairie and is almost flat. The surface is unaffected 

by stream erosion. The peripheral slope is steepest on the south side and least observable 

on the north. There is a slight tendency toward elongation westward with a very gentle 

sag separating the westernmost portion from the main body of the mound.

It is quite probable that the existence of the elevation is dependent on the geologic structure. If this assumption be correct, the mound is very significant with reference to the location of the oil field. The details of the surficial form have, however, no appreciable relation 

to geologic structure or to the exact distribution of oil. Some prospectors for oil have 

attached undue importance to minute analogies of surface slopes and have been guided by 

them in the location of wells on other mounds.

AREA.

The Spindletop oil field is, to a very striking degree, coextensive with the mound, though 

on certain sides the boundaries of the two areas are separated by a few hundred feet. The 

pool has-of course been narrowed by the withdrawal of the oil and the encroachment of salt 

water. It is impossible to determine with exactness the original limits of the oil body, since 

these shift as soon as a part of the oil is withdrawn. Late in the history of a field/therefore, 

only salt water may be obtained from an area which, had it been drilled earlier, might have 

yielded oil. 

SURFACE INDICATIONS AND FIRST DRILLING. 1

For many years certain surface indications directed attention to this slightly elevated 

spot as a possible oil field. The most evident of these phenomena was an escape of gas, 

noticed in pools after a rain, as well as in some shallow water wells. At least a part of this
U S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL. II

 Producing wells!number re 

listcfmllsmbotkofrrport).

o Drill!nf> ive/ 

Wooden Tan

Numbers in red,we// index 

Numbers in black, land subdivisions

S'cale

idij t) _inB loo _3outoo 500 apo fart

Contour inlervtd 2{ frci

SPINDLETOP OIL FIELD, BEAUMONT DISTRICT, TEXAS.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 19

gas appears to have been sulphureted hydrogen. Incrustations of sulphur were observed in 

the soil and considerable importance is said to have been attached to these by Captain Lucas, 

under whose management the first successful oil well .was completed on January 19, 1901 .a 

The slightly sulphurous waters found in certain shallow wells were regarded as significant 

for the same reason. " Sour waters " (see p. 124) are also said to have been noted at Spindletop, but they are not now much in evidence. The composition of the escaping gases, aside 

from sulphureted hydrogen, has riot been definitely determined. Hill also mentions Spindletop among the localities where seepages of oil were observed at the surface. One of the 

most potent reasons for drilling here seems to have been the suggest!veness of the topographic form. Captain Lucas had become convinced, from his work in Louisiana, that salt, 

sulphur, gypsum, dolomite, sulphureted hydrogen, and oil were in some way associated 

with such mounds or "islands. "b

It is not so well known just what phenomena were influential in leading to earlier drillings 

than that of Captain Lucas. It is but fair, however, to record that Mr. Pattillo Higgins, for 

some years previous to the actual discovery, insisted constantly and confidently on the presence of petroleum under Spindletop, and it was he who, several years before the finding of 

oil, laid out Gladys City in anticipation of the corning importance of that locality. In 18Q4 

a well was drilled to a depth of 400 feet. It was too shallow to reach the oil, but it afforded 

certain slight indications which gave encouragement fco the later successful attempt.

W:EL,:L SECTIONS.

As the geology of Spindletop can be known only from data obtained in drilling, a few 

typical logs are given here.c They illustrate most of the features of the formations to bo 

discussed, and at the same time show the great differences among well sections.

Logs of wells in Spindletop field. 

HIGGINS WELL NO. 2.

1

7,

3

4

5

fi

7

8

0

10

11

12

13

14

15

1C.

17

IS

10

?0

21

22

Formation.

Blue sand ..'..................... ...=,. .'. K :. .'. :'. . . ..:.: ..............................

Blue sand with some clay and small pebbles. ............................. ... . .

Fine gray sand ........................ ...................................;..... .

Fine grayish-green sand. . .......................................................

Fine brown sand with shells. . ....................................... ... . .

Fine brown sand with broken shells. .............................................

Coarse blue sand with broken shells ..............................................

Thickness.

Feet.

2

3J

12

G

8

10

10

13

51

20

10

31

10

Co

9

44

35

50

40

30

21

9

Total 

depth.

Feet.

2

4

16

22

30

40

50

69

120

146

150

187

197

202

271

315

350

400

440

470

491

500

a See Hill, R. T., Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng. 1002, pp. 31, 35. 

*Hill, R. T., loc. cit., p. 34.

c Additional logs are published in Bull. Univ. Texas Mineral Survey No. 1 and in Bull. U. S. Geol. 

Survey No. 212.
20 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Lofjs of wells in Spindletop Jield Continued. 

HIGGINS WELL NO. 2 Continued.

Formation.

Very fine muddy sand. . .......................'.............................. ......

Very fine gray sand with bluish tint. ... ................................. .......

Fine gray sand with bluish tint. .-. .. .............................................

Fine blue sandy clay. ............... ... .........................................

Bluish-gray sand ................... . . . ............. . ............... .......

Dark rock 2 feet, shells 1 foot. ...... .............................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

47

17

48

12

42

6

13

43

8

14

6

5

64

49

26

3

12

5

34

4

. 24

13

5

6

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

547

564

612

624

666

672

685

728

736

' 750

756

761

825

874

900

903

91:

920

954

958

982

995

1,000

1,006

24

27

HIGGINS WELL NO. 3.

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

ii

13

14

15

16

17

18'

19

?1

??

n

94

25

Sand .......................'.......................................................

Clay ...............................................................................

Water sand ................................... ; . -.'* &:. ............................

Rock..............................................................................

Shell rock. ........................................................................

Rock ..............................................................................

Blue clay. ......... ............... ....................................... .......

Rock ............................................................;.................

Blue clay. ......... ............... . . ........... ..................... .....

Rock ..............................................................................

Rock. .............................................................................

17

6

20

40

15

80

130

10

35

30

42

1

44

4

50

O

60

30

6

3

2

7

4

30

1

17

23

43

83

98 '178

308

318

353

383

425

426

467

471

521

524

584

614

620

623

625

632

636

666

667
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 21

Locjs of wells in Spindletop field Continued. 

HIGGINS WELL NO. 3 Continued.

?fl

37

?8

29'

30

31

3?

33

34

35'

3fi

37

38

30

40

41

4?

43

44

45

4fl

47

Formation.

Shell rock. ........................................................................

Jl ock ..............................................................................

Rock ..............................................................................

Hock. .............................................................................

Quit in rock salt.

Thickness.

. Feet.. 

80

12

14

GO

5

10

0

12

20

. 103

19

73

225

1

173

1

40

40

53

5

22

309

Total 

depth.

feel.

747

759

773

833

838

848

854

800

886

989

1,008

1,081

1,306

1,307

1, 480

1,481

1, 527

1,567

1,620

1,625

1,647

1,956

T-TIGGINS WELL NO. 7.

1

?,

3

4

fi

7

8

9

10

11

1?

13

14 '15

10

17

18

19

20

?1

W,

?3

?4

25

26

27

White clay ........................................................................

Very hard white limestone. .......................................................

21

8

56

9

20

210

10

79

63

4

25

1

2

42

2

1

7

2

8

2

52

1

37

2

35

5

21

29

85

94

114

324

334

4.13

476

480

505

506

508

550

552

558

565

567

575

577

629

067

669

704

709
22 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Logs of wells in Spindletop field Continued. 

J-IIGGINS WELL NO. 7 Continued.

28 

19 

30 

32

 ' Formation. .- - -

Sulphur and white rock mixed . .....................

Very porous oil rock. ................. . ..... . ...............................

Thickness.

Feet. 

13 

24 

.24 

2

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

722 

746 

770

.. 772

This is one of the shallowest wells in the field which reached the §il-bearing limestone. 

 SOUTHERN COMPANY'S WELL NO. 4.

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23

Soil...................... . ..........

Shells.................... . . .'............:.

Water sand ................... .....................

Sand and shells .......... .....

Sand with shells.... ....... . . .......

Shells.................................. . . . . . . . . ...........................

Sulphur. ..........................................................................

Flint rock (?) .i ........... . . . ....................

Sand rock ........................... . . . ....... . . ...........................

Gumbo. ................. . .......

Flint rock (?)....................... . . .......... .............................

G umbo ....................................*.........................................

Sand with shells...... ... .... .... . ..................

Cap rock.

35 

130 

4 

. 186 

68 

79 

4 

142 

24 

48 

64 

39 

22 

3 

3 

32 

9 

1 

8 

4 

60 

16

; 1

35 

165 

169 

355 

423 

502 

506 

648 

672 

720 

784 

823 

845 

848 

851 

883 

892 

893 

901 

905 

965 

981 

982

DENVER-BEAUMONT OIL, TANK, AND PIPE LINE COMPANY'S -WELL NO. 1.

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18

Gumbo. ............. ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . ...............

Sand rock with some oil.. ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

Hard shale with shells ............................................................

42 

18 

22 

21 

42 

1 

84 "22 

44 

76 

44 

35 

45 

18 

2 

81 

10 

11

42 

CO 

82 

103 

145 

146 

230 

252 

296 

372 

416 

451 

496 

514 

516 

597 

607 

618
8PINDLETOP FIELD. 23

Logs of wells in Spindletop field Continued. 

DENVER-BEAUMONT OIL, TANK, AND PIPE LINE COMPANY'S WELL NO. 1 Continued.

19

20

21

oo

23

24

25

9P>

28

20

30

31

'32

33

34

35

30

37

38

30

dn

41

42

43

44

di

40

47

48

Formation.

Hard limo rock with some shells. ..... ....... . ............... .............

Hard shale with stratum of lime rock. . ........................... .............

Thickness.

Feel. 

33

3

27

12

14

1

9

2!)

.4

8

2

11

11

5

39

C

3

01

20

07

1

52

11

42

i

. 1J

1

3

2

7

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

051

054

 081

093

707

708

717

740

7.50

' 758

760

771

782

787

820

832

835

890

922

989

990

1,042

1, 053

1,095

1, 095J

1,097

1,098

1,101

1, 103

1,110

The following wells are specifically referred to in the discussion: 

Spindletop wells referred to in tlie text.

[The numbers at the 

1. Andrews No. 1. 

, 2. Andrews No. 2.

3. Cartwright No. 1.

4. Cartwright No. 2.

5. Confederated No. 3. 

0. Denver-Beaumont.

7. Gladys No. 1.

8. Gladys No. 3.

9. Gladys No. 4.

10. Gladys No. 0.

11. Gladys No. S.

12. Gladys No/18.

13. Hamilton-Prince.

14. Hey wood No. 1.

15. Heywood No. 2. 

1C. Heywood No. 3. 

17. Biggins No. 1. 

IS. Biggins No. 2.

19. Biggins No. 3.

20. Biggins No.^.

21. Biggins No. 5.

left correspond to those on the map, PI. II, p. 18.]

22. Higgins No. 0.

23. Higgins No. 7.

24. Higgins No. 8.

25. Biggins No. 10. 

20. Higgins No. 15.

27. Biggins No. 10.

28. Higgins No. 19.

29. Iowa-Beaumont.

30. Lone Acre.

31. McFaddin No. 1.

32. McFaddin No. 2.

33. McFaddin No. 5.

34. McFaddin No. 7.

35. McFaddin No. 13. 

30. McFaddin No. 25.

37. McFaddin No. 4.

38. National Oil and Pipe Line Co. No. 1.

39. National Oil and Pipe Line Co. No. 2.

40. National Oil and Pipe Line Co. No. 3.

41. National Oil and Pipe Line Co. No. 7.

42. Southern No. 4.
24 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

SEDIMENTARY FORMATIONS ABOVE THE OIL,.

Above the horizon of the oil are 700 to 1,000 feet of generally unconsolidated sediments. 

They are not distinguishable from the beds under the adjacent prairie. Named in the 

order of their abundance, these beds consist of clays, sands (with gravels), and limestones 

(with shell beds). In general, individual beds can not be traced from well to well, except 

for very short distances. A stratum of from 15 to 25 feet of clay at the top is general.

The first 500 feet generally have a predominance of sand. From that depth down to the 

oil rock, sands are generally very subordinate in amount when not entirely absent. The 

logs of a considerable number of wells which are well distributed over the field show the 

following proportions of sands in their upper portions:

. Proportions of sand in Spindletop well sections.

Well.

Thickness of 

sand or 

gravel.

F(et.

180

290

404

305

340

284

Out of 

first 

Feet. 

471

350

544

5CO

413

510

520

503

Well.

Thickness-of 

sand or 

gravel.

Feet. 

395

438

356

373

419 198'

233

Out of 

first 

Feet. 

590

512

598

502

595

350

465

By consulting the logs it 'will be seen that the last four wells in the above list, together 

with the Higgins Nos. 4, 15, and 16, while showing a decided dominance of sand or gravel 

within the depths named, are almost devoid of sand within 100 or 200 feet of the surface. 

The largest proportions of sand and gravel are found in the Higgins Nos. 1 and 2. The section of the Higgins No. 1 shows 815 feet of sand out of 1,020 feet above the oil rock. Well 

No. 2 has 781 feet of sand and gravel out of a total depth of 1,006 feet, no considerable portion of the section having a dominance of clay. In the somewhat uncertain logs of wells 

Nos. 1 and 2 of the National Oil and Pipe Line Company, sand is given as the most abundant material to a depth of over 800 feet. At the other extreme may be placed the DenverBeaumont well, with but 40 feet of sand beneath the 42 feet of surface clays, the balance of 

the section showing only an insignificant proportion of sand. "Sand rock" is occasionally 

mentioned, generally in beds of a very few feet. All the specimens seen of such sandstone 

have a calcareous cement. Such "rocks" are very local or concretionary.

While gravels occur in the sandy upper halves of a minority of the well sections obtained, 

they have no constant position, thickness, or character, and the correlation of such beds is 

not here attempted. Those gravels which have been thought to suggest some possibility 

of correlation are enumerated in the list given belo\y. It is, of course^ to be borne in mind 

that as reliable logs were obtained from only about one-twentieth of all the wells, this list 

of occurrences of gravel is correspondingly imperfect. It.might be added that "very coarse 

sand" is mentioned in some other logs at horizons similar to those here named for the 

gravels, but the general omission of such mention in most logs is extremely adverse to any 

scheme of correlation.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

VIEW OF A PORTION OF SPINDLETOP, 1902.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 25

Gravels mentioned in Spindletop logs.

Well. Thickness.

Feet. 

15

7

08

20

20

Depth.

.Feet. 

245-260

270-277

255-428

245-265

295-315

Remarks.

" Coarse sand with black pebbles;" occurs also deeper.

Do.

" Variously colored; from bean to goose-egg size."

LIMESTONE.

In most of the logs there is frequent mention of "rock." As a rule, where not otherwise specified, this is understood to be limestone. When questioned, drillers frequently 

describe it as such. Most of the samples seen were limestone, a few being sandstone with 

calcareous cement. It is usually reported as occurring in beds 1 or 2 feet thick, but occasionally in 20 or 30 foot strata. Sometimes the degree of consolidation of these thick beds 

of rock may be exaggerated in the reports, but from the length of time required to drill 

through some of them it is believed that well-indurated beds of such thickness are occasionally encountered. In a note appended to the log of the Denver-Beaumont well, the 

contractor describes a very hard rock which was entered at a depth of 654 feet. This bed 

is 27 feet thick, and seventy-five days were required to drill through it. From the description given, the rock must be a very siliceous limestone. "Forty-three feet.of steel were 

worn away in getting .through this 27 feet." This statement, of course, refers to the wearing away of the bits. The reports of "soft rock," "soft white rock," "white clay," and 

"blue marl" probably refer to various shades of color and degrees of consolidation of the 

limy material.

SHELL BEDS.

"Shells," "shell beds," or "shell rock" are reported from most-wells. Large fragments 

of shell rock were occasionally brought to the surface by blowouts or other accidental 

means. They indicate the existence of large accumulations of shells, such as occur at 'or 

near the surface at many places on the Coastal Plain. Shells are also reported as occurring 

mixed in all proportions with sand, rock,'or clay. Shell beds,-when thin, may form thoroughly indurated rocks. The thicker masses, reaching 40, 50, or 60 feet, are' poorly 

cemented if at all, and generally do not consist of .shells, alone, but of shells mixed with 

sand or clay.

The relations of all the consolidated beds are such as to show that cementation has 

occurred most readily in the most calcareous material and where this material was comminuted and therefore easily dissolved. Where neighboring beds have been consolidated 

by the calcareous cement, or where calcareous concretions have been formed in these beds, 

the occurrence is in the permeable sands more frequently than in the more impervious clays.

"Gumbo" is the common term by which most clays are reported.** There are occasional 

mentions of "shale," and from the descriptions given by drillers and contractors it would 

appear that occasional beds ofHhe clays are sufficiently consolidated to justify the word 

shale. Probably in most cases, if not all, such occurrences are concretionary.

a An intelligent driller, when asked to distinguish between clay and gumbo, defined the latter as a 

clay so sticky that instead of mixing with water as common clay doe's to form mud, it rolls up into balls.
26 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

LACK OF CONTINUITY.

On account of the lack of lateral continuity, individual beds noted in one well section 

can not be identified in another. An attempt to correlate the beds named in the accompanying logs will make this fact obvious. The first impression on finding that a bed noted 

in one well is not found at the same depth in another is that it has "dipped" of "pinched 

out," implying a lens-like form. These impressions are prevalent in oil fields and appear 

in the common phraseology of the operators, but are for the most part ina'ccurate. It 

should rather be assumed that any one bed shows a gradual change from place to place 

in the nature of its material.

AGE OF BEDS.

The exact age of these beds overlying the oil is a matter of much uncertainty. Of the 

few fossils found, none would indicate that the horizon of the oil is older than late Miocene, 

and the topmost beds are very recent. However, if the conception of the oil-bearing rock 

as given below (p. 119) is correct, the exact age of the strata in which it is included is not a 

matter of the first importance in determining the laws of its distribution on the Coastal 

Plain. i 

ROCKS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE OIL.

Beneath the rocks above described are others whose presence is peculiarly characteristic 

of the mounds or dome structures which either yield oil or show close structural similarities 

to the oil fields. These rocks or minerals are porous limestone (or dolomite), sulphur, 

gypsum, salt, and pyrite with associated salts.

POROUS LIMESTONE.

The porous limestone is not the same as that described above as occurring in thin beds 

above the horizon of the oil rock, though gradations may occur between the two types 

(see p. 45). These thin beds are characteristically dense and seem to be in horizontal 

position. They are not crystalline, but show the ordinary dense texture resulting from 

induration of calcareous deposits. The limestone here referred to as characteristically 

associated with the oil bodies is sometimes dolomitic, and much of it is completely crystalline 

and porous or cavernous. Its upper surface is also extremely uneven, and its lower is 

perhaps equally so, though 'naturally the latter is but imperfectly explored.

Cavernous and oil-soaked fragments blown out from gushing wells, and differing from the 

beds passed through in drilling, may be supposed to fairly represent the rock which carries 

the oil. The crystalline character of this is evident. Among the workers in the field it is 

frequently compared to a light-colored maple sugar. Cavities may contain large crystals, 

or their walls may be drusy with calcite, though sometimes they contain sulphur (see p. 17). 

For a few inches, or even, it may be, a few feet, next to the upper surface, the limestone 

lacks the completely crystalline character, and resembles the dense, thin limestone beds 

found among the overlying clays. This narrow zone or crust of indefinite thickness (for 

the change is gradual) is spoken of as the "cap rock."

The dolomitic character of this porous rock varies. Doubtless the magnesium carbonate 

is always very subordinate to the calcium carbonate. No specimen was tested which did 

not effervesce freely with cold dilute hydrochloric acid without pulverizing the rock. Prof. 

F. C. Thiele, of Beaumont, has found no proportions of magnesia to lime greater than 1 to 40. 

The analysis here given is of the so-called "cap rock," which may be either the dense crust 

of the oil-bearing rock or the reservoir rock itself.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 27

Analysis of the limestone, forming the cap rock of the Beaumont oil.a

Percent. 

Silica.................................................................... 0.40

Oxide of iron.............................. 1...........................

Oxide of alumina. " ' 

Lime..............................: .....I......:......:.:............... 54. 89

Magnesia.................................^................................ Trace.

Sulphur, as free.sulphur and in organic combination............................ 1. 58

Sulphur, as sulphuric acid in combination .................................... .21

Carbonic acid.................................................... . ... ^.... 42. 45

Total.,............................................................ 100.03

The'openiugs seen iu hand specimens are of all sizes, from the minutest pores to cavities 

more than an inch in diameter. The sudden dropping of tools through supposed cavities 

of several feet, which is discussed elsewhere, does not necessarily.indicate .the presence of 

such large openings. On the other hand, there is no reason to deny the existence of cavities 

much larger than those seen in hand specimens. Doubtless very large masses of this oil 

rock may have a porosity of over one-third the total volume.

Computations based on the amount of oil produced indicate that the reservoir rock 

must be extremely porous or cavernous. The 37,000,000 barrels of oil already taken from 

this pool 1> would cover the area of the productive field to a depth of 22 feet. To afford room 

for this amount of fluid would require a rock 66 feet thick,'one-third of its volume being 

pore space. -Therefore, unless the average thickness of the oil-bearing limestone is greater 

than it has been believed to be, its average porosity mu^t exceed 33 per cent, or oil must 

have come in from a totally unknown source. If the average porosity exceeds 33 per cent, 

there must be large spots in which more than One-half the total volume is pore space, for 

the rock is locally dense. Large cores of similar rock taken from other mounds sometimes 

show more than 33 per cent of pore space, the pores or caverns being either empty or filled 

with sulphur.

So1 far as observed, a specimen taken from the immediate upper crust has essentially the 

same density, hardness, and constitution as the local limestones in the overlying beds. 

The thickness of this crust may be inferred from the depth to which wells are drilled into 

the rock before setting casings. It may safely be assumed that in all cases there are at 

least a few inches of such a crust. Its thickness may reach many feet, and at places the 

entire mass of the rock may be of the dense character of the. crust.

Sometimes well-rounded or multiplex concretions of .pure crystalline limestone of the 

maple-sugar appearance are carried to the surface by blow-outs. It is not possible to say 

positively from what matrix these come, but they belong near the horizon of the .oil rock 

and probably come from a marly stratum.

An understanding of the exact nature and origin of the porous limestone would be much 

facilitated by a clear picture of the exact forms of the bodies in which it occurs. It might 

have been hoped that where wells were drilled so close that the timbers of neighboring 

derricks touched or interlocked, a comparison of depths at which the rock was reached 

would give a fairly exact picture of the .form of its upper surface. Unfortunately, in the 

violent rush of well drilling in the most closely perforated portion of the field, the methods 

of work and of making reports were not such as to insure accuracy within 10,.20, or even 

30 feet. If reports could be accepted as given (generally orally), the depth to cap rock in 

neighboring wells niight differ as much as 20 or 30 feet within a horizontal distance of the 

same amount. This would require that the oil rock should have an extremely lumpy or 

hummocky upper surface or should interlock in some way with the overlying formation. 

While making large allowance for the unreliable character of most of these hurried reports,

"Analysis by Mr. S. H. Worrell; sec PhillLps, Wm. B., Texas petroleum: Bull. Univ. Texas Min- 

.eral Survey No. 1,1900, p. 27. 

& Before January 1, 1905.
28 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

it still seems necessary to conclude, from the observations of some careful contractors and 

good observers, that the upper surface of the oil rock has such a lumpy or (in a very large 

way) botryoidal form. In addition, this irregularity of surface seems to be attended by 

overlying or outlying concretions and possibly by branching veins. The oil rock does not 

seem to have on its lower side any such dense crust as that which is encountered above.

FORMATION BETWEEN OIL HORIZONS.

There are in many wells two oil-bearing horizons, the oil in both cases coming from the 

same kind of porous limestone, the two horizons being separated by a barren zone, which 

in some places attains a thickness of almost 200 feet, though in most cases it is less than 100 

feet thick. Concerning the nature of the material between two oil-bearing horizons, there 

is fairly general agreement. Mr. A. W. Hamill, a driller and contractor, who has observed 

the formations with some care, speaks of this material in the Keith-Ward tract as a "white, 

limy stuff" resembling gypsum. -It is generally, though not always, unconsolidated. It 

contains many concretions, commonly spoken of among drillers as "bowlders". These 

are liable to loosen and turn under the bit and give much trouble in drilling. The specimens 

seen of these "bowlders" are all limestone. In the Higgins No. 6 the formation from 1,009 

feet to 1,024 feet, occupying the space between two " oil sands," was a "hard, bluish, porous 

rock." In the Gladys No. 3 were "60 or 70 feet of white limestone" intervening between 

two oil horizons. In block 33, Gladys City (the Yellow Pine- tract), the corresponding 

material is referred to as "generally whitish or gray, limy stuff, not always soft." An 

occasional streak of "blue shale" is also mentioned in this locality. In the McFaddin 

No. 2 about 15 feet of "gumbo" separates two oil-bearing levels. In some cases, as in the 

National Oil and Pipe Line Company's well No. 7, such a gumbo parting is but 1 or 2 feet 

thick. The mention of gypsum may be assumed to be only by way of superficial comparison, though gypsum is probably found at greater depths in some of the same wells. 

On the whole, the language employed in description, together with the evidence of the 

calcareous concretions, points strongly to a marly substance more or less clayey and 

having, in different wells, different degrees of consolidation.

FORMATION BENEATH THE OIL ROCK.

Testimony concerning the material beneath the lower oil horizon is divided, some of it 

being in perfect agreement with that concerning the material just described, while other 

reports point to the presence of a white sand beneath the lowest oil. "Very hard clay" is 

mentioned at one place (Higgins No. 7); "gumbo underlain by laminated sandstone" at 

another (McFaddin J^o. 25); "soft sulphur mud alternating with hard limestone" at 

another (Higgins No.. 5); "white soft sands" at another (Higgins No. 10); "white lime 

rock" at another (Higgins No. 3), were the same material intervenes between two masses 

of the oil rock. "White, limy porous rock" was entered by one of the Cartwright wells 

after passing through a 2-foot oil-bearing stratum, which may be the representative at that 

place of the regular oil rock. "White, limy or gypsum-like material, not hard as limestone 

proper should be," "having loose bowlders" (concretions), was found in Gladys No. 1, 

where it was drilled into for 50 feet below a 40-foot oil rock. "Soapstone" is said by a 

reliable observer to underlie the lowest oil rock in the Iowa-Beaumont well (Keith-Ward 

tract), but the same observer uses the word soapstone to describe the "white^limy stuff" 

with concretions, found between the oil horizons in the same tract, and it is therefore 

believed that the word should be similarly interpreted in the other case. In two wells 

the Confederated No. 3 and the Gladys No. 6 the drill stopped in white sand at some distance below the oil rock, but the bed immediately below the latter is not described.

The descriptions cited above make it quite probable that in the main the subjacent 

neighbor of the oil rock is of the same calcareous nature as that which intervenes between 

two oil lu izons, where two are found. It is subject to various degrees of consolidation, 

and may locally pass into a stiff clay or contain clay streaks. The mention of white sand
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

FIRE IN SPINDLETOP OIL FIELD, SEPTEMBER, 19
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 29

may refer to the same substance, but inasmuch as trustworthy observers have described 

occurrences, in different wells differently, it is more probable that the material is locally 

sandy, or it may even be that the sand, exists in separate bodies of lens-like form. The 

superficial resemblance of light-colored marl to gypsum is manifest, and the latter is no 

doubt found both pure and intermixed (seep. 17), but these masses of " soft limy stuff " 

are not so interpreted.

SULPHUR.

A characteristic constituent of many of the mounds is sulphur. Though not found in 

all wells at Spindletop, it is very common, either pure or as an admixture. Deposits of 

sulphur occur both above and below the horizon of the oil, though of necessity it is less known 

in the latter position.» Most wells went but a few feet into the oil rock, and therefore the 

knowledge of what lies deeper is very limited. From the nature of the cuttings brought 

up by the rotary method of drilling, the reports of "solid" or "pure" sulphur must be 

received with some allowance. The following are some characteristic illustrations of its 

occurrence at Spindletop:

Well No. 1 of the National Oil and Pipe Line Company reported 40 feet of "pure sulphur" immediately above the cap rock. The same 40 feet of solid sulphur appears in the 

logs of wells Nos. 2 and 3 of this company, though the wells are separated by some him-- 

dreds' of feet. The observations on which the logs of these three wells are founded were 

made under certain disadvantages which impair the value of the records. In_\vell No. 2. 

the report is varied by the appearance of 26 feet of "sand and sulphur" between the 40 

feet of solid sulphur and the oil rock. In the Higgins No. 5, 8 feet (1,020 to 1,028) of 

supposedly pure sulphur occurs between beds of hard rock, being separated by 17 feet 

of the latter from the main oil-bearing rock .below. There are also 10 feet of "soft sulphur 

mud" above the sulphur and separated from it by 5 feet of hard rock, presumably a bed 

of limestone. The chief oil-bearing horizon (1,045 to 1,061 feet) is also described as "soft 

and sulphury." In the Higgins No. 1 are 10 feet of "sulphur rock" at the bottom of the 

well (1,030 to 1,040 feet) underlying the main oil-bearing bed, which is here but 10 feet 

thick. The Southern No. '4 encountered 1 foot of sulphur just above the cap rock, which 

is here 982 feet below the surface. Higher up in the same well 3 feet (845 to 848) of sulphur 

are reported. On the west side of the Yellow Pine tract (block 33 of Gladys City) 15 feet 

of " pure sulphur " (970 to 985) are said to underlie the main oil horizon. Similar deposits 

on the east side of the block have the same relations. The log of the Hey wood No. 2 gives 

33 feet of "sulphur rock" immediately above the oil rock, which was struck at 950 feet. 

This record adds credibility to that of the National No. 1, which is less than 200 feet distant. The Heywood No. 1 is said to have the same formation in the same relations, but 

the thickness is not recorded. The No. 3 well of the same company reports " sulphur rock " 

at four horizons, with thicknesses of 10, 15, 8, and 20 feet respectively, the lowest sulphur 

formation resting directly upon the oil rock. Seventy feet of sulphur are claimed for the 

Gladys No. 3, the location being above the oil. A few inches of pure sulphur were found 

in block 44, of Gladys City. "Solid sulphur 100 feet thick" is reported near the center of 

the field in an isolated dry well, which is quite surrounded by producers. The depth of 

this alleged deposit is greater than that of the surrounding oil zone.

In most of the wells cited above sulphur was supposed to be found unmixed with earthy 

matter. Where found remote from the oil rock (generally above) it is commonly reported 

as mixed with sand and clay, and this may also be the case in beds in contact with the oil 

rock. In the Higgins No. 7 there are 24 feet of "sulphur and white rock mixed" immediately above the oil rock, which was found here at 746 feet. In the Higgins No. 10 occur ' 

8 feet (930 to 938) of "soft sulphur and white and gray ro.ck," separated by 34 feet from 

the top of the oil-bearing rock. Some wells on the adjacent prairie beyond the limits of 

the field have encountered small proportions of sulphur in beds of sand and clay, but " pure " 

sulphur has not been discovered outside the territory underlain by the cavernous limestone.

The above enumeration of occurrences of supposedly pure sulphur shows the basis for
30 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

the statements made by well-informed operators to the effect that when sulphur is encountered in the unmixed form it is generally on or in the oil rock. The fact is significant that 

out of the comparatively small number of wells which were drilled to depths beyond the 

oil horizon three of those whose logs were obtained encountered sulphur beneath the oil. 

At all events, in the present state of our knowledge it is unsafe to assign a place to sulphur 

deposits above rather than below the oil. The great sulphur deposit in a mound similar 

to Spindletop at Sulphur, La., is found beneath small quantities of oil, and no oil is 

known to underlie the sulphur. It is not improbable that if the few hundred feet next 

beneath the main oil horizon at Spindletop were as thoroughly explored as those above, 

the prevailing position of the sulphur would be found to be below the oil.

Despite the popular impression there is small ground for assuming that the sulphur 

occurs in definite beds or continuous masses of large size. Samples conveyed to the surface 

by blow-outs or taken out as cores show pure sulphur and limestone as parts of the same 

chunk. Where there is any evident structural relation, as in the McFaddin well No. 13, 

the sulphur fills cavities in the limestone which are in every way similar to the cavities 

found in the best oil-bearing rock. The latter, in fact, are not infrequently lined with 

small sulphur crystals, just as in other cases they are lined with small calcite crystals. 

Gushers have ejected well-formed crystals of sulphur, more than an inch in length, indicating the existence of only partially filled cavities of still larger dimensions. Locally the 

limestone may be extraordinarily rich inv sulphur-filled cavities, or the drill may strike some 

such masses of extraordinary size; there may even be some veins or "chimneys" filled 

with the same substance, but direct proof of such is wanting.

An inspection of the overlying beds shows that in nearly all cases the sulphur, when not 

found in the oil rock itself, is covered by a dense rock, either clay or limestone, and therefore occupies a position in which a body of oil might have been retained. There are a few 

cases, as in the Heywood well No. 3, where beds containing much sulphur are overlain by 

sand, but it must also be borne in mind that oil is sometimes reported as occurring beneath 

a barren sand. The explanation which at once suggests itself is that an impervious parting 

has been overlooked. The'significant fact is that in the case of sulphur, as in that of oil, 

the reports of such relations are exceptional.

. GYPSUM.

Gypsum is mentioned in a considerable number of reports from Spindletop, but it is 

impossible to verify its existence at this time because of the inaccurate use of the term and 

the want of samples. It is poorly discriminated by drillers from "soapstone" and marl. 

This is evident from the reports of gypsum abounding in shell remains. While other materials may thus be'wrongly reported as "gyp," gypsum is liable to be classed'as "rock" 

where found. Of the two deep wells on the hill, the Iowa-Beaumont reports "soapstone" 

beneath.the oil rock to 1,200 feet, and the Higgins No. 3 reports "mostly "white lime," with 

comparatively small amounts' of sand and rock, to 1,647'feet. 'Either of these reports 

might cover a large amount of gypsum, but there is no direct evidence to that effect.

While direct proof by samples is impossible at the present time, careful observers who 

examined many samples during the early life of the field do not hesitate to speak confidently 

of the association of gypsum with oil-bearing rock. Hayes and Kennedy o, make the 

statement: "From some of the wells, along with the dolomite, large pieces of crystalline 

gypsum or selenite have been thrown out by the escaping oil. Their surfaces are always 

deeply corroded, giving evidence that they have been subjected to the action of some solvent." Lee Plager speaks confidently of the presence of gypsum, or, rather more frequently, 

of anhydrite, beneath the oil horizon. It is his impression that the very thick strata, 50 to 

100 feet, reported as gypsum are more frequently composed of thin beds of gypsum interbedded with clays or sands. The reports of gypsum, either in this condition or as selenite 

crystals, do not furnish an exact parallel to its occurrence at some .other mounds, where it

a Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, 1903, p. 71.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 31

is found as a massive rock, sometimes hundreds of feet thick (see p. 80), but such occurrences at Spindletop might easily be referred to by the rather vague reports of "soapstone" 

or "limy stuff." The normal position of gypsum when occurring in great masses seems to 

be some distance below the limestone. The existence of. well-developed selenite crystals 

suggests that the gypsum sometimes occurs in cavities, presumably those of the limestone, 

though the crystals may have developed in loose sediments.

ROCK SALT.

Both the deep wells went into rock salt. The Iowa-Beaumont entered "pure salt" at 

1,200 feet and continued to 1,790 feet, stopping in the same material. The Higgins No. 3, 

entering salt at 1,647 feet, continued to 1,990 feet without encountering any other sub-: 

stance. The analogy of certain other mounds would create a presumption in favor of gypsum above the salt if the former is to be found at all (see p. 17). An exceptional case of 

salt above the oil appears in the Higgins well No. 19, where a 10-foot bed of "rock salt" is 

reported at a depth of about 600 feet. Its purity is uncertain.

PYRITE.

In small quantities iron pyrite is found at almost all depths, sometimes scattered through 

the sand, sometimes concentrated in nodules or so strongly impregnating certain thin beds as 

to make a serious barrier to the., rotary drill. It took eleven days to drill through a 6-foot 

layer of this character in the Higgins well No. 14. This bed was encountered at 600 feet. 

: In the Higgins well No. 9 the same kind of rock, met with at various levels below 800 feet, 

is described as occurring in " bowlders." Pyrite is most frequently mentioned as occurring 

just above the oil, the oil rock itself frequently containing admixtures of it. A zone overlying 

the oil rock in the McFaddin well No. 7 is composed of interstratified rock (presumably 

limestone) and pyrite. In the McFaddin No. 5, a dry hole on the north side, there were 

several hundred feet in which the same materials were interstratified. The depth of the 

abundant pyrite in this well is about that at which the oil should have been expected. The 

limestone mentioned as interstratified with pyrite is not, however, the porous or cavernous 

rock which carries the oil, but a dense rock like the thin limestone beds found above the oil.

POSITION OF THE OIL.

So far as the petroleum can be assigned to a constant position among the substances 

discussed above, it may be said to belong to the caverns and pores of the principal limestone. 

Far the larger part of the oil has been found in this position, and over most of the area of 

Spindletop no oil from any other horizon has been developed. Only "showings" are 

reported from the sandy beds above. In the haste to reach the well-known rock below, 

little attention was paid to these showings, and it can not be known how much oil, if any, 

they might have yielded. On the other hand, a very,considerable productive area on the 

west side of the field has yielded little or no oil from the porous limestone, if, indeed, the 

latter is present. With the exception of one or two wells which seem to have entered 

the regular oil rock, all the wells in this vicinity obtain their oil from sands inclosed between 

clays. These sands have diverse depths in different wells, and it is quite probable that 

they are of very limited lateral extent and that near-by wells derive their oil from different 

bodies of sand.

It should be plainly recognized that the Spindletop pool contains oil in two distinct 

relations in the porous limestone and in loose sands. This is an essential consideration 

if this field is to be compared with other fields of the Gulf Coastal Plain. In this connection 

it is also to be noted that the destructive blow-outs of gas by which some wells have be'en 

ruined have come from beds some distance above the porous oil-bearing limestone. 

Bull. 282 06 3
32 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

GENERALIZED COLUMN.

So far as the facts detailed above warrant a statement concerning the general relations 

of the materials disclosed by the Spindletop wells, these materials may be said to occupy 

more or less distinct levels and to be arranged in the following order:

1. Sands, clays, and thin limestones; occasional admixtures of sulphur and pyrite.

2. Iron.pyrite, most abundant just above the cavernous limestone.

3. Cavernous limestone containing oil and sulphur.

4. Gypsum, which may be massive, interlaminated or mixed with sand or clay.

5. Rock salt to an unknown depth, probably pure.

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SCALE <)

500_____o______500_____1000 feet ?

A iS "

A NW. ^ ta

B?

i ! 

II

1$ ^

U

1X1 s

11

,/^

^

y afds

^

lrret

and

"on

**

^r.^rnatin,

with thin beds i

Cap rock

' 6

f

tin

C°£*_., /=0^

sds of C/a

?*ndSt0f

us dolomi

V, 5'

e

tnr

t-r.

ind, a,

^~~~~~.

sncf

 ^Xi

id g'rgyel

^

- ---,

Gypsum ?

Salt

FIG. 1. Section of Spindletop oil pool. (See map, PI. II, p. 18.)

The zone here referred to as No. 3 is complex and must be understood as embracing 

much unconsolidated limy sediment. No definite statement can be made concerning the 

relative positions of the sulphur and the oil, except that the two occur in similar relations 

to the sediments and crystalline limestone.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 33

\ 

GEOLOGIC STKUCTUBE.

There still remains some obscurity about the geologic structure of Spindletop aud similar 

mounds. There is no reason to doubt that there is some upward bulging in the form of 

a dome (see fig. 1). The areal extent of this structural dome is substantially that of the 

surficial elevation. The height of the uplift affecting any given horizon can be stated only 

when that horizon has been clearly discriminated over the entire field and its depth ascertained both on the top of the dome and beyond its limits, where the beds are horizontal. 

Because of the lack of lateral continuity in the character of the beds, such data are difficult 

to obtain. The. principal dependence must be placed on data pertaining to the oil-bearing 

rock because this formation is best known and probably the most continuous.

TWO OR MORE OIL HORIZONS. '

The difficulty in an accurate delineation of the dome structure arises from the presence 

(locally) of more than one horizon of the genuine oil rock. Eacli has considerable continuity throughout certain parts of the field and there is some uncertainty as to which 

should be correlated with the single oil-bearing rock near the edges of the mound. One 

such area of two oil horizons embraces much of the Keith-Ward tract and is apparently 

continuous to the north far enough to include blocks 21 and 33, Gladys City. The porous 

oil rock is reached anywhere in the northern .part of the Keith-Ward area at less than 900 

feet, and in some wells at less than 800 feet. The first oil-bearing rock encountered may 

have a thickness of from 20 to 40 feet. Below it is the marly material described above 

as having various degrees of consolidation and containing calcareous concretions usually 

spoken of as loose bowlders. At about 1,000 feet, or frequently less, the porous crystalline 

oil rock is found again. A majority of the reports say that at this lower level the oil rock 

is incrusted by a hard "cap rock" similar to that of the higher stratum, and that the two 

horizons are not distinguishable by any physical characteristics.

In block 21, Gladys City, the true oil rock, yielding large quantities of oil, is said to be 

found at a minimum depth of 740 feet and to have a thickness of 40 feet. Most of the 

wells from the upper horizon in this block are deeper than this, the oil being found at 

varying depths, averaging about 800 feet. Here again a lower stratum is reached at between 

900 and 1,000 feet. The same statements, with little change of figures, apply to block 33 

(the Yellow Pine tract).

The Gladys well No. 3, situated between the Keith-Ward tract and block 21, found oil 

at 760 feet, being one of the shallowest wells in the field. A lower oil stratum was reached 

by this same well between 900 and 1,000 feet. Gladys Nos. 8 and 18 also show two oil 

strata similar to those in No. 3.

Some wells near the edge of the dome show a similar duplication of oil-bearing horizons. 

In the Higgins No. 5 an upper showing of oil at 983 to 1,005 feet is separated from the 

principal oil, which is found at 1,045 feet. A similar separation has been pointed out in 

the Higgins No. 6, while partings of less magnitude have been noted in the McFaddin 

No. 2 and the National Oil and Pipe Line Company's well No. 7. . .

Situated somewhat centrally in the area where the two oil horizons are noted are other 

wells, e. g., the Gladys No. 4, in which the lower oil was reached without passing any indication of a higher oil-bearing stratum. It would seem from this and other similar occurrences that the lower stratum is the more continuous, while the upper ones are local, and 

that therefore, in determining the elevation of the structural dome, it would be best to 

correlate the lower horizon at the center of the area with the single formation which is 

found at the edge. It is more probable, however, that neither formation is entirely continuous, but that there is a zone from 100 to 200 feet in thickness which contains numerous 

masses of porous rock at different depths. It is not therefore certain that either oil horizon 

at the center of the field can be exactly correlated with that around the edges.
34 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

DEPTHS AND DIPS OF THE OIL KOOK.

 In the following statements concerning the structural relations of the oil rock it is assumed, 

for convenience, that the lower porous limestone near the middle of the field is continuous 

with the single stratum found near the edges of the dome. It must be understood, however, that in speaking of dips it is not intended to imply that the inclined formation is one 

and the same bed at the same stratigraphic horizon throughout. A difference of depth 

which may be spoken of here as indicating an inclination of the rock may mean that entirely 

distinct rock bodies were encountered in different wells.

A little north of the center of the field the lowest oil rock seems to be found nearer the 

surface than at any other place. It is entered here by the wells on the west boundary of 

the National Oil and Pipe Line Company's tract at a depth of less than 900 feet. Within 

500 feet to the northeast the rock was found to be from 25 to 50 feet deeper. One thousand 

feet to the north the Denver-Beaumont well reached what may fairly be correlated with the 

porous oil limestone at 1,104 feet. The fall toward the northwest from, the assumed center 

(if the same horizon is represented by the deeper oil in the Yellow Pine tract) is perhaps 

100 feet in a distance of 500 to 600 feet. The rock is little if any deeper in block 21 than 

in block 33, though the former is 1,000 feet west from the assumed crest of the dome. 

Concerning the west side of the field, reference has already been made to the wells which 

pumped oil from sand beds in blocks 5, 6, and 11, Gladys City. These wells did not find 

the oil limestone, though some of them are 1,100 feet deep. Southeast from the supposed 

highest point of the dome the level soon falls below 900 feet in the west corner of the 

Hogg-Swayne tract. The average depth of the oil rock here is probably 50 feet greater 

than on the supposed top of the dome 500 feet to the northwest. Southwest from the 

National and Hogg-Swayne tracts is the central portion of the field, including and extending 

beyond the two tracts of the Higgins Oil and Fuel Company. Ignoring for the present the 

extreme edges of this area we may say that the entire fall in nearly one-half mile to the 

southwest from the highest part of the dome does not exceed 50 or 60 feet. It is steepest 

near the center of the field and becomes very small or disappears entirely for a considerable 

distance. In certain localities the depth of oil would indicate a greater inclination of the 

oil-bearing rock, but such instances are exceptional. There may, indeed, be a secondary 

dome at the southwest end of the field, but to delineate such would require a refinement 

not possible from the data. On.the west side of the field, in the vicinity of the Sabine and 

East Texas Railroad station, the true-oil rock is recognized in only one well (block 44). 

It was found here at 978 feet, which is substantially the same depth at which it was found 

in the southwest end of the field. There can be no certainty about the correlation of the 

limestone in this well with that found farther east. Other wells in this vicinity have gone 

deeper, but neither at this horizon nor at any other have they, reached any recognized 

equivalent of the porous oil-bearing limestone.

It is noteworthy that a large number of wells near the edges of the dome found the oil 

rock at distinctly greater depths than those named above. The depths given above for 

J;he Hogg-Swayne tract are applicable to the western third of that tract.« East of a line 

running north by west and passing somewhat west of the center of the tract the oil rock 

has a decided dip in an easterly direction. At places the increased depth of the oil horizon 

is as much as 70 feet in a distance of 200 feet, though such sharp dips may have borrowed 

steepness from the local irregularities of the upper surface of the limestone. Probably it 

would not be safe to assign to this edge of the dome a general dip greater than 1 foot in 4, 

and that for only a short distance. Exploration extends but little to the east of this 

so-called "monocline," and it is not known that the total drop exceeds 60 or 70 feet. It is 

said that the character of the oil rock remains the same wherever found on this side of 

the field.

a In referring to the map it should be noted that the boundaries of this and other rectangular 

tracts do not run with the points of the compass and that the cardinal directions are not parallel 

with the margins of the map.
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 35

On the south side of the field the MoFaddin wells and Higgins Nos. 5 and 6 all found oil 

considerably deeper than it was found nearer the center of the field, generally at about 

1,000 feet and frequently lower. Here, however, the true oil limestone was generally found 

at at least two different depths in the same.well and some oil was obtained from each horizon. 

The higher levels, if correlated with the most productive levels in the body of the field, 

would indicate a slight dip away from the mound. If the lower and more productive levels 

be assumed to be continuous with the lower horizons in the body of the field, a marked 

southeastward dip is indicated, though the fall would not be so abrupt as that in the 

Hogg-Swayne tract.

Two wells in the Hebert tract, located on the flat south of the mound, found the oil 

rock at 996 feet, which is substantially the depth of the lower horizon in the Keith-Ward 

tract. West of these the group of Trembly wells and those of the Southern Drill Company 

reveal a very slight dip to the south or southwest, the greatest depth at which oil was found 

being 1,010 feet. A few hundred feet farther southwest the oil rock is probably represented 

in the Hamilton-Prince well by about 4 feet of limestone struck at 1,020 feet, which yielded 

no oil. The Lone Acre well, 150 feet farther west, went 1,240 feet and found no rock. 

One hundred feet east of the.Hamilton-Prince Mr. Benjamin Andrews found the undoubted 

oil rock at 1,010 feet and obtained some oil. A well drilled by Mr. Andrews about halfway 

between these two last named found a limestone at a depth which indicated a slight westerly 

dip, but the rock lacked the porosity of the oil rock and contained no oil. Three hundred 

feet farther south the eastern one of two Cartwright wells found, at 1,111 feet, a 2-foot 

oil-bearing stratum which may represent the oil limestone. The other of these wells, 140 

feet farther west, showed nothing which could be identified with the stratum in question.

DIMENSIONS OF THE DOME.

From these depths it appears that the Spindletop structural dome is of very gentle slope 

and small height. A generalized section from the Cartwright wells on the south-southwest 

to the Denver-Beaumont well on the north-northeast would show an arching of a little more 

than 200 feet in a distance of 4,000 feet, the dip to the north being considerably steeper 

than that to the south. An east-west cross section would be of similar dimensions and 

would show the steepest dip on the dome, namely, that of the abrupt monocline running 

through the Hogg-Swayne tract, where, for a horizontal distance of 200 or 300 feet, the dip 

may be as great as 1 foot in 4. It is to be understood that these statements about cross 

sections ignore not only all the limestone formations above the lowest, but all the local 

roughness of the surface. The dimensions of the dome are taken from the upper surface 

of the lowest representative of the oil rock, this member being assumed to be continuous, 

or at least far more likely to be continuous than any other member.

The height of the dome as regards any bed below the oil limestone is even less than that 

given above, for the reason that the limestone formation is thickest at the center. From well 

records on the south side it appeal's that the limestone is very thin at the edges of the mound, 

while beneath the mound the thickness of the lowest oil rock alone is'considerable. There are 

40 feet of it in the Gladys No. 1 and 20 feet in the Higgins No. 3. It is quite safe, therefore, 

to affirm that within the explored area the amount of differential uplift of beds below the 

oil-bearing limestone is well within 200 feet. It is significant that in two wells, the Cartwright on the south and the Denver-Beaumont on the north, in which the supposed oil rock 

was encountered some hundreds of feet beyond the limits of the mound, the depth of the 

rock is substantially the same, being in each case a little more than 1,100 feet.

If the entire zone in which oil occurs be considered as a unit, its greatest thickness and 

the highest part of the dome are in the Keith-Ward tract and adjacent territory to the 

north and northwest. Looked at in this way, the maximum thickness of the reservoir 

rock is over 200 feet, and its upper surface forms a dome fully 300 feet high. Beds above 

the limestone, if conformable with it, would of necessity be domed to the same extent. The 

lack of lateral continuity in the beds makes evidence on this point very difficult. There is 

no collateral evidence of so great an uplift of the overlying beds.
86 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

STRUCTURE BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE DOME.

Beyond the immediate limits of the oil field the far deeper wells of the surrounding 

prairie have not found any formation to correspond to the porous oil-bearing limestone. 

The western one of the two Cartwright wells, 1,424 feet deep, did not pass the oil rock, 

though only 140 feet farther east it seems to be feebly represented at 1,111 feet. The Lone 

Acre well, northwest" of the Cartwright, went 1,240 feet without finding the rock in 

question, though'it is quite certain that the Hamilton-Price well, which is just 150 feet 

away in the direction of the mound, found the rock at 1,020 feet. If the McFaddin No. 5 

(near Spindletop avenue northeast) found the rock at all, it was dense and hard and not to 

be distinguished from the thin limestone beds which occur'in the overlying sands and clays. 

Four hundred feet to the southwest of this well and also 600 feet to the northwest (in the 

Denver-Beaumont well) the oil rock is recognizable. In the northwest side of the hill no 

deep well nearer than 1,500 feet from the developed field affords information. At that 

distance the .Chicago Crude was sunk 2,100 feet without finding the oil rock. On the northeast side the big Jumbo is 1,100 feet from the nearest productive well (the Denver-Beaumont). It is 2,000 feet deep, but did not find the formation in question. Nearly all the 

wells in the barren area surrounding Spindletop passed through limestone, sometimes in 

thick strata and at great depths, but its character is always that of the thin limestones 

above the oil.

The structure beyond the immediate limits of the known dome may be considered with 

reference to three possibilities: (1) The dip of the oil formation may be so great as to "carry 

it beyond the reach of the deepest wells. (2) The rock may be horizontal outside the' 

limits within which it is shown, but have its character changed within a narrow space to that 

of the ordinary Coastal Plain deposits. (3) The rock may thin out and disappear, the 

entire formation having the form of a lens, concave below and convex above. It is sufficient here to express the belief that a combination of the second and third hypotheses contains the essential truth. The first hypothesis, besides being inherently improbable on 

account of the magnitude and steepness of the dips required, is unsupported by any collateral, evidence within this field. Its only claims to consideration are based on (I) the 

failure to find the oil rock beyond certain limits and (2) a supposed analogy with certain 

salines of Louisiana and eastern Texas, where the quaquaversal dip is marked, but where 

crustal deformation is manifestly far more intense than at this point.

GAS.

FROM ABOVE THE OIL.

At almost all depths small showings of gas were encountered. Its appearance, even at 

the surface, has been noted under "Surface indications" (p. 18). Except near the depth 

of the oil, however, gas pressures are very slight. A stratum above the oil, though entirely 

separate from it, frequently produced gas under remarkable pressures, in some cases dry, 

in others carrying small quantities of oil.

It was from this horizon that the destructive " blow-outs" occurred. In some such cases 

the machinery was wrecked and the casing driven from the well. The derrick floor and 

surrounding ground were covered to a depth of several feet with sand and mud and the 

hole was ruined. These violent eruptions might continue for a few hours and then cease 

entirely, partly, perhaps, by reason of the clogging of the well, partly on account of the 

exhaustion of the gas pocket. The gas above the oil is sometimes described as coming 

from a "mucky sand" having sufficient plasticity to be molded in the hand. The beds 

separating it from the porous oil-bearing rock below appear, where described at all, to be 

of. an impervious nature.

GAS FROM THE HORIZON OF THE OIL.

Great quantities of gas come out with the oil itself, doubtless from the same cavities of 

the porous limestone, or the gas may have been absorbed in the oil under enormous pres-
SPINDLETOP FIELD. 87

sures. Men at work in the oil fields generally speak of this gas which comes out with the 

oil as differing from the dry gas found higher. The former is spoken of as poisonous, while 

the latter is thought to be harmless. The distinguishing characteristic, of the lower and 

deadly gas is probably sufficiently accounted for by the following quotation from Hayes 

and Kennedy: * "This gas contains a large proportion of hydrogen sulphide and its poisonous qualities are intensified by its being saturated with petroleum vapor. Petroleum vapor 

has the effect of rendering persons inhaling it unconscious, and if one remains under its 

influence-for any length of time death ensues. The combination of hydrogen sulphide and 

petroleum vapor issuing from the wells is such as to render death almost instantaneous." 

Some deaths occurred at Spindletop from this cause and in a large number of cases death 

was averted only by a timely resuscitation. The effect of the saturated gas on the eyes is 

very painful and injurious, lasting a number of days. The expression "gassed eyes" is 

thoroughly understood in the Texas oil fields and regrettably familiar.

It is the expansive force of this gas which causes the phenomenon of gushing. The oil 

and gas come out together in a*spray, which may rise to several times the height of the

derrick.

SALT WATER.

The first appearance of salt water in the Spindletop field was in the great blow-out of the 

McFaddin No. 4. The gas was struck at 918 feet, which is considerably higher than the 

local level of the oil. Elsewhere on Spindletop salt water was not found above the oil. It 

is uncertain whether the vicinity of this well is exceptional in this respect or whether the 

explosive expansion of the gas rent the rock in such a way as to connect the well with a 

deeper source of salt water. Salt water first began to follow the exhaustion of the oil in the 

wells of the Export Oil and Pipe Line Company, at the north corner of the Hogg-Swayne 

tract. Later this became the common experience in the deeper wells around the edges pf 

the field. In a general way the area invaded by salt water spread toward the center of the 

field, but the advance was extremely irregular and the rate of advance on different sides was 

not uniform. Before the general occupation of the Hogg-Swayne tract by salt water an 

occasional well encountered it by being drilled too deep. Some wells in the earlier life of 

the field were exhausted and abandoned before the advent of salt water. This was notably 

the case in the Yellow Pine tract. At the present time, however, salt water has invaded 

all parts of the field, and the amount of it pumped greatly exceeds that of the oil.

There has been occasional freakish behavior of wells, as in the case of the Higgins No. 10, 

which, after producing oil at the rate of 600 barrels a day, suddenly began to produce salt 

water, which continued for ninety-four days, after which time the well produced oil steadily 

with no admixture of water.

PRODUCTION.

QUANTITY OF OIL.

In the first four years of its life the Spindletop field produced 34,000,000 barrels of oil. 

Including the production of the fifth year and the amount wasted for lack of storage facilities 

in the early days of the field, the total amount brought to the surface was at least 37,000,000 

barrels.. If this amount were contained in a tank having a base equal to the area of the 

field the depth of the oil. would approximate 22 feet. Estimates of the yield of gushing 

wells are generally greatly exaggerated. In one instance, however, that of the Hey wood 

No. 2, the actual flow into the tank is given by a careful authority*' as 8,000 barrels within 

two hours, or at the rate of 96,000 barrels a day. In ten months it produced 1,395,000 

barrels. The original Lucas gusher (McFaddin No. 1) is said to have flowed at an initial 

rate of 75,000 barrels per day, but this statement is not based upon measurements.

The average life of flowing wells in the Spindletop field was short, frequently but a few 

weeks and rarely more than a few months, with constantly diminishing output. When

a Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, p. 170.

6 Mr. Holland S. Reavis, editor of the Oil Investors' Journal.
38 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

flowing ceased, many of the wells were put to pumping, but many others were abandoned. 

Late in 1904 there was a revival of drilling operations on the southwest side of the field 

near the railroad. These wells derived their oil from sands, and do not reach any porous 

limestone. By these operations the daily production of the field, which had fallen to 

4,500 barrels, was considerably raised. In the autumn of 1905 the production fell to less 

than 4,000 barrels daily.

CHARACTER OF THE OIL.a.

The gravity of average Spindletop oil is 21.9° B. On refining it yields:

Refined product of'average Spindletop oil. . Per cent.

Gasoline................................................................... 1.8

Kerosene................................................................... 17.1

Solar......................;.............................................. 15. 4

Lubricating....................................... .^ ....................... 52. 2

Asphalt.................................................................... 7.5

.SOUR LAKE FIELD.

The Sour Lake oil field is in Hardin County, about 20 miles west by north from Beaumont. 

It is reached by the newly constructed Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railroad; also 

by an 8-mile branch of the Southern Pacific, which leaves the main line at Nome. The 

place takes its name from a pond fed by springs and wells of highly mineralized water 

which is believed to possess medicinal properties. A hotel was constructed some years 

ago, and the place is well known as a resort.

SURFACE INDICATIONS AND HISTOBT.

FIRST OBSERVED EVIDENCE OF OIL.

The surface indications which led to drilling for oil at this place are various. In the 

vicinity of the lake occasional seepages of bil and bubbles of gas have been noted since the 

.earliest settlement. At places near the.lake a.black asphaltic substance has also been 

observed, strongly impregnating the soil, forming a kind of crust or even coating the 

surf ace. b This substance is believed to be a residuum left by the evaporation of petroleum. 

Sulphur is also said to be found in the soil, but it is not known that this was considered 

significant before the actual discovery of the oil. Like the sour waters of the springs and 

lake, sulphur has subsequently received some attention as an associate of oil in the Coastal 

Plain, on account of its very frequent occurrence in the oil fields.

EARLY EXPLOITATION.

Drilling at Sour Lake began in 1893. In 1895 Savage Brothers found oil in several 

shallow wells. Various projects held attention on the matter until, in 1898, the Gulf 

Coast Refining Company built a refinery with a capacity of 100 barrels of oil daily. By 

this time no less than five wells had been drilled, none of them exceeding 280 feet in depth. 

Three of them, drilled by Savage.Brothers, found oil at about 230 feet. This was a dark 

oil, with a gravity of about 16° B. and suitable for lubricants, which it was the intention 

of the Gulf- Coast Refining Company to manufacture. Savage Brothers entered into a 

contract to supply 100 barrels of crude oil daily, but this was soon found to be impossible 

and the refinery was .closed. . .

Up to 1901 the prospective field at Sour Lake was similar to that at Nacogdoches in the 

character and depth of its oil, as also in industrial conditions, c It differed only in the 

age of the formation in which the oil occurred. The area prospected was in the southern 

half of the present developed field and.extended eastward from the lake.

o Information received from Mr. J. S. McNamara, of the United Oil and Refining Company, Beaumont, Tex. 

6 The first published account of these features is in Wall's work on the asphalt deposits of Trinidad, 

c Compare also the Saratoga field, p. 57, and the Jennings field, p. 100.
U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL.V

f .Corduroy Road *»is /" 

MAP OF SOUR LAKE OIL FIELD
SOUR LAKE FIELD. 89

Deep drilling began in 1901. In the summer of that year the Guffey well No. 1, on 

the extreme west side of the field, was sunk to a depth of 1,200 feet. A sputtering of gas, 

mud, and sand, with some oil, was noted at 900 feet. Similar indications were obtained 

in the Great Western well, in the Rodgers tract near the railroad. It was drilled to 1,500 

feet in November of the same year. This well is also noteworthy for the large amount 

of hot water encountered (see p. 120). In March, 1902, the Great Western Company 

obtained a natural flow or gushing of oil in .a well 683 feet deep, located some 500 feet 

south of the Wirt Davis tract. The experience of this well showed the necessity of a 

strainer (an invention not yet perfected) to prevent loose sand from entering and choking 

the well.

BEGINNING OF PRODUCTION.

The first genuine success was the W. B. Sharp well, drilled in January, 1903, in the Wirt 

Davis tract. The facts concerning this well were for a time kept secret. The Texas Company also obtained flows from two wells on the large tract belonging to the Sour Lake 

Springs Company, but the facts were not then made public. In May came the Gilbert 

No. 1, a famous gusher, yielding 15,000 to 20,000 barrels per day. This became the signal 

for immediate drilling by a host of operators. "By August 1, 1903, 220 wells had been 

completed, or were in the process of drilling, and the output of the field exceeded 100,000 

barrels a day." « Many of these early wells were in the best parfcof the field, in and near 

the south end of the Wirt Davis tract, and had an initial yield of more than 10,000 barrels 

daily. Only a small minority yielded less than 1,000 barrels. Before- the close of the 

year the field had produced more than 8,000,000 barrels.

TOPOGRAPHY.

Some effort has been expended in instrumental surveys to show the existence of a mound 

at Sour Lake similar to that of the Beaumont field. The necessity of measurements 

indicates at once the fact that any elevation in this field is of a very different form from 

that of Spindletop. Levclings show a difference of 20 feet between the highest part of 

the field and the lowest part of the salt marsh on the southeast. The relief within the 

field itself amounts to at least 10 feet. The inequalities are, however, highly irregular, 

and there is no well-defined mound.

The differences of elevation are due to three causes: (1) Unequal settling of the sedimentary formations, (2) erosion, and (3) the activity of the same uplifting agencies which 

made the mounds of the Coastal Plain. There is a possibility of a fourth factor, namely, 

settling due to the dissolving of salt deposits, but this can not be demonstrated. The 

phenomenon of unequal settling of unconsolidated sediments is sufficiently common on 

the Coastal Plain to need no further mention.

The beginnings of erosion at Sour Lake are. evident. .Pine Island Bayou, several miles 

to the south, follows near the edge of the Beaumont clays as mapped by Kennedy. On 

its southern side this stream is practically without tributaries. On its northern side 

tributaries have begun to incise the sandier terrane which has been regarded as of Columbia 

age. The progress of stream dissection is more marked farther north, but its beginnings 

are noted at Sour Lake.

« Reavis, Holland S., The Texas Almanac, 1904, p. 159.
40 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS.

WELL SECTIONS.

The following logs illustrate the character of the geologic formations at Sour Lake. 

Complete, logs were not obtained of wells which entered porous limestone, gypsum, or 

salt:

Logs of wells in Sour Lake field.

HIGGINS NO. 8.

1 '

9,

3

4

5

ft

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

IS

If.

17

IS

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

3?

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Formation.

\Vhite rock

White rock. ................

Blue mud...................

White sand .................

White rock.................

White rock.. ...............

White rock...... ...........

White rock................

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

20

20

20

20

20

50

110

30

30

1

9

'60

10

1

10

20

1

13

75

2

8

2

8

25

30

40

80

2

',58

1

29

1

29

2

68

2

100

1

7

1

17

22

3

1

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

20

40

60

80

100

120

170

280

310

340

341

350

410

420

421

431

451

452

465

540

542

550

552

560

585

615

C55

735

737

795

790

825

826

855

857

925

927

1,027

1,028

1,035

1,036

1,053

1,075

1,078

1,079

4R

47

48

49

50

51

52

,53

54

55

56

57

.58

59

60

f.1

62

6-3

64

fiS

66

67

68

W

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84 '85

86

87

88

89

Formation.

White rock.................

White rock.................

White rock...... ...........

Thickness.

Feet. 

11

1

9

1

4

1

6

2

3

15

 1

26

1

9

1

3

1

50

5

25

5

T;

15

10

2

58

2

16

1

101

45

1

9

1

22

1

31

1

13

1

2

1

4

Total 

depth.

Feet. ' 

1,090

1,091

1,100

1,101

1;105

1,106

'1,112

1,114

1,117

1,118

1,133

1,134

1,160

1,161

1,170

1,171

1,174

1,175

1,225

1,230

1,255

1,260

1 971;

1,290

1,300

1,302

1,360

1,362

1,378

1,379

1,480

1,525

1,526

1,535

1,536

1,558

1,559

1,590

1,591

1,604

1,605

1,607

1,608

1,612
SOUR LAKE FIELD. 41

GUFFEY NO. 4. 

[McKallip Brothers, drillers.]

1

2 

3 

4 

5

'o

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

.12 

13 

14 

15 

10 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

20

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33

34

35

Formation.

Sand........................

Gumbo .....................

Sand........................

Shell rock...................

Gumbo.....................

Shell rock. ..................

Shell rock...................

Shell rock. A 6-inch pipe 

was remeasured and 10- 

inch pipe set 011 the abovenamed shell rock, the 

depth being measured at 

595 feet....................

Limestone and sand rock 

mixed .................... '.

Red clay ....................

Thickness.

Feet. 

20 

20 

20 

10 

39 

10 

14 

126 

43 

42 

1 

3 

1 

20 

13 

22 

19 

3 

77 

1 

25 

17 

5 

23 

11

1 

 38 

5 

1 

18 

1 

10

6 

35

1

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

' 20 

40 

00 

70 

109 

119 

133 

259 

302 

344 

345 

348 

349 

369 

382 

404 

423 

426 

503 

504 

529 

540 

551 

574 

585

580 

633 

638 

639 

657 

658 

608

674 

709 

710

36 

37 

38 

39 

40

41 

42 

43

44 

45 

46 

47 

48

49 

50 

51 

52

53 

54 

55 

50 

57 

58

59 

00 

01 

62 

63 

64 

65 

60 

07 

08 

09 

70

Formation.

Limestone and iron pyrite..

Sand with small showing of 

oil..................:.....

Shell rock...................

Gumbo. ....................

Sand, fairly hard; small

Rock with thin strata of

Rock........................

Hard rock. .................

Gumbo with thin strata of 

rock ......................

 Gumbo.. ...................

Rock. .......................

Gumbo..... ................

Oil sand with good showing 

Black gumbo ...............

Blue shale with strata of

Thickness.

Feet. 

8 

2 

17 

2

45 

2 

9

27 

2 

13 

19 

21

7 

5 

30 

3

25- 

42 

1 

17 

18 

5

11

40 

48 

19 

4 

2 

25 

2 

63 

2 

24 

2 

20

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

718 

720 

737 

739

784 

780 

795

822 

824 

837 

856 

877

884 

889 

919 

922

947 

989 

990 

1,007 

1,025 

1,030

1,041 

1,087 

1,135 

1,154 

1,158 

1,160 

1,185 

1,187 

1,250 

1,252 

1,270 

1,278 

1,304

"At 1,135 feet a blow-out lasted six hours, breaking the 4-inch drill pipe and leaving some 8-inch 

pipe in the bottom of the well.- It was necessary to side track in order to drill deeper.

The following treatment of the geology of the field is based upon data from a large 

number of wells. Those mentioned specifically are here listed:

Sour Lake wells referred to in the text. 

[The numbers at the left correspond to those on tho map (PI. V, p. 38).]

1. Beatty No. 1. 

2. Buffalo. 

3. Gilbert No. 1. 

4. Gilbert No. 2. 

5. Gilbert No. 4 

0. Great Western. 

7. GuffeyNo.3.

8. Guffey No. 4. 

9. Guffey No. 5. 

10. Hamill. 

11. HigginsNo.O. 

12. Higgins No. 7. 

13. Higgins No. 8.

14. SharpeNo. 1. 

15. Sour Lake No. 1 

16. Texas No. 11. 

17. Texas No. 15. 

18. Texas No. 20. 

19. Texas No. 34.
42 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

COASTAL PLAIN SEDIMENTS.

As noted above, Kennedy's geologic map places the Sour Lake field on the outcrop of 

the Columbia (Pleistocene) sands. The delimitation of these from the Beaumont clays 

is primarily by fossils rather than by the nature of the sediments. Nevertheless, it may 

be noted that from Sour Lake northward the soil becomes progressively more sandy.

The beds, for the first 700 feet or more of depth, are clays, sands, gravels, and limestones, no one of which has a constant position in the column. Anv one horizon may be 

represented at one place by a sand, and a hundred feet away by a limestone or clay. In 

some places the deposits may be of lens-like form; in others the nature of the bed may 

change without change of thickness. In any case the log of one well affords no suggestion 

of what may be found in another a few hundred feet away.

Of a large number of well records from this field, only a few show the character of the 

beds in the upper third or half of the section. Where these are given, the records do not 

indicate such a distinct dominance of sand in the first 400 or 500 feet as was found at 

Spindletop. It is true in a general way that sands are more abundant to that depth than 

lower, but it is also true that below 400 feet the Sour Lake logs do not generally show the 

long unbroken stretches of gumbo which are characteristic of the Beaumont wells. From 

400 to 1,000 feet sands are frequently interspersed in the clays.

In the well sections whose upper parts are recorded, the proportions of sand are given 

in the following table. In the entire section of the Hill well, 1,780 feet deep,.very little is 

reported besides sand .a

Proportion of sands in surface beds at Sour Lake.

Well.

Gufley No. 4. .............. .". ................:.........................................

Texas No. 34 ...........................................................................

Thickness of 

sand.

Feet. 

233

255

3 2GO

140

71

In the 

first 

Feet. 

358

380

410

404

339

Beds of limestone from a few inches to a very few feet thick are of frequent occurrence, 

some wells showing as many as twenty such within 1,000 feet.

POROUS LIMESTONE.

Beneath the generally unconsolidated formations of the Coastal Plain there 's, in at 

least a small part of the Sour Lake field, a crystalline or cavernous limestone of the true 

Spindletop type (see p. 26). The area in which such rock is definitely known is a strip 

about 700 feet east and west by about"250 feet north and south. This strip covers the 

southern part of the Wirt Davis tract, extending west into the Gilbert tract, and east into 

the J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company's lease. On its southern side this strip includes 

some of the wells of the Texas Company in the Sour Lake Springs tract. About half a mile 

directly south" of this area, somewhat centrally located in the Cannon tract, a well drilled 

by James Hamill penetrated a similar porous limestone to a depth of 12 or 15 feet, finishing 

at 1,091 feet and deriving its oil from this rock. A few other wells in the Cannon tract 

seem to have finished in this rock and to have derived their oil from it, but most of the 

reports of such occurrences in this part of the field are believed to refer to wells which 

derive their oil from beneath rather than from within the limestone. Most of the wells 

in this part of the field are shallower than the Hamill well, and while passing through some

olt is to be remembered thatdrillers differ in the naming of materials as well as in the care with which 

the records are kept.
SOUR LAKE FIELD. . 43

limestone, it seems to be generally true that it is of the dense kind referred to above as 

occurring in the sediments above the porous limestone. A considerable number of these 

wells are familiarly spoken of as " rock wells." The fact that many of the wells in and near 

the Cannon and Rodgers tracts have been greatly troubled with sand and are obliged to 

use strainers indicates that they should be classed with the sand wells and not with those 

which derive their oil from the porous limestone.

FORMATION BELOW THE LIMESTONE.

The immediate lower neighbor of the limestone is not well known. On the northern 

edge of the area outlined above as being underlain by porous limestone, oil is reported 

as bsing obtained from sand beneath the limestone, the latter in this case being dense. 

White sand having a thickness of 60 feet is said to underlie the limestone in the Gilbert 

tract. Samples were not seen, but as this so-called sand was said to be entirely lacking 

in grit and to come out in small chunks which could be crushed between the fingers, it may 

be a material not unlike that which was found beneath the limestone at Spindletop and 

which seems to be a marl rather than a sand. In the Gilbert No. 2, gumbo intervenes 

between the limestone and the so-called white sand. A short distance to the oast, in the 

Wirt Davis tract, the same relations exist.

 In the Texas well No. 11, 16 feet of gypsuui are reported as encountered at a depth of 

1,180 feet. This was immediately below 14 feet of limestone which were reported as "oil 

rock." Inasmuch, however, as this well is classed as a "dead gas well" and has not produced oil, the nature of the rock is uncertain. If, whatever be its character, it represents 

the horizon of the porous oil rock, the gypsum reported is in the same general position with 

reference to the porous limestone as that in which it is found in the Beaumont field, the one 

difference being that between the oil limestone and the gypsum at Beaumont a bed of 

marl, clay, or sand commonly intervenes.

BOCK SALT.

Not less than ten wells within the area underlain by the porous, oil-bearing limestone 

are reported as having penetrated rock salt. The farthest west of these is the Gilbert 

No. 4. In it the salt was found separated from the oil-bearing limestone by a bed of 

hard clay or shale. In strip No. 5, 150 feet farther east, where the top of the limestone is 

at a depth of 800 feet, salt was encountered at a depth of 885 feet. The drill penetrated 

the salt 10 feet and stopped there, leaving the thickness of the formation unknown. The 

Buffalo well, in strip No. 11, 300 feet east of the Gilbert No. 4, stopped in salt at a depth of 

1,090 feet.

PYKITE.

Iron pyrite is found at almost all depths, both above and below the oil. So far as noted, 

this substance is most abundant at or below the horizon of the oil. It was conspicuous 

below this depth in well No. 1 of the Sour Lake Oil Company and at a depth of 1,400 to 

1,500 feet in the Great Western well. In the latter case clay from 5 to 10 feet thick, strongly 

impregnated with pyrite, alternated with other clay beds from which pryite was absent. 

A careful foreman (Mr. Black, of the Higgins Oil and Fuel Company), whose work has been 

with those wells in which the oil is derived from the sand, states that pyrite is always found 

in the rock just above the oil and to some extent in every consolidated rock below 340 

feet.

STRUCTURE.

SEDIMENTARY FORMATIONS.

The determination of geologic structure from well borings alone necessarily implies that 

a given bed is recognizable and traceable from well to well. On account of the marked
44 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIAISTA COASTAL PLAIN.

lack of lateral continuity in these Coastal Plain deposits, this is for the most part impossible. 

No significance can be attached to the varying depths at which oil is found in a group of 

sand wells, except as an illustration of the limited area of any one sand and of the irregular 

depths at which sands occur. (See fig. 12, p. 119.) The determination of dips by such 

evidence is of no value whatever. >,

STRUCTURE INDICATED BY THE POROUS LIMESTONE.

Within that small part of the field where the oil-bearing limestone has been exploited 

the case is somewhat different. The limestone is recognizable with a fair degree of certainty, and wells are so near together as to reduce the chances of error to a minimum.

The oil limestone, so far as recognized in and near the Wirt Davis tract, has a northeasterly, 

though by no means uniform, dip. It is nearest the surface in the Gilbert wells, where it is 

encountered at a depth of 660 feet, and is from 20 to 25 feet thick. The inclination of its 

upper surface in strip No. 1 (the strips of the Wirt Davis tract being numbered from west 

to east) is nearly 45° N. One hundred and fifty feet farther east the rock is found at a 

depth of 780 feet. It is reported here to be 100 feet thick. A few rods north of this latter. 

point its depth is 800 feet. In the Texas well No. 20, south of the road, a formation is 

reported at 754 feet, which may represent the same rock, indicating a continued rise to the 

south, but no wells farther south in this locality encounter the rock. Near the small 

stream a few hundred feet farther east the depth of the rock is from 830 to 840 feet, and its 

southern edge appears to be near the southern border of the Wirt Davis tract. Still farther 

east the Guffey well No. 5 reached the rock at a depth of 881 feet ami penetrated to a depth 

of 22 feet without passing through to ascertain its thickness. At this point it appears that 

the rock is present south of the road in the Texas No. 15 and is found at a shallower depth. 

The Guffey well No. 3,150 feet still farther east, was drilled to a depth of 1,117 feet, but 

no rock was encountered.

The oil-bearing limestone of this part of the Sour Lake field has its highest point near 

the southeast corner of the Gilbert tract. From this point it dips to the north and east 

but is not found to the south or west. Northward from this highest point the rock extends 

about 200 feet, and eastward it extends 600 feet. The highest point is 660 feet below the 

surface. The margin on the north side is 800 feet deep, and on the east side 88r feet. 

The extreme height of the structure, so far as it is known, is therefore 221 feet. These 

figures are similar to the corresponding figures-taken from Spindletop. It may be necessary to state once more-that these figures may or may not represent actual local dips of 

beds. They, indicate the depth of the upper surface of a body which is not sedimentary 

and which may have any position with reference to bedding planes (see p. 45).

The known occurrences of the porous limestone in the Cannon tract are too few to be 

used in the determination of structure. If inferences may be drawn from the depths of 

the many wells which have derived their oil from beneath a limestone, it may fairly be concluded that there is in this part of the field a gentle dip to the south and the east. Some 

much deeper wells on the west and northwest side, of the field reach no porous limestone.

INFERENCES.

In accordance with the facts summarized below it is believed that the strata underlying 

the area are approximately horizontal. This does not apply to the crystalline, porous, 

oil-bearing limestone, whose form is not believed to be that of a sedimentary bed. The 

indications which seem to exclude steep dips from the sediments may be summarized 

as follows:

(1) The horizon of the oil differs but a few hundred feet in long distances, and when 

it is remembered that four or five petroliferous sands are often passed in the same well 

even this difference of depth loses all significance as to dips, because of the impossibility 

of correlating the sands of different wells, ^hat is true of the petroliferous zone as a 

whole is true of the more restricted oil-bearing horizons, some of which seem to have a 

certain continuity throughout limited portions of the field.
SOUK LAKE FIELD. ' 45

(2) There is no evidence whatever of dips from the surface outcrops. The character 

of the beds at the surface in the oil field is essentially that of the surface beds in the surrounding region.

NATURE OP THE LIMESTONE.

The characteristic features of the porous limestone are those of a precipitate of calcite 

(sometimes dolomitic) from ground waters. At places the entire mass of limestone is 

of this origin. At other places there has been only enough solution and precipitation 

to cement a calcareous bed into a dense, hard limestone. Between these extremes there 

are all gradations, representing all possible proportions of original calcareous sediment 

and of crystalline calcite. There are also gradations between pure sand and both of the 

extremes named above.

So far as the limestones found at Sour Lake are due to the consolidation or cementation 

of calcareous beds they are generally thin plates, dense and hard. These are of the most 

common occurrence and are believed to be nearly horizontal, occurring at any and all 

depths and being of very limited lateral extent. Thicker layers of this kind have, in 

various parts of the field, formed impervious covers over oil-bearing sands, and therefore 

constitute true cap rocks. Such a rock may, however, be locally crystalline and cavernous, 

due $o the local activity of ground waters. In such a case the-rock itself may bear the 

oil instead of acting as a cap to confine it in the lower sands. This is without doubt the 

case in the Cannon tract, where a limited number of wells derived oil from the limestone. 

These local masses of porous limestone may belong to the horizon of the dense limestone 

which, in other wells, serves as cap rock, or they may be separate bodies.

So far as the limestone is a precipitate from water, its surface may show almost any form. 

Though influenced to some extent by the bedding, it may be expected to exemplify all 

the freakishness of concretions. Horizontality, or the lack of it, must not, therefore,, be 

taken too seriously or ascribed to causes too profound. In entire harmony with this, it 

may be stated as a general principle based on observation, that steep dips in the oil-bearing 

mounds are limited to the limestones (or dolomites) which have been precipitated from 

water. The dense, hard plates due to cementation are, so far as known, nearly or quite 

horizontal. This statement does not apply to the higher mounds which have not as yet 

produced oil.

OCCURRENCE OF THE OIL-.

CLASSIFICATION OF WELLS.

By the different relations of the oil to the rock, the Sour Lake wells fall naturally into 

three classes: (1) Those which derive their oil from the pores and caverns of the limestone, (2) those in which the oil is found beneath a limestone cap rock, (3) those which 

find oil in beds of sand, confined by clays, and in which limestone, if occurring at all, bears 

no relation to the oil reservoir. There is no essential distinction between wells of the last 

two types. The three classes are differentiated here because wells of the second class 

are frequently spoken of as "rock wells" and confused with wells of the first" class.

WELLS IN THE LIMESTONE.

Probably wherever the porous limestone has been encountered in this field, it has yielded 

oil. While a relatively small portion of the field affords this source of oil, the wells of 

this small area have yielded the larger part of the product. In both the rate and duration 

of their production they have been superior to the wells which have tapped the sands only. 

In the Gilbert and W.irt Davis tracts alone about 150'wells have been drilled, most of them 

in the limestone, many of these yielding at the start more than 10,000 barrels daily. "The 

Sharp well produced 325,000 barrels in twenty days, valued at $80,000; Gilbert No. 1 

produced enough petroleum in thirty days to bring $125,000" (Oliphant). It is noteworthy, however, that several of the sand wells drilled later on the northwest side yielded, 

under compressed air, 3,000 to 5,000 barrels daily, but this rate was continued for only 

a short time.
46' OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

WELLS IN THE SAND.

The so-called "rock wells" of the second class are frequent in the central and southern 

parts of the field. In the larger part of the field, including the whole of the "Shoestring 

district," the oil is found in reservoirs of sand, overlain by impervious clays. Wells of 

the second and third classes find oil at almost all depths from the heavy oil at 230 feet to 

the large quantities of a better grade found between 1,300 and 1,400 feet on the northwest 

side of the field. All mention of "first sand," "second sand," "third sand," etc., is misleading. The most that can be said is that certain broad and poorly defined horizons 

are richer than others in oil-bearing lenses or patches. The deeper, wells afford some 

suggestion of a definite oil-bearing stratum, but the area thus characterized is small, and 

the oil should be spoken of as belonging to a horizon which may be defined within certain 

limits, rather than to a definite bed.

It is not now possible to say to what extent the areas affording sand wells are underlain 

by an oil-bearing limestone and the oil in the sands supplied by upward leakage from the 

limestone: It is not definitely known that such relations exist, but the showings of oil 

in the sands directly over the oil-bearing porous limestone in this and other fields offer 

a strong suggestion of such a relation. .It can not be affirmed, however, that this relation 

is general, because prolific oil sands have been found, both at Spindletop and Sour ^ake, 

at lower levels than that of any known limestone. Thus far, also, no oil-bearing or porous 

limestone has been found at Saratoga or Jennings.

SALT WATER.

All except the surface waters within the field contain some salt. Water from depths 

greater than 100 feet is rarely fresh enough for drinking or for. use in boilers. At the 

depths where wells are finished the water may be intensely briny.

REGULAR ADVANCE.

In its relations to the oil, the salt water at places behaves very much as it does in the 

Appalachian fields. Considerable areas have shown a progressive invasion of salt water, 

advancing from well to .well, beginning with those which found the oil at greater depths 

and proceeding up the dip of the oil-bearing rock to the shallower wells. This mode of 

invasion is typically illustrated in the limestone wells of the Wirt Dayis tract. In August, 

1893, salt water appeared in the eastern member of this group and began its advance 

westward. More than a year later there was still left a gradually diminishing group of 

limestone wells which were free from salt water and were yielding the greater part of the 

product of the fields. By the close of 1904 only three wells in this group were producing 

oil without salt water. *

IRREGULAR ADVANCE.

Other parts of the field do not afford examples of this well-recognized relation between 

oil and salt water. It must be accepted as a general principle that where oil and salt 

water are contained in the same reservoir the latter will buoy the former up, and on the 

exhaustion of the oil the water will follow it into the well. However, where porous sands, 

impervious clays, and porous limestones with impervious crusts have such an apparently 

lawless distribution as in these Coastal Plain sediments, either oil or water may be contained in a practically sealed reservoir or the communication between the two may be 

of any degree of freedom. Some wells therefore "go dry," or, to speak more accurately, 

the oil when exhausted is followed by insignificant quantities of water, which enters the 

formation from which the oil has been removed, but with exceeding slowness, because 

to do so it must traverse the clays. At other places the advance of the salt water across 

the field is by the most devious and apparently haphazard course, some wells producing 

oil without water for weeks or even months after their neighbors on all sides have gone 

to water. Again, the salt water may appear suddenly in the most unexpected place.
SOUR LAKE FIELD. 47

These irregularities are well illustrated on the west side of the group of limestone wells 

in the Gilbert and Wirt Davis tracts. It is commonly said that the wells on the east side 

of the group go to salt water and those on the west side to gas. The only significance 

of this latter expression is that' the gas so abundantly associated with the oil of the rock 

wells continues to exhale slowly from the porous rock after the quantity of oil capable 

of being pumped has become very small.

In November, 1904, the Landry wells were conspicuous for their freedom from salt 

water, while the surrounding wells were yielding gradually increasing quantities. Such 

has been the case with an occasional well in the Cannon tract. In September, 1904, the 

original "Beatty gusher" was still yielding oil without water, while some of its neighbors 

had gone dry and others were yielding mainly water. In a general way, however, the 

salt water has invaded the Cannon tract as it did the Wirt Davis tract, from the east.

HOT WATER.

There are various reports of "hot water," but the data concerning the taking of the 

temperatures are not obtainable. The Higgins well No. 4 is said to have encountered 

water at 101° F. at a depth of 985 feet. This water was intensely salt. The Great Western 

reported water at 100° F. from a depth of 850 to 880 feet. These reports were made 

while drilling, and the .water was obliged to rise to the surface on the outside of the pipe. 

 It is therefore to be supposed that some heat was lost in the ascent.

GAS.

The amount of gas released in this field has been very great. Strong gushers were 

obtained in various parts of the field and flowing wells were common. The gas is similar 

to that at Spindletop. That which comes from the porous limestone is equally poisonous 

and, as noted above, continues to exhale from wells where salt water has failed to appear 

when the oil has been- practically exhausted.

PRODUCTION.

NUMBER OF WELLS.

Up to August 15, 1904, 467 wells had been finished and 15 were drilling; 181 had been 

abandoned, 32 were reported dry, and 254 were producing intermittently, though the 

average number in daily operation was about 105.« These figures apply to all wells within 

a radius of 5 miles, but the number of wells more than^one-half mile from the center of the 

field is very small. The activity in the second half of 1904 was somewhat greater than 

in the first half. .

QUANTITY OF OIL.

During its first year (1903) the field produced 8,700,000 barrels. The maximum rate 

was in August and September, when the average daily production ranged from 50,000 to 

60,000 barrels. For short periods the yield exceeded 100,000 barrels daily. From that 

time the production steadily declined until, in July, 1904, it was but 11,000 barrels. About 

that time, however, the decline at Batson redirected attention to the staying qualities of 

the Sour Lake field and there was a revival of successful development, the result being an 

intermittent rise of the daily output to 19,000 barrels in December, 1904. The chief gain 

in the latter half of 1904 was from deep sand walls (1,300 to 1,400 feet) on the west and 

northwest sides of the field. Early in 1905 the entire group of these deep sand wells went 

to salt water. The statistics compiled by Mr. Oliphant b give 6,442,357 barrels for the 

yield of 1904, or more than 2,000,000 barrels less than that of the former year. In October, 

1905, the daily production slightly exceeded 7,000 barrels.

o Oil Investors' Journal, September 15,1904. 6 Mineral Resources U. S., 1904. 

Bull. 282 06 1 
48 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

CHARACTER OP THE OIL.

Taken as a whole the Sour Lake crude oil is practically identical with the Beaumont. 

Its gravity averages about 22 B°. On refining, it yields less than 2 per cent gasoline, 17 

per cent kerosene, 15 to 16 per cent solar, and fully 52 per cent lubricating oil.o The shallow oils discovered before 1902 have a gravity of 16° to 18° B. The deepest oil (1,300 to 

1,400 feet) is said to have a gravity of 24.7° B.

BATSON FIELD. 

HISTORY.

Next to Spindletop, Batson has the most sensational history of any oil field on the Coastal 

Plain. This is due largely to its discovery at a time when the rapid decline of the Beaumont field and the waning production of Sour Lake set free a large number of men and 

drills. It is also due in part to the rare chance by which the first well pierced almost the 

center of the field. The wells were, therefore, from the start, phenomenally successful. 

The drilling in this field is also easy and is comparatively free from certain disadvantages, 

such as caving, which attended the drilling at Spindletop. The discovery of the Batson 

field came at a time when the Santa Fe Railroad had but recently built a branch to Saratoga, thus giving a railroad station within less than 6 miles from the new field.

Surface indications inviting drilling in this vicinity were never abundant. Bubbles of 

gas may be seen rising from pools of water, but whatever seepage of oil there may have 

been is now obscured by the abundant waste from the wells.

In 1901 the Libby Oil Company drilled a well 3 miles to the south, but, with the exception of a slight showing of oil at about 1,000 feet, this trial offered but little encouragement. 

The second attempt was by the newly organized Paraffine Oil Company, of Beaumont, 

which, on October 31,1903, found .oil at a depth of 790 feet not far from the center of the 

Batson field. This well became a good producer. On December 19 the same company 

brought in its second well, which, after a little preliminary difficulty with sand, yielded 

by natural flow 4,500 barrels of oil per day.

The effect of these successes was such that by the close of the year 1903 there were 28 

derricks in the new field, many of them representing partially completed wells. The two 

Paraffine wells were followed early in January by the Brooks No. 1, of the J. M. Guffey 

Petroleum Company, a vigorous gusher with an initial daily production of 18,000 barrels. 

Development work was so rapid that, on March 4, the daily production of the field had 

reached 151,000 barrels. At this time salt water, which had been noticeable from the 

start, began to make rapid advance, and by April the .production of the field had fallen to 

35,000 barrels a day. The larger part of the total production of the field to the close of 

1905 was in the first half of the year 1904.

LOCATION A1STD TOPOGRAPHY.

The site of this field is Batson Prairie, a mile or more distant from the village and postoffice of Batson, Hardin County. The field is 7 miles southwest of the village.of Saratoga 

and less than 6 miles from Saratoga station. It is 13£ miles west by north from Sour Lake. 

The distance from the Gulf coast is 45 miles. The coastal prairie at this distance from the 

Gulf alternates with woodland, which for the most part follows the streams.

Batson Prairie is a comparatively flat stretch of ground lying between the southeastwardflowing tributaries of Pine Island Bayou. The relief due to the faint stream cutting is 

perhaps 10 feet. While apparently flat, it is probable that the elevation of the oil field 

is slightly greater than that of the surrounding forest. There is no superficial suggestion 

of a mound of the Spindletop type.

o Information received from Mr. J. S. McNamara, of the United Oil and Refining Company, Beaumont, Tex.
BULLETIN NO. 282 PL. VI

CHAMPION CHOATE:

M«ARY KfN&STON

COLORADO SYNDICATE / 6UFFEY PETROLEU

8 A / 8 A.

I I 7! ' * / /i

________ SWBDI.VISIPN

 Producing wells 

I o Dry wells 

! - -Ripe lines

0 Derricks or proposed wells 0 20O 400 60O BOO feet

MAP OF THE BATSON OIL FIELD.
BATSON FIELD. 49

LIMITS OF THE PIEIJD

Before the spring of 1905 the oil-producing area had been outlined with a considerable 

degree of exactness and was surrounded by dry holes. New work in the winter of 1904-5 

was confined to the west side of the field, chiefly to the Wing and Milhome tracts. In the 

month of January, 1905, but four new wells were being drilled and four old ones being 

deepened. At about that time the successful development of the Milhome tract, on the 

extreme west side of the field, caused a revival of operations and a consequent increase of 

production The productive area of the field, as outlined in the spring of 1905, did not 

exceed 400 acres. Its shape gives no suggestion of axial directions.

GEOLOGIC FORMATION'S.

WELL SECTIONS.

The following logs are typical of the Batson field:

Logs ofiuetts in Batson field.

HIGGINS OIL AND FUEL COMPANY, NO. 4. 

[Finished May, 1904.]

1

9

4

5

6

7

10

11

19

11

14

15

16

Formation.

ter,80°F.... .............

Blue shale. .................

Thickness.

Feet. 

325

5

85

15

190

15

195

40

30

1

54

10

5

15

. 70

1

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

325

33n

415

430

620

635

830

870

900

901

955

965

970

985

1,055

1,056

17 *18

19

20

21

W,

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Formation. 

White rock. ................

Thickness.

Feet. 

9

1

15

19

25

3

2

2

10

2

2

1

3

1

7

1

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

' 1,005

1,006

1,081

1,100

1,125

1,128

1,130

1,132

1,142

1,144

1,146

1,147

1,150

1,151

J. M. GUFFEY PETROLEUM COMPANY (STATE LAND) NO. 14.

1

2

q

4

5

'

6

7

K

9

10

1?

Clay........................

.....do.......................

Blue shale ...:... ..........

&<*

55

90

15

65

35

20

45

21

50

2

20

45

100

190

205

270

305

325

370

391

441

443

463

13

14

15

10

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

.....do......................

Rock........................

Blue shale ..................

16

3

18

18 ' 30

13

1

10

20

-20

23

27

479

482

500

518

548

561

 562

572

598

618

641

668

"Pumped 500 barrels at the start. One month later about 400 barrels of oil with 600 of salt water. 

Salt water from the start at 101° F. A strainer placed wherever oil appears in the log. This is true 

for all wells at Batson below 475 feet.
50 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Logs of wells in Batson field Continued. 

J. M. GUFFEY PETROLEUM COMPANY (STATE LAND) NO. 14-Continued.

25

26

97

28

?9

30

v

v>

00

34

OC

3A

^7

38

on

4n

41

4?

Formation.

"Rn'Mr

Rock.......................

Rock. .......................

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

16

18

2

1 3

10 '

20

9C

6

14

10

35

3

10

2

11

24

10

Total 

depth.

. Feet. 

688

696

712

730

732

74";

755

775

800

806

820

830

865

868

878

880

891

915

091;

44

40

47

48

49

wi

51

CO

.53

54

55

Cfl

^7

CO

CQ

fiO

fil

Formation.

Rock. .......:...............

Rock........................

Rock. .......................

showing of oil o.. ..........

Thickness.

Feet. 

25

10

30

12

18

 4

11

3

10

21

12

10

6

21

7

17

6

2

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

Q^O

960

990

1,002

1,020

1,024

1,035

1,038

1,048

1,069

1,081

1,091

1,097

1,118

1,125

1,142

1,148

1,150

J. M. GUFFEY PETROLEUM COMPANY (WING) NO. 21. 

[Completed June 23, 1904.]

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25

Shale.......................

Rock. .......................

40 

20 

'20 

10 

50 

20 

10 

10 

20 

20 

90 

58 

22 

25 

5 

1 

30 

51 

25 

10 

30 

24 

23 

1 

15

40 

60 

80 

90 

140 

1(50 

170 

. 180 

200 

220 

310 

368 

390 

415 

420 

421 

451 

502 

527 

537 

. 567 

591 

614, 

615 

630

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44

45 

46 

47

48

Shale.......................

Sand, soft rock, and gas. . . . 

Oil, sand, oil rock, and gas . . .

Shale with gas blowout .....

Shale.......................

Oil rock and shale alternating and containing gas. . . .

Same with gumbo; no gas. . 

Rock. .......................

Shale.......................

Rock. Water lost and well

20 

64 

25 

21 

34 

19 

17 

44 

22 

22 

30 

13 

16 

2 

16 

. 3 

6 

20

39 

19 

1 

2*

14

650 

714 

739 

760 

794 

813 

830 

874 

896 

918 

948 

961 

977 

979 

995 

998 

1,004 

1,024

1,063 

1,082 

1,083 

1,085J

1,087

oStrainers set at 550-575, 680-780, 830-870,1,090-1,150.

& Nine joints of strainer, 180 feet, set at 1,087, above which is one joint of blank pipe, then 60 feet more 

of strainer. Well still flowing (August, 1904) 225 barrels daily.
BATSON FIELD. 51

Logs of wells in Bat son field Continyed. 

J. M. GUFFEY PETROLEUM COMPANY (CHOATE) NO.

1

?:

o

4

5

f>

7

9

10

11

19

14'

15

1C

17

ia

19

20

21

?,?,

Formation.

Glay.. ......................

Rock. .......................

Gumbo.....................

Hock

Shalo.......................

Sand........................

Shale....................:..

Rock........................

Shale.......................

Thickness.

Feet. 

wi

<m

OA

60

4

10

o

o

10

10 

5

20

37

Ort

1 C

33

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

50

90

120

180

206

210

220

997

AV\

dfi^

500

?3

24

M

?,6

?7

?,8

W

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39-

40

41

42

Formation.

Rock. .......................

of oil throughout. ........

Slate........................

G umbo .........I..........;.

Slate........................

Rock. .......................

Slate........................

Gumbo. ....................

Shalo....................... J

.....do......................

Gumbo .....................

Shale.......................

Rock.........................

Slate and shale .............

Rock. .......................

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

50

3

37

25

25

55

45

20

GO

3

37

110

35

33

42.

28

2

18

1

Total 

depth. ,

Feet. 

540

590

593

630

655

680

735

780

800

800

863

900

1,010

1,045

1,078

1,120

1,148

1,150

1,108

. 1,169

a This well has not yet produced; will be deepened..

The date from which the geology of the field is inferred are taken from a large number 

of wells. Those which are mentioned by name in the text are found in the following list 

and may be located on the map (PI. VI):

Batson wells referred to in the text. 

[The numbers at the left correspond to those on the map (PI. VI, p. 48).]

1. Alert.

2. Bates No. 1.

3. Batson Oil Company.

4. Brooks Nb..l.

5. Choate No. 1.

6. Choate No. 8.

7. Colorado Syndicate.

8. Douglas No. 5.

9. Guffey (2 acres) No. 1

10. HigginsNo. 1.

11. Higgins No. 4.

12. Higgins No. 5.

13. Marshall No. 1.

14. Marshall No. 2.

15. Mary Ellen No. 1.

1.6. Milhome.

17. Parafflnc No. 1.

18. Paraffine No. 2.

19. Paraffine No. 12.

20. Prather & Hughes.

21. Santa Fe.No. 1.

22. Santa Fe No. 2.

23. State Land No. 2.

24. State Land No. 14.

25. Wing No. 1.

26. Wing No. 2.

27. Wing No. 4.

28. Wing No. 12.

29. Wing No. 13.

30. Wing No. 19.
52 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

SEDIMENTS.

The location of the field on Kennedy's geologic map a is on the outcrop of the Columbia 

(Pleistocene) sands. Not much sand, however, is apparent in the surface soil of the prairie. 

The proportion of sand increases rapidly toward the north in the vicinity of Saratoga 

station. '

As at Spindletop and Sour Lake, the sedimentary beds traversed in drilling consist of 

unconsolidated clays and sands with occasional thin beds of limestone. Three or even more 

of such limestones may be encountered within a thickness of 100 feet. In general they are 

more abundant in the second 500 feet than in the first.._If all the logs received are correct, 

it appears that such limestones are so irregularly distributed that while some wells encounter 

15 or 20 beds, other wells miss them entirely.

The proportion of sands passed is rather smaller than at Spindletop, though perhaps not 

so strictly limited to the upper beds. In a general way the upper beds, including 100 to 

300 feet, are predominantly sand. The proportions found are shown in the following table;

Proportion of sands near the surface at Batson.

Name of well.

Santa Fe No. 1. ...................

Santa 'Fe No. 2..............'......

Santa Fe No. 3. ....................

Texas Co. (Lovett & Davis) No. 12.

Higgins No. 5. ....................

Guffey (2 Acres) No. 1. .:.........

Thickness of 

sand.

Feet. 

213

229

132

174

150

180

61

In the 

first 

Feet. 

348

292

105

234

195

260

121

Name of well.

Douglas No. 5 (Guffey) ..........

State Land No. 14 (Guffey) .:....

Wing No. 12 (Guffey) ...........

Wing No. 19 (Guffey) ...........

Choate No. 13 (Guffey) ..........

Choate No. 16 (Guffey) ..........

Thickness of 

sand.

Feet. 

270

55

50

310

180

100

In the 

first 

Feet. 

290

100

100

330

220

180

In a well 5 miles northwest of Batson, 1,506 feet deep, only two small water sands were 

found above a depth of 140 feet, while all .below is reported as solid clay.

There is an occasional mention of gravels in the upper sandy layers, but they do not occupy 

constant positions in the column and must be regarded as isolated patches contained within 

the sands and clays. The Choate No. 16 reports gravel at from 50 to 90 feet; the Wing 

. No. 19 at from'310 to 330; the Santa Fe No. 3 reports sand and gravel passed through from 

145 to 165 feet. In two wells, the Wing No. 1 and Wing No. 4, this gravel, found at a depth 

of about 200 feet, is said to be highly colored, having pebbles of yellow, red, and black.

POROUS. LIMESTONE.

Beneath the sediments here described, and lying at depths varying from a little less than 

1,100 to a little more than 1,200 feet, is a rock which is believed to be essentially the same 

as the porous oil-bearing limestone at Spindletop. This limestone is reported from all 

parts of the field, and it probably underlies nearly the whole area. Its thickness is determined ui two wells near the center of the field as 22 feet in the one case and 30 feet in the 

other. It is highly probable, however, that both the thickness and the character of the 

rock are subject to veiy great variation. The limits of this variation, as described at Sour 

Lake (see p. 45), will doubtless also hold true for Batson. In brief, it may be said that at 

places the limestone is a consolidated sediment of close texture, while at others it is crystalline and porous or cavernous and evidently a precipitate from ground waters. Furthermore, it can not be asserted with any degree of certainty that the limestone beds found at 

approximately the same depth in various parts of the field are connected in one continuous 

stratum.

Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212,1903, PI. I.
BATSON FIELD. 53

SULPHUR, PYRITE, GYPSUM, AND SALT.

The abundant reports of sulphur in other fields of the Coastal Plain find no parallel at Batson. It is mentioned in one well only, in the Kiser & Middlebrook tract, where it is said to 

have been found in a rock locally called " cap rock." What is true of sulphur is to a lai-ge 

degree true of the iron pyrite so abundant in other fields. Pyrite was found with the sulphur in the well mentioned above, and it to some extent impregnates a sandy .horizon 

between 800 and 900 feet -deep in the Higgins tract. Outside of these two places it has 

received very little mention. It is noteworthy, also, that the surface indications noted in 

other-fields as so closely connected with the presence of sulphur are largely absent at Batson. Gypsum is also almost without mention. There is but one mention of salt encountered in drilling at Batson. ' If the observations of the drillers were correct, 12.feet of salt 

were found in the Paraffine No. 12, northeast of the center of the field, at a depth of 1,007 

feet, or 130 feet above the oil rock. The absence of any other mention of salt leaves this 

observation'open to doubt. It is more probable that the bed in question consists of sand 

impregnated with salt than of the latter alone.

FORMATION BELOW THE POROUS LIMESTONE.

Because of danger from salt water, very few wells at Batson were drilled through the oilbearing porous limestone. The Higgins No. 1 passed out of a limestone at 1,222 feet into 

"a coarse gray salt sand, very porous," 22 feet in thickness. This sand was drilled through 

with cable tools because of the loss of water in drilling by the rotary process. In one of the 

Brice & Bradley wells, at 1,190 feet the drill passed through the limestone into "soapstone." 

It is apparent that very little is known of the formation in the Batson field occupying the 

same relative position as that of the gypsum, marls, and salt in most of the mounds of the 

Texas and Louisiana coastal plains (see p. 17). There was at one time a project for the 

 cooperation of several companies in drilling one deep well in the hope of finding a deeper oil 

than has yet been discovered. Such an attempt, though not promising from an economic 

standpoint, would be highly interesting in view of the opportunities it might give for comparison of the structures and succession of formations at Batson and elsewhere; for it is 

highly probable that although there is no superficial mound in this field, the agencies which 

have been at work are the same as those which have made the Coastal Plain mounds. It is 

quite possible that the succession of materials at Batson would be found very similar to 

that at Spindletop, though the proportionate abundance of each might differ greatly.

STRUCTURE.

As in the other fields, the position of the beds is difficult to determine on account of their 

lateral discontinuity and the resulting impossibility of correlation. The only formation 

capable of being traced from well to well with any certainty as to its identity is the oilbearing limestone. It furnishes, therefore, the chief criterion in the determination of 

structure. . '

DEPTHS AND DIPS OF THE LIMESTONE.

This formation comes nearest to the surface at the east end of the Marshall lot (Guffey 

lease). It was encountered'here in two wells at depths of 1,081 and 1,088^ feet, respectively. From this place it dips somewhat strongly to the north and east, but a faint ridge 

or crest of this formation extends in a northeasterly direction through the 12-acre tract of 

the Paraffine Oil Company to its northeast corner.' Along this low crest the depth of the 

limestone is, for the most part, about 1,136 feet. It dips gently to the south from this crest, 

reaching a depth of 1,144 feet in the Brooks No. 1, 1,159 feet in the Bates No. 1, and 1,178 

feet in the State Land No. 2. The dip to the east and northeast from the end of the crest 

described is more rapid than that to the south and southeast. In the.Choate No. 1, about 

500 feet east of where the crest begins'to pitch, the depth attained is 1,180 feet. In the 

Higgins No. 1, 300 feet farther east, it is 1,198 feet. Northward from the assumed crest
54 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

the depth of the limestone increases but slowly. In the Choate No. 8, on the extreme north 

side of the field, some 1,700 feet from the crest, the depth is 1,205 feet.

 Little is known of the depth or continuity of the limestone west of the highest point in 

the Marshall tract. There seems, however, to be a separate elevation having its highest 

point at or near the Wing No. 4, in the southeast corner of the W. D. Wing 100-acre tract. 

This well found limestone at 1,104 feet, while to the east the Mary Ellen No. 1 and the 

Wing No. 13 found the same formation at depths of 1,145 and 1,152 feet, respectively. 

Between this elevation in the Wing tract and the one which culminates in the Marshall tract 

there is apparently a broad structural depression. It appears that the Wing No. 2, on the 

west side of the field, encountered a similar rock at a reported depth of 1,136 feet. Whether 

the elevation thus indicated is connected with either of the other two is open to question.

1 If the elevation of the limestone indicated at the Wing No. 2 be hypothetical^ connected 

with tha.t which appears at the Wing No. 4, there might be some slight presumption that 

the form of the limestone shows structural lines trending northeast and southwest. This 

would be somewhat further strengthened by assuming the correctness of the report which 

ascribes to the same rock a depth of only 1,136 feet in the Paraffine No. 12, east of the 

Choate tract. This well is almost on a line with the northeasterly extension of the crest 

described above. It must be admitted, however, that in our present state of knowledge the 

delineation of the surface of the porous limestone by contour lines is a difficult matter, not 

free from inconsistencies, and the assigning of any direction to structural lines is no less 

precarious.

It will be seen from the depths given above that the dips of the oil-bearing limestone are 

very gentle. Locally, as in the vicinity of the Marshall No. 1, the inclination appears to be 

as great as 20 feet in 100, but this is altogether exceptional. When one remembers the 

extreme unevenness of the upper surface of the corresponding formation at Spindletop, such 

local variations of depth can not be assigned any great structural significance. The next 

steepest place in the field is probably at the north end of the Guffey State land lease. It 

would seem that here, between the Brice & Bradley wells on the south and the Choate wells 

on the north, there is an inclination of the limestone amounting to perhaps 10 feet in 100. 

As at Spindletop, the porous limestone is not found outside the limits of the productive 

field. If the formation extends beyond these limits its distinctive character is lost. There 

is no evidence whatever of a steep marginal dip, carrying the limestone to greater depths 

than the outlying wells have reached.

A HIGHER POROUS LIMESTONE.

In the southeast corner of the Paraffine 30 acres there is said to be a minor limestone of 

the typical porous character at a depth of about 600 feet and having a thickness of 5 or 6 

feet. In the latter part of 1904 a few wells were drilled into and finished in this limestone, 

deriving their oil from it as others did from the deeper porous formation. These wells 

yielded at the start about 150 barrels per day each. No strainers were used.. It may safely 

be assumed that this rock is of the same kind and had the same origin as the deeper porous 

limestone (see p. 45).

SUMMARY.

The form of the limestone may be summarized as follows: (1) The general dip is very 

small. (2) There are at least two, and perhaps three or four, roughly dome-like or ridge-like 

elevations. (3) The extreme difference in elevation between the highest and the lowest 

points of the same formation is less than 125 feet. i('4) The attitude of the limestone probably agrees with the bedding in the main but not in detail. (5) The peculiar limestone in 

which the oil is found probably does not exist beyond the limits of the oil field. (6) Limestones of the same character and the same (secondary) origin may occur at higher levels.
BATSON FIELD. 55

OCCURRENCE OF THE OIL.

IN THE LIMESTONE.

So far as known the porous limestone, wherever encountered, was filled with oil, and no 

oil has been found below it. Until the advent of salt water most of the wells were drilled 

into and finished in this limestone. When these deeper wells began to go to water it became 

the custom to finish wells at higher levels, where the occasional sands (and apparently in 

some cases the clays) were found to be saturated with oil.

IN THE SANDS.

As stated above, sands form a very small proportion of the sedimentary beds below 200 

feet. There is no stretch of 100 feet, however, in which sands have not been found in 

some part of the field, and there is no stretch of 100 feet between the depths of 200 and 1,300 

feet at which wells have not been finished. The occurrences'of oil in the sand might be 

grouped into certain broad and indefinite horizons, but it is probably very rare that half 

a dozen wells have derived oil from the same bed. What has been said of the patchy distribution and lateral discontinuity of these sandy beds at Spindletop and Sour Lake applies 

with equal fitness to Batson. Probably the smallest number of wells stopped between 920 

and 1,100 feet. A large number found oil between 800 and 900 feet. Throughout the 

Higgins tract an oil-bearing horizon is said to exist between 400 and 600 feet. Even at 265 

feet one well (Alert No. 3) had a typical blow-out and developed into a small gasher yielding 

125 barrels of oil per day during the short time that it lasted.

SALT WATER AND GAS.

HORIZON OF SALT WATER.

All the waters encountered below 200 feet are noticeably saline, and even above that 

depth it has been difficult to obtain water suitable, to use in boilers. At greater depths 

the water becomes progressively more briny.. The large number of wells which stopped 

between 800 and 900 feet found abundant salt water below their deepest oil stratum. 

Indeed, the interstratification of oil and salt water is one of the noticeable characteristics _ 

of the field. This, of course, is made possible by the highly impervious clays which form 

the bulk of the sedimentary formations.

ADVANCE OP SALT WATER.

The lowest oil-bearing horizons went to salt water first. Wells drilled as early as January noted its presence, though no.t finding it in inconvenient quantities. The first two 

weeks of March marked tlie rapid invasion of the limestone by the salt water, and it was 

not long before the drilling of wells to this horizon had ceased entirely.

In a general way the advance of salt water within the limestone has been from the deeper 

to the shallower wells, though such a rule would not apply in detail. An illustration taken 

from the east side of the field is typical of the behavior of the salt water in the better-known 

fields of the eastern United States. The Higgins No. 1 (limestone 1,198 feet deep) began 

to produce salt water February 25, and by March 8 the water had advanced 500 feet to the 

west and had invaded the Hughes well (limestone 1,170 feet deep)'and the Prather No. 1 

(limestone 1,162 feet deep). The advance continued westward to slightly shallower wells, 

reaching the wells of the Batson Oil Company in the middle of the Brice & Bradley tract on 

March 11 and the Moonshine Company's lease about a week later.

RELATIONS OF GAS, OIL, AND WATER.

The mutual relations of gas, oil, and water, which are regarded as typical in the Appalachian fields (see p. 116), are better exemplified at Batson than in any other field in the 

Coastal Plain, though even here good examples of such relations are exceptional. Not less 

than hah* a dozen wells have come in as "gasers," have later become good oil producers,
56 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

and later still have gone to salt water. The parallel with the Appalachian fields is the more 

strict because of the fact that the wells originally producing gas are found at higher points 

of the faintly dome-like structure. The Wing No. 4 and Marshall Nos. 1 and 2 are good 

examples.

HOT WATER. ' _

A considerable proportion of the salt water from the deeper wells was found to have a 

temperature above the normal for the depth from which it came. In the Higgins No. 4 

the salt water from the sands 1,080 to 1,130 feet deep had a temperature of 101° F. In the 

Higgins No. 1 the temperature of the very briny water from a depth below 1,200 feet is 

said to have been 125° F. It is generally said by gagers at Batson that the temperature 

of the salt water is higher than that of the oil, and that there is, accordingly, a notable 

increase in the temperature when a mixture of oil and salt water begins to take the place of 

the pure oil. (Compare Jennings, p. 100.)

PRODUCTION.

NUMBER OF WELLS.

Up to August 15, 1904, 440 wells had been drilled. There were 42 new wells drilling at 

that time and 25 derricks were erected at which drilling had not yet begun. Fifty-eight 

of the completed wells were reported as dry or abandoned. Of the remaining 382, some of 

which produced only intermittently, it was estimated that an average of 160 were in daily 

operation.

QUANTITY OF OIL.

In the year 1903 the recorded production of the field was but 4,500 barrels. Its growth 

and decline in 1904 are best illustrated by the following columns of reliable estimates, given 

by Mr. Holland S. Reavis in the Oil Investors.' Journal, January 1, 1905:

Production of the Batson field in 1904-

Barrels. 

January......'......'......... 440,000

February......... 1.......... 1, 849, 000

March...................... 2,608, 200

April ....................... 1,050,000

May........................ 883,500

June.............. r ......... 720, 000

July.........:.............. 682, 000

August 

September. 

October... 

November. 

December.

Barrels. 

585,900 

435, 000 

325, 500 

309, 000 

316,200

10, 204, 300

It .will be seen from this decrease that the -production per day at the close of 1904 was 

approximately 10,000 barrels. At that time steel tanks were rapidly being removed to 

newer fields and the amount of new drilling in progress did not indicate much hope on the 

part of the operators that the production of the field would be revived. In the early part 

of 1905 the daily production rose again, reaching at- various times about 15,000 barrels. 

In October of the same year the field continued to produce more than 9,000 barrels daily 

and considerable drilling was still in progress.

CHARACTER OF THE OIL.

The lightest oil yet found in any quantity on the Coastal Plain is obtained at Batson. 

That from the Brooks well No. 1 (J. M. Guffey Petroleum Co.) at 1,150 feet had a gravity of 

29.9° B. The oil from the sands above is a little heavier, that which was taken from near 

the center of the field at a depth of 1,100 feet having a gravity of 26° B. The oil obtained 

at 265 feet in the southern end of the Paraffin 30 acres had a gravity of 20° B. In this 

vicinity some oil taken from so shallow a depth as 814 feet had a gravity of 29.8° B., which 

is about that of.the deepest oil in the field. This circumstance suggests a rapid or easy rise
SARATOGA FIELD. 57

from the lower horizon, a suggestion which is supported by the finding of a porous limestone (supposedly concretionary) at 600 feet. This is also in harmony with certain reports 

from drillers to the effect that in certain deep wells in that vicinity the limestone was found 

"fractured." The evidence on which such a report was made was not obtained.

The average gravity of Batson crude, as it is received by the United Oil and Refining 

Company, of Beaumont, is 27.7° B. 'By others the average gravity is given as low as 23° 

or 24°. On refining, it yields 6.5 per cent gasoline, 20.4 per cent kerosene, 14.4 per cent 

solar, 46.7 p'er cent lubricating oil, and 6 per cent asphaltum.

SARATOGA FIELD. 

HISTORY AND SURFACE INDICATIONS.

SIMILARITY TO OTHER FIELDS.

The surface indications of oil at .Saratoga, were very similar to those at Sour Lake and 

Nacogdoches. The escape of small quantities of gas had long been noted, as had likewise 

small seepages of oil. There are also here, as at Sour Lake, certain spots in which the soil 

is found to be impregnated with an asphaltic substance. These phenomena have from 

the earliest settlement been regarded as indications of the presence of oil. A further 

analogy with the Sour Lake field is found in the sulphureted and sour waters which come to 

the surface.in.small quantities. In that part of .the field which is thus characterized a 

pond was dug some years ago which resembles the partly artificial pool at Sour Lake.

The first attempt to find oil by drilling was made with a spring-pole device worked by 

hand. This was not far from the present site of the hotel! The drilling stopped at a small 

depth after obtaining a showing of heavy oil, which was bailed out in very small quantities. 

This oil was used for medicinal purposes only. In 1896 Savage Brothers drilled a hole in 

the same locality to a depth of 250 feet. Oil and water issued from this well with a natural 

flow, which continued at a very slow rate almost to the present time.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT.

After the opening up of the Beaumont field in 1901 drilling, was begun in earnest at 

Saratoga. The year 1903 was the first in which oil was shipped. In that year the field is 

credited with a production of 150,000 barrels. Up to August, 1904, some $200,000 had been 

spent in development work, chiefly by a few large companies, the Southern Pacific and 

Santa Fe railroads, the J. M. GufFey Petroleum Company, and the Producers Oil Company 

being the principal operators in the field. The daily production had never exceeded 1,500 

barrels for any considerable length of time. At that time a well drilled by the Guffey 

Company to a depth of some 1,500 feet in the southwestern part of the field gave new 

encouragement for drilling, and activity in the field was greatly stimulated. It was not 

until the following January, however, that the results of this deep drilling began, to have 

a great effect upon the output of the field.

LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY. '

The Saratoga field lies some 12 miles north by west from Sour Lake and is reached by a 

10-mile branch of the Santa Fe Railroad which leaves the main line at Bragg. The field 

is on the outcrop of the Columbia sands as mapped by Kennedy. The soil is very sandy 

and the surface forested. Lying, as it does, close to one of the larger branches of Pine 

Island Bayou the sandy surface is considerably dissected, the total relief within a radius 

of a mile being perhaps 15 or 20 feet. There is at present no indication of any elevation 

of the surface due to such constructional agencies as made the Spindle Top mound.
58 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS.

SOURCE OP INFORMATION.

Knowledge of the geology of the field is based almost entirely on well data. The most 

valuable information was obtained from sections of the following wells:

Partial list of wells in the Saratoga field. 

[The numbers on the left correspond to those on the map (fig. 2).]

1. Greer.

2. Light and Power.

3.' Producers No. 1.

4. Producers No. 2.

5. Producers No. 3.

6. Producers No. 4.

7. Rio Bravo No. 200.

8. Rio Bravo No. 201.

9. Rio Bravo No. 202.

10. Rio Bravo No. 203.

11. Rio Bravo No. 204.

12. Rio Bravo No. 212.

13. Santa Fe No. 1.

14. Santa Fe No. 2.

15. Santa Fe No. 3.

16. Santa Fe No. 4.

17. Santa Fe No. 5.

18. Santa Fe No. 6.

SAND AND GRAVEL.

All the formations encountered in drilling are sediments of the ordinary Gulf Coastal 

Plain type, generally unconsolidated. A list of the varieties of sediment found in any 

one oil field of the Texas Coastal Plain would be very much the same as the corresponding 

list taken from any other of these fields. The several varieties, however, would differ in 

their relative abundance in the different fields. In most cases clay would be found to lead 

in amount. In the Saratoga field, however, the proportion of sandy sediment is almost 

as great as that of clay. In the Santa Fe.well No. 3 out of the first 658 feet of sediment 

500 were found to be sand or gravel. This is an exceptionally high proportion, but a 

proportion of sand approximating one-half in the first 500 or 600 feet is not uncommon. In 

exceptional cases the sands have become sandstones, but such occurrences do not represent 

any widespread consolidation. The instances of cemented sands are generally near the 

surface and should probably be regarded as concretionary. Gravel has more frequent 

mention in the Saratoga field than elsewhere, except at Jennings, La. It appears also to 

be in thicker beds and of greater lateral extent than in any other Texas field.

LIMESTONE.

(

Thin plates of limestone are found here as in the other fields described. There is also 

some mention of "soapstone," which term may be used by the drillers to designate a 

clay, but as it appears from the reports to be in relatively thin beds it is highly probable 

that the term as here used has been applied to the sticky marls which, under other conditions, have been consolidated into thin beds of limestone. The frequent mention in some 

well records of "hard white gypsum" is believed also to refer to the same class of beds. 

All the sediments show the same lack of lateral continuity which has been noted in the other 

fields. .

ZONES.

While any one bed, whatever be its composition, may pass laterally into a bed of any 

other composition, and the drill is therefore liable to encounter almost any material at 

almost any depth, there are certain-horizons which are characterized by a large predominance of one kind of material. As an illustration of this, there is in almost all of the wells 

in the southwestern part of the field sand or gravel, or both, at a depth approximating 500 

feet. That this occurrence represents merely a horizon abounding in local sands and gravels 

and not one continuous stratum is plain from the diversity in thickness, number of beds, 

and depth reported (see fig. 3). Thicknesses vary from a few feet to more than a hundred. 

In one well there may be but a single bed of great thickness; in another near by the sands 

or gravels at approximately the same horizon may appear in half a dozen beds separated
SARATOGA FIELD. 59

LIGHT AND POWER CO. Z<>

B.B.B. AND C. R.R.

J.M.GUFFEY 

PETROLEUM CO.

o

 9 .7

 to

SOUTHERN PACIFIC R.R.

 8

DO DDD

MAIN 

POWER STATION

W.E.BRICE

o, o

Blk. |

 » Blk.3 

Blk.4

|Blk.S

3*k«

o

> °

rSOUTHERN PACIFIC R.R.

 Producing wells

 $ Dry wells 

---Pipelines . 

O Derricks or proposed well

400 800 1200 feet

FIG. 2. Map of the Saratoga, Tex., oil field. The names of wells the symbols of which are accompanied by numbers are given in the list on page 58.
60 ' OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA ,COASTAL PLAIN.

by intervening clays. The minor diversities of depth would require that any scheme of 

correlation should hypothesize sharp folding of these unconsolidated sediments. In the 

same part of the field (the southwest) depths between 800 and 900 feet generally show 

sands to which the description given above would apply. In at least a small part of this 

quarter of the field a thick sand has been found in all the deep wells-between 1,400 and 

1,500 feet. It is possible that this sand is a single and well-defined bed. In the northern 

part of the field sands have been found quite generally at depths between 900 and 1,000 

feet. Above this sandy horizon, for a thickness of from 200 to 400 feet, little sand is found, 

the sediment being almost entirely clay. The same is true of the 100 or 200 feet of sediments overlying the sandy zone found at a depth of 800 feet in the southwestern part of 

the field.

While, the sandy zones here described are not to be understood as continuous strata, 

but rather as large thicknesses within which limited beds of sand are very frequent, it 

may still be true that these small beds are so thickly crowded as to afford continuous 

passage for fluids (see fig. 12, p. 119). For example, it seems certain that in the southwestern part of the field the 500-foot horizon of sands and gravels is for all practical purposes an artesian stratum. It is, however, distinguished from an artesian stratum, strictly. 

so called, by the fact that its varying depths at different places do not indicate dips of the 

beds. This being the case, it is impossible to infer from even a large list of depths, however 

carefully correlated, what the depth of the sand might be at any other place, however near.

OCCURRENCE OF THE OIL,.

Showings of oil are found at almost any depth and at irregular intervals. There is no 

considerable thickness of sediment which does not in some part of the field afford a showing 

of oil or gas. In the southwest quarter of the field oil in commercial quantities has generally been found in the sands at a depth of 800 or 900 feet. The deeper oil, which has been 

obtained from a small spot in this part of the field, is found in the thick bed of fine sand 

encountered at a somewhat uniform depth of about 1,400 feet. In the northern part of 

the field most of the oil has been found between 900 and 1,000 feet deep: In each case 

the almost complete absence of sands from the next higher clays has given to the latter 

the character and function of a cap rock.

GAS AND BLOW-OUTS.

The oil in this field is not generally accompanied by the large amount of gas found in 

the rock wells of Spindletop, Sour Lake, and Batson. With the exception of a few wells, 

gushing has been of a milder type than that of the other fields named. However, while 

gas does not usually accompany the oil in large quantities, it is abundantly present in separate bodies. No field in Texas (Humble excepted) has furnished such spectacular blowouts as Saratoga. Generally the beds from which these violent eruptions have occurred 

are in the upper half of the well section; that is(| above the clay zone which overlies the 

oil. In the northern part of the field large quantities of gas were found at about 500 feet. 

In the Kio Bravo No. 215 there were blow-outs from depths of 200 and 600 feet. The 

same company's well No. 211 probably furnished the most violent example. A pocket of 

gas was struck at approximately 500 fe"et, giving rise to a blow-out so violent that the surrounding ground was affected by cracks to a distance of 250 f.eet; From these cracks 

there were eruptions of mud at distances of at least 200 feet frpm the-mouth of the well. 

A crater was formed a few rods in diameter and more than 20 feet deep. The machinery 

and the wreck of the derrick were swallowed. To save the boiler, which stood some 200 

feet away, the workmen took the precaution to anchor it to a tree. The danger of such 

occurrences was for a time one of the chief difficulties in drilling in this field. At least 

one similar blow-out, though less violent, occurred from the 1,400-foot sand, or at about 

that depth.
SAEATOGA FIELD. 61

1

1

III

1 ' 'II ' I'll''

 : ||| 1 1 .'

i :: |[li l||[::

 -0

FIG. 3. Sands in Saratoga wells, showing irregular distribution. The average distance from 

well to well in each group is between 300 and 400 feet. The logs of five wells in group 1 are 

Incomplete.
62 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

WATER.

The ground waters of this field are fresh to a much greater depth than those of the other 

Hardin County fields. The strong flow usually met at a depth of about 500 feet in the 

southwestern part of the field is always reported as fresh. It appears that, by ill fortune 

or carelessness, this water was not properly cased off in certain wells. When the wells 

were drilled through the underlying clay, this water was given access to the sandy zone 

containing the oil and soon appeared in other wells, which had been pumping oil alone. 

The admixture of this water was the more unfortunate on account of the fact that fresh 

water is separated from the oil with greater difficulty than salt water.

Below the level of the clay zone which overlies the first important oil the water encountered is salt. The amount of salt water pumped previous to the drilling of the deep wells 

was small. The 1,400-foot sand, after yielding oil abundantly for a few weeks, began to 

produce large quantities of salt water.

One thousand feet north of the limited area in which the above-named wells are situated" 

a number of deep wells were drilled in the B. B. B. and C. tract. This locality, while 

producing moderate quantities of oil, yielded salt water in great abundance, some wells 

producing as much as 5,000 barrels daily. One well having a depth of 1,700 feet is said 

to have produced hot sulphur water.

DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION.

DIMENSIONS OF THE FIELD.

The developed area of the Saratoga field has a total length of about 4,500 feet north and 

south and a width of 1,800 feet east and west. The longest dimension has a trend a little 

east of north. The area of the proved field is less than 200 acres. There is some reason 

to think that the area of the field as here stated represents approximately the total size 

of the pool, and that therefore but little development may be expected outside of the present 

limits. It must be remarked, however, that the formations, the surface indications, and 

the occurrence of the oil in this field bear a striking resemblance to the corresponding 

features of those parts of Sour Lake and Spindletop which are not known to be underlain 

by the porous limestone. In view of the small area occupied by such limestone at Sour 

Lake, it is too early to abandon the hope that there may be found on the borders of the 

present Saratoga field a spot which will produce oil from the limestone, perhaps in as great 

abundance as at Sour Lake.

Up to August 15, 1904, there had been drilled in and around the Saratoga field 70 wells. 

Forty-five of these were drilled within the productive area of the field, and 35 have at some 

time been pumped more or less regularly. The number of wells drilled since the summer 

of 1904 is large.

AMOUNT PRODUCED.

As indicated above, the production of the Saratoga field up to the close of 1904 was 

relatively small. For the year 1903 it was 150,000 barrels. A very reliable estimate 

makes the output of 1904 a little more than 700,000 barrels.. The production during the 

latter year was quite uniform, amounting in December to 65,000 barrels, or a little more 

than 2,000 barrels daily. Early in January, 1905, the 1,400-foot sand in the southwestern 

quarter of the field began to yield large quantities of oil. For a short time daily records 

approximating 20,000 barrels were common, but in February the advent of salt water had 

reduced the daily production to less than 10,000 barrels. The principal wells concerned 

in the temporary large output were two Greer wells (of the J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company) and the Producers No. 4. The last-named is said to have made a record of 10,000 

barrels daily.

CHARACTER OF THE OIL.

The gravity of the Saratoga oil is a little greater than the average of that from adjacent 

fields. The larger part of that produced in 1903 and 1904 from depths not greater than
MATAGOBDA FIELD. 63

1,100 feet showed a gravity of from 16° to 18° B. The deeper oil produced early in 1905 

. is considerably lighter, and it has been said that tests showed a gravity of 22° B. It is 

not certain that these readings were corrected for temperature. The oil is of a good fuel 

quality, and most of it is consumed for that purpose.

MATAGORDA FIELD. 

LOCATION.

The site of this field is Big Hill, Matagorda County, a few miles from the mouth of Colorado 

River and about 5 miles northeast of the village of Matagorda. It lies 1 mile inland from 

the shore of Matagorda Bay. Big Hill is a mound of the Spindletop type, rising 36 feet above 

the sea level and standing on a plain of 12 to 15 feet elevation. It is a fairly well-defined 

topographic feature and approximately symmetrical in form. It is nearly flat topped, 

embracing perhaps 100 acres at its highest level, though the area of the entire elevation is 

several times that size.

12

SO

£2

33

73

86

89

A3

17

19

20

71

74

87

7O

75

86

'o'o

69

76

85

$o>o>

68

77

84-

67

78

83

§3

<o^

66

79

82

65

60

Bl

p 590 10.00 '500 feet 

FIG. 4. Map of the Matagorda, Tex., oil field. See list of wells, page 67.

Considerable development work was carried on in 1903 and 1904, at least 15 wells being 

drilled before the autumn of the latter year. The drilling of these 15 wells was not sufficient 

to indicate the exact boundaries of the productive territory, but all the wells which have produced o'.l or a large amount of gas are on or near the highest part of the mound. The Harper 

well, 1,370 feet deep, one-fourth mile northeast of the mound, did not strike oil, and the Santa 

Fe No. 1, 1,198 feet deep, one-half mile southwest of the field, gave only showings of oil } 

although it showed the presence of considerable gas. The Lane No. 1, on the east side, is also 

practically a dry hole 1,360 feet deep. Since the field was visited the total number of wells 

has doubled and all of the productive territory may be said to be occupied.

Bull. 282 06^ 5
64 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS.

WELL SECTIONS.

The following well sections are typical of this field:

Logs of wells in Matagorda field.

LANE WELL NO. 2. 

[Received from W. G. Lane, driller.]

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Formation.

Sand ........................

Blue . limestone (specimen

Gumbo ...............

Thickness.

Feet.

70

15

80

50

40

4

141

19

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

10

80

95

175

225

265

485

489

630

11

^?,

IK

14

15

Ifi

17

Formation.

Sudden drop ................

rocks 2 to 8 feet each; a

Shells .......................

Gumbo ...................

Cap rock, not passed through

Thickness.

Feet. 

6

57

75

4

2

69

4

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

648

705

780

784

786

855

859

Casing set'] foot in cap rock at 856. This well showed considerable gas but little oil.

GRIFFITH NO. 1. 

[Received from Dr P. S. Griffith!]

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12

Red clav

Gumbo and shells. .....

20 

30 

25 

90 

283 

4 

211 

20 

50 

3 

10 

2

20 

50 

75 

165 

448 

452 

663 

683 

733 

736 

746 

748

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22

Sand ........................

Blue rock and iron (pyrite) . .

Blue clay with show of gas . . .

Rock showing gas; casing 

set at 874 .................

1 

16 

4 

6 

40 

6 

18 

11 

2

23

749 

765 

769 

775 

815 

821 

839 

850 

852

875

 SEDIMENTS ABOVE THE OIL.

The formations passed through are very similar to those found in the oil fields of eastern 

Texas. Clay is the leading material in amount. There are also sands, shells, and thin 

beds of" rock," which is known in some cases to be limestone, while in others it may be sandstone with calcareous cement. Most of the rock beds carry pyrite, but this is far more 

abundant near the horizon of the oil, frequently just above it.

POROUS LIMESTONE.

At depths varying from 844 to 1,035 feet a limestone is found which possesses the characteristic feature of the oil-bearing limestone at Spindletop and other large oil fields of the 

Coastal Plain. Some specimens obtained are entirely crystalline and highly porous or cavernous, suggesting the probability that the rock body contains openings of stiH larger size. 

Certain fragments of this white or bluish limestone came to the surface perfectly clean and
MATAGKXRDA FIELD. . 65

evidently free from oil. Such fragments are plainly from that portion of the rock which con-. 

tained the gas accountable for the blow-outs. The thickness of this porous limestone formation is uncertain and no doubt variable. Whether the formation is single or subdivided by 

beds of sand is also uncertain. The cause of this uncertainty lies in the porous nature of the 

rock itself. This porosity causes the loss of the water used in drilling, and therefore no samples could be obtained. Under certain favorable conditions, described elsewhere, drilling 

advanced for many feet without a return of the water, and therefore with no definite knowledge of the nature of the rock. From the behavior of the tools it is believed that the thickness of the limestone in the Lane No. 1 is more than 100 feet, a part of which was traversed 

without a return of the water.

FORMATION BELOW THE POROUS LIMESTONE.

But few wells entered the formation beneath the limestone, and the knowledge of its 

nature is based largely on the observations made in drilling the Lane No. 1. In this well the 

porous limestone or "gas rock" was found at 1.035 feet, and a large proportion of its body 

was found to be of sulphur, which filled the caverns. Beneath this mixture of limestone and 

sulphur the drill entered a nearly white sticky substance which was said to be similar to 

putty or sometimes to white lead. The material, when brought to the surface and dried, 

formed light porous chunks, which were said to resemble chalk. The description of this 

material, which agrees closely with that of certain materials examined in other fields, leads to 

the inference that the formation underlying the porous limestone is a.marl, in places doubtless sandy, and perhaps passing into a pure sand at other places.

Sulphur is reported from various wells, but always at or near the horizon of the oil. As in 

the better-known oil fields, it exists either in a disseminated form in the sand or clay or as a 

pure crystalline mass, filling the caverns of the limestone. In the latter form it has already 

been mentioned as occurring in the Lane .veil No. 1. It is here reported as "60 feet of solid 

sulphur with a probable addition of 30 feet more." Other good observers, however, speak 

of this sulphur as "mixed with rock," and inasmuch as a part of the drilling was effected 

without a return current of.water, and in view of the fact that the material when returned is 

in an unsatisfactory form for the determination of the relations of several materials coming 

up together, it is highly probable that the assumption of sulphur in caverns is correct for this 

place, as it is known to be for certain other places. In the same well (Lane No. 1) it is 

observed that there were small "veins" of sulphur in the light-colored sticky mass below 

the limestone. The Dean well, the Johnson, and.the Griffith No. 2 each report a little sulphur at about the horizon of the oil.

STRUCTURE OE THE MOUOT).

There is no other mound in which the depths of the porous limestone in different places 

may be so conveniently correlated to show dips as at Matagorda. Of the wells drilled previous.to September, 1904, the Dean reached the limestone at the least depth (844 feet). 

This well is on the west side of the field. East of the Dean well the Griffith No. 2 found the 

same limestone at 850 feet, and the Griffith No. 1, still farther east, at 852 feet. The Lane 

No. 2, which is north of the Dean, went 856 feet to the porous limestone. Northeast of the 

Lane the Higgins and Johnson wells went 865 feet and 870 feet, respectively, to the same 

rock. The Harper well, one-fourth mile to the northeast, found nothing but sand and clay 

to a depth of 1,370 feet. South from the Dean and Griffith wells the Santa Fe No. 2 found 

rock at 855 feet, and the wells at the south end of the field at 872 feet. On the east side of 

the field the Lane No. 1 struck what is presumably the same rock at 1,035 feet. The Santa 

Fe No. 1, southwest of the field, though nearly 1,200 feet deep,found nothing which could be 

identified with the limestone in question.
66 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

The depths given above indicate that that part of the porous limestone which is known has 

the form of a half dome, its highest part being at the middle of the west side of the field. Its 

dip toward the northeast is at least 26 feet in the 500 feet between the Lane well and the 

Johnson well. The corresponding dip to the southeast is 28 feet to the southern border of 

the field, 2,000 feet away. If, as seems probable, the ] ,035-foot level in the Lane well is 

to be correlated with the other depths named, the dip at the eastern edge of the mound is 

greatly steepened. In accordance with the interpretation of the observations on the oilbearing rock at Spindletop (see p. 36), it is highly probable that in this field also the limestone occupies an area but little greater than that of the surficial mound. The extreme 

height of the dome, so far as revealed by borings, is less than 200 feet, and it is not probable 

that more complete data would greatly increase this height.

OCCTJKKENCE OF OII>, GAS, AXD SAI/r WATER.

The porous limestone constitutes the reservoir for oil, gas, and salt water. Gas and oil have 

not been found in any considerable quantity at any other horizon.a The distribution of the. 

three fluids is not such as to lead to the conclusion that the limestone is porous throughout, 

and therefore forms but a single reservoir. If this were the case, the gas should be expected 

to accumulate at the top of the dome, the oil beneath the gas, and the salt water at the base of 

the dome, the materials thus being arranged according to their several specific gravities, 

as in the Appalachian fields. On the contrary, the strongest pressure and the longest continued flow of gas is found in the southernmost well of the field, in which the limestone is 

deeper than in any other, with one exception. The flow from this well was estimated at 

5,000,000 cubic feet daily. The gas is said to be chiefly H^S mixed with S02 . After producing under control for more than a year the well was connected by a pipe line over 7 miles long 

with an irrigation pumping plant on Colorado River. A well 30 feet to the north found a 

similar body of gas and no oil. It was evident that these two wells tapped the same reservoir from the fact that the flow of gas from the first was interrupted until the closing of the 

second. A third well, probably 200 feet farther north, found sulphur salt water at a temperature of 99.6° F. A strong flow of this hot water was maintained for months. It came 

from a level fully 150 feet higher than that of the gas in the other two wells. It may therefore be assumed that the porous rock from which the water was derived is separated by 

impervious material from that yielding the gas (sec. p. 122).

The Griffith No. 1 found oil and gas near the base of the limestone body. From this horizon 

a violent blow-out occurred, projecting the pipe from the well in such a manner as to allow 300 

feet to rise vertically into the airand fall as one piece. This blow-out was accompanied or followed by oil. The well began to gush some 400 barrels per day, gradually diminishing to perhaps half that amount, but producing some 10,000 barrels before the flow ceased. The circumstances attending this cessation of flow furnish an additional illustration of the communication and interdependence.of certain wells in the Matagorda field. During the continuance of 

the flow from, the Griffith No. 1, No. 2 was drilled several hundred feet farther west. This well 

encountered gas at about the same horizon, but with very little oil. In order to drill the well 

deeper it became necessary to stop the flow of gas by pumping in slush or mud to fill the pores 

of the rock. After this process had been continued for a long tinie and under great pressure 

(approximately 400 pounds) well No. 1 ceased to flow. It is believed that the mud pumped 

into well No. 2 entered and clogged the pores of the same rock from which the gas and oil of 

well No. 1 were obtained.

In several instances the gas from one well has been successfully used to "blow" another, 

after the manner of blowing with compressed air (p. 123). The gas of the Dean well was thus 

introduced into the Johnson well and for a time expelled about 3,000 barrels of fluid daily, 

fully 90 per cent of which was salt water. The gas of the Griffith No. 2 was similarly used in 

the Griffith No. 1, -blowing out in one night 1,000 barrels of oil in addition to salt water. 

With the continuance of the process the water increased in proportion until, out of 10,000 

barrels of fluid per day, only an insignificant amount was oil.

« Data on this point were not obtained for the wells drilled since 1904.
HUMBLE FIELD. 67

PRODUCTION".

The Matagorda field continued to grow in importance until December, 1904. In the 

early part of that month, out of about 30 wells drilled, 14 were producing. The combined 

daily output was more than 4,000 barrels. Salt water appeared in every well, probably 

from the first, but late in December it came in such quantities that the production of the 

field fell quickly to 1,200 barrels a day, and by February 1, 1905, the daily amount was not 

above 400 barrels. At that time 32 wells had been drilled and 2 others were nearly complete. 

Of these, 11 wells were producing, a number of others having been abandoned after 

.pumping for a time.

The following is a list of wells drilled up to May, 1905. The locations of most of these are 

shown on the map (fig. 4, p. 63).

Wells on Big Hill, Matayorda, County.

Owners.

P. S. Griffith;...................

Griffith & Sutherland ............

Bay City Oil Co.................

BigHill Oil and Fuel Co. (.Dean) .

Big Hill Oil and Fuel Co........

Do..........................

SantaFeK. R. Co. .............

P. S. Griffith....................

McKallip'Bros. & Miller. .......

No. of 

block.

70

53

09

G9

12

74

75

70

78

14

15

Number 

of wells.

3

1

1

1

1

5

1

1

0

Owners.

P. S. Griffith..................

J.'C. Walker...................

SantaFeR. R. Co.............

P. S. Griffith..................

.....do.........................

No. of 

block.

10

73

88

21

94

13

52

 71

71

. 7r

Number 

of wells.

2

2

1

' 2

1

1

 3

1

HUMBLE FIELD. 

HISTORICAL .ACCOUNT.

The field at Humble was opened up after the completion of the field work which forms 

the basis of this report. Most of the data from which this brief account is compiled were 

published in the Oil Investors' Journal between November, 1904, and May, 1905.

The Humble field is in Harris County, 18 miles north of Houston and H miles east of 

Humble station, on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. It covers a part of 

Echols Ridge, and is 100 feet above sea level,'or .50 feet higher than Houston.

The escape of gas in this vicinity has been noticed for many years. In the autumn of 

1902 Mr. George Hart attempted to drill a well west of the present developed field, but the 

drilling was stopped by a blow-out. In the summer of 1904 Mr. C. E. Barrett, of Houston, 

.drilled several wells in that part of the field known as "the hill." Most of the wells in this 

part of the field were ruined by blow-outs. In October the Higgins Oil and Fuel.Company 

brought in a large gas well about one-half mile southeast of the Barrett wells.

The first successful oil well was the Beatty .No. 2, completed January 7, 1905. For some 

days this well yielded 8,500 barrels per day. Other producers followed in rapid succession. 

Some of these yielded more than 10,000 barrels daily. Before March! the daily production 

of the field was nearly 90,000 barrels and within three months after the completion of the 

Beatty No. 2 the field had produced 3,000,000 barrels of oil. Previous to March 3 little salt 

water was observed. On that day, the first anniversary of the "inundation" by salt water 

at Batson, the water began to appear in the great gushers at Humble. In ten days the 

production fell from nearly 90,000 barrels to less than 25,000 barrels daily. Partly by the 

bringing in of new wells on the east side and partly by the renewal of flow from the wells 

which had been "drowned out" the field recovered its former production, so that the yield
68 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

in April was nearly 2,000,000 barrels. The Beatty well No. 2, which stopped flowing on the 

advent of the salt water, began again to flow, and produced 4,800 barrels of oil in one day. 

The production of the field soon began to decrease, again, and in November, 1905, it was but 

little more than 20,000 barrels per day.

GEOLOGIC 3?OTCMATlOiSrS.

As seen from the following log, the formations passed through in drilling are similar to 

those of the other fields. In other wells a large number of thin beds of rock are reported.

Lo(/j)f Westlieimer well, in Humble field. 

[Received from Sid. Westheirner.]

1

?,

3

4

5

0

7

8

9

in

11

12

13

14

15

Ifi

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

2fi

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

Formation.

Joint clay ...................... ............................................

Clay.........................................................................

Rock....................

Sf ixed clay .................................. .... ...................

White sand. .................................................................

Not reported ................................................................

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

4 0

80 0

20 0

23 3

165 2

127 8

43 7

43 9

30 7

1 0

5 4

1 0

2 11

39 4

21 5

21 10

209 8

4 4

38 3

43 6

1 0

17 5

6 0

17 7

39 4

2 0

43 8

42 4

40 0

43 11

42 0

42 3

152 1

41 3

42 11

Total 

depth.

Ft. in. 

4 0

84 0

104 0

127 3

292 5

420 1

463 8

507 5

538 0

539 0

544 4

545 4

548' 3

587 7

609 0

630 10

840 6

844 10

883 1

926 7

007 7

945 0

951 0

968 7

1,007 11

1,009 11

1,053 7

1,095 11

1,135 11

1,179 10

1,221 10

1,264 1

1,416 2

1,457 5

1,500 4

This well is one-half mile east from Humble station.

Some of the Humble wells are said to derive their oil from "rock." The Beatty No. 2 

was drilled through 80 feet of hard rock, beneath which it found oil in softer material. As 

no strainer was used, it is probable that the oil of this well and some others comes from a 

porous limestone. The depth of the overlying rock is a little more than 1,200 feet. '
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. 69

GAS.

This field is remarkable for its large supplies of gas and terrific blow-outs. Gas was first 

found in large quantities between 500 and 600 feet deep. The strongest pressures were 

encountered at about 800 feet. From this depth there occurred, December 13, 1904, in the 

Higgins No. 2, the most violent eruption recorded in the Texas fields. After emitting gas, 

water, sand, and chunks of clay for some hours, the casing became choked, but apparently 

the gas rose outside the casing to the higher sands between 500 and 600 feet from the surface, "and by the morning of the 14th this abnormal pressure sought relief through the 

various wells that had reached that depth on the neighboring properties." Every well 

within a considerable radius became involved in a general eruption of gas, water, and sand.

As in the other large fields, the great blow-outs were from horizons above the main oil 

body. The gas found at these levels is not of the poisonous type. That which has been 

confined with the oil and comes out with it from the great gushers is of the same deadly 

character as the corresponding gas at Spindletop.

Before the bringing in of the great producers at Humble a " blow-out preventer" had been 

devised. It was used with success at the finishing of the Beatty No. 2, the first great 

gusher.

The Humble oil closely resembles that of the other fields. The large production caused 

a great fall of prices. Up to June, 1904, little or no oil from the Humble field brought more 

than 16 cents, per barrel, and the larger part was sold much cheaper. ,

MINOR TEXAS DISTRICTS. ' 

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY.

A considerable area some 15 miles southeast of Nacogdoches has been known for nearly 

forty years to contain deposits of a heavy brown oil suitable for lubricating purposes. In 

the ten years following 1887 there was a considerable development of the industry, and 

probably at least 100 wells were drilled. Perhaps half of these yielded some oil, but the 

amounts in all cases were small, varying from a fraction of a barrel, to a possible 5 or 6 barrels per day. An occasional pump was installed, but most of the oil was bailed out. The 

Lubricating Oil Company, having 20 wells in operation in 1890, shipped its products by 

wagon to Nacogdoches. The Petroleum Prospecting Company built a pipe line to Nacogdoches, where its oil was tanked. This pipe line (the first in the State of Texas) has since 

been taken up. The field is now idle, though it is understood that this does not indicate a 

failure of the wells. A keeper is employed by the present owners to reside at the holdings, a

The Nacogdoches field is in the East Texas Timber Belt. At this place the relief of the 

Coastal Plain, due to erosion by Angelina River and its tributaries, is from 100 to 200 feet. 

The underlying rock is Eocene, chiefly greensands, which in weathering have produced a 

brick-red soil. There are occasional outcrops of shales and sandstones, but the bedding is 

so irregular that dips and strikes taken from these limited exposures' are of little value in 

determining structure. The occurrence of oil, therefore, is not known to have any other 

relation to geologic structure than that of its presence in local beds of sand overlain by clay 

and greensand.

Most of the superficial phenomena associated with the oil fields of Texas have been noted 

in the Nacogdoches field. The bubbling up of gas is common. At places each bubble 

rising through water leaves a film of oil on the surface. At Oil Spring, a well-known "boiling spring," brown globules of oil are seen rising through the waterand forming iridescent 

films as they spread out upon its surface. Seepages of oil are common along the banks of 

streams. There.are also sulphureted waters containing in small proportion certain sour 

salts. Iron pyrite, from the decomposition of which these salts may have been derived, is 

encountered in drilling. A scum of iron oxide derived from the soil is a very common occuro For a more detailed history of the development of this field, see Phillips, Dr. William Battle, Texas 

petroleum: Bull. University of Texas Mineral Survey No. 1,1900, p. 1.
70 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

rence in Nacogdoches County and other counties in which the red soils are found. Such 

scums are frequently mistaken for films of oil.

Most of the wells are in two largo groups. One group follows the valley of Mast Creek, a 

northern tributary of Angelina River; the other is on the lowlands surrounding Oil Spring, 

3 miles southwest of the first group. It was in the territory occupied by this latter group of 

wells that oil was first discovered, and most of the shipments have been from these wells.

The prevailing depth at which oil is found is from 70 feet to a little more than 200 feet. 

Far the larger part of the oil has probably come from less than 100 feet deep. The wells

FIG. 5. Part of Nacogdoches County, showing location of oil wells.

on Mast Creek are now filled with water up to the level of the surface of ground water. 

The water is covered with oil, varying in amount in different wells from a thin coating to a 

column 1 foot in depth. In some of the wells around Oil Spring the oil stands at a level 

considerably above that of the ground water. From one well there is still a slight natural 

flow from the mouth of the pipe 3 feet above the ground.
JASPEK AND SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTIES. 71

A well 684 feet deep on the Skillern homestead, between Mast and Rector creeks, gavo 

the following section: ~

Log of Skillern homestead well, Nacogdoclies County.

1

2 

3 

4

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11

12 

13

14 

15 

16 

17

18

Formation.

Clay^. .......................

Sand, with slight show of 

oil.........................

Blue clay..... ...............

Hard rock ..................

Rock, with streaks of sand 

from 8 to 10 feet. ..........

Coarse sand, good showing 

of oil......................

. Blue clay (set 10-inch pipe

Stiff blue clay...............

White sand; artesian water.. 

Hard blue clay and some

Thickness.

Feet. 

47

7 

20

8 

56 

7 

37 

6 

44 

38

18 

5

41 

9 

38 

. 18

53 

. 31

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

47 

54 

80

'88 

144 

151 

188 

194 

238 

276

294 

299

340 

349 

387 

405

458 

489

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26

27 

28 

29 

30 

31

32 

33

34 

35 

36

Formation.

Hard rock ..................

Bed of shells; some gas ..... 

Stiff blue clay (gumbo) .....

Black formation of asphalt, 

dry........................

Gumbo or blue clay.........

Thin rocks, with sands beHard, flinty rock. ..........

Dark, coarse sand, or. oil 

sand; good show of oil. ...

Sand, dark with asphalt. . . .

4

Thickness.

Feet. 

8 

17 

4 

7 

34 

4. 

9

9 

31 

4

8 

27

13 

3

C 

5 

3 

3

Total 

depth.

Feet.. 

497 

514 

518 

525 

559 

563 

572

581 

612 

616 

624 

651

604 

667

673 

678 

681 

684

It will be observed that in this well much stiff clay was passed through, and there were 

at least seven horizons of coarse sands in which were found showings of oil or gas, or both. 

Attention is directed to the porous rock containing sulphur, passed between 486 and 497 

feet; specimens were not seen. At greater depths are two beds called "asphalt," or "sand 

with asphalt." A well 2 miles south of Melrose and 6 miles north of Oil Spring was sunk 

255 feet in clay, sand, and greensand, finding a showing of oil at about 160 feet beneath 

nearly 40 feet of clay.

Near Carrisso Creek, 3 miles west of Oil Spring, a deep well was being drilled by Mr. J. M. 

Thrasher at the time the field was visited, in the summer of 1904. The well had then 

attained a depth of 400 feet. Most of the beds passed through were greensand, of various 

shades and various degrees of induration. Oil was found in small quantities at 365 feet.

JASPER AND SAX AUGUSTINE COUNTIES.

At many places in the East Texas Timber Belt there are surface indications similar to 

those near Nacogdoches. The., best known of these localities are in San Augustine and 

Jasper counties.
72 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

The .Santa Fe Railway Company has drilled three wells near San Augustine. Most of 

the beds passed through were clay or sand. A few showings of heavy dark oil were noted. 

Well No. 1 is the deepest of the three. The following log is typical:

Lay of Santa Fe No. i well, San Augustine, Tex.

1

2 

3 

4

5 

6 

7 

8 

9

10 

11

12 

13 

14

15

16 

17

18 

19 

20

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28

Formation.

Blue marl, black as coal

Blue marl, streaks of harder.

Brown, soapy shale, with 

bowlder of hematite at 75 

and 78....................

Brown soapstone and thin 

layers of limestone. . ......

'Blue clay. ...................

Blue and brown shale, with

Blue limestone and marl, < withpyrite; very hard....

Gray water sand, a little pyrite, and very small trace

Brown clay, with sand...... 

Brown sand, with streaks

Brown gumbo and clay . . . . .

Black rock and pyrlte.. .....

Thickness.

Feet. 

15 

5 

14

10 

8 

5 

12 

34

94

7

7 

84 

1

17

6i 

2

26 

6 

14

11 

10 

1 

29 

2 

10 

10 

1 

6

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

15 

20 

34

44 

52 

57 

69 

72i

82 

89

96 

1144 

115J

1324

139 

141

167. 

173

187

198 

208 

209 

238 

240 

250 

260 

261 

267

29

30 

31

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 

50 

51 

52 

53 

54 

55 

56 

57 

58 

59 

60

Formation.

Bowlder of lime, with little 

oil.........................

Brown clay, with layers of

Brown clay, with layers of

Clay or fine sand ............

Shale, with layers of lignite. .

Clay.........................

Shale. .......................

Shale, with'little lignite... . : . 

Shale and few shells. ........

Lignite. .....................

Shale; thin lignite layers.... 

Lignite. .....................

Shale. .......................

Lignite. .....................

Thickness.

Feet.

1 

2

4 

1 

2 

1 

5 

2 

5 

4

10 

24 

14 

18 

8 

36 

19 

11 

24 

23 

2 

3 

5 

5 

6 

4 

12 

J 

57J 

2 

1 

4

Total 

depth.

Feet.

268 

270

274 

275 

277 

278 

283 

285 

290 

- 294

304 

328 

342 

360 

368 

404 

423 

434 

460 

483 

485 

488 

503 

508 

514 

518 

530 

5304 

588 

590 

591 

595

The vicinity of Jasper, in Jasper County, is similar in topography and forest covering 

to the Nacogdoches field. The underlying sediments are of younger age, those at the 

surface being sands. The soil itself in many places is pure sand.

At various places in this county there are abundant seepages of oil and gas. Asphalt or 

"tar" is found in the soil at some places. The waters of such localities are frequently 

sulphurated, or contain various salts in sufficient quantity to give them a sour or bitter 

taste.

Twelve miles north of Jasper, in the angle between Angelina River and Ayish Bayou, 

is a saline a few acres in extent. The spot is bare and sandy, though surrounded by the 

dense jungle which characterizes the bayou bottoms. Immediately surrounding the saline 

is an elevated rim from 5 to 7 feet high. The origin of this elevation seems to' be similar 

to that of the mud volcanoes within the area of the saline. The waters found here and 

there in small pools are slightly salt. Scattered over spots within the area, and especially
JASPEB AND SAN ANTONIO COUNTIES. 73

over the surface of the bounding rim, are great numbers of limestone concretions, usually 

less than an inch in diameter. There are also some nodules of sand cemented by lime. 

The limestone concretions when broken generally show cracks radiating from the center, 

the open spaces thus formed being sometimes filled with clay.

The valley of Walnut Creek east and south of Jasper shows all of the phenomena enumerated above, except mud volcanoes. A well was drilled 1,471 feet deep on the Seale farm, 

3 miles south of Jasper. At least nine different showings of oil were reported above a depth 

of 1,200 feet. The Ralph well, drilled by the J. M. Gufi'ey Petroleum Company, 13 miles 

northwest of Jasper, is 2,277 feet deep, but with the exception of a little gas between 650 

and 800 feet, nothing was reported which might suggest the presence of oil. At Bowlers 

Ferry, on Angelina River, not far from the Ralph well, a well was sunk to perhaps 1,200 

feet, and is reported to have found some indication of oil at 995 feet. A few miles northwest of these wells, near Neches River, are the "Tar Springs." In this locality the surface 

seepage of heavy dark oil is sufficient to enable farmers to collect it for use on wagons and 

machinery.

The log of the well near Jasper was carefully kept by Prof. F. C. Thiele, of Beaumont. 

It affords the best information obtainable concerning the character of the sediments passed 

through in drilling in this vicinity.

Log of Seale farm well, 3 miles south of Jasper, T ex. , 

[Compiled y Prof. F. C. Thiele.]

1

2 

3 

4

5 

G 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14

15

16 

17

18 

19 

20

Formation.

Water sand. ................

Blue clay and sand; at 275 

feet', artesian water and 

gas; at 250 feet, oil showDolomitic rock, pyrites, 

quartz, sand; oil showing.

Doloniitic rock, pyrites, 

quartz, sand, yellow clay;

Quicksand, dolornitic rock, 

gumbo ....................

Gumbo, shale, gravel, dolomitic rock, quicksand, 

iroiipyrites; oil showing . .

Doloniitic rock, quicksand, 

yellow clay, lignite; slight

Hard gray clay, calcareous 

concretions, lime rock, pyFine quicksand, concretions, 

much fine pyrites; splendid

Thickness.

Feet. 

40 

20 

90

200 

10 

100 

5 

150 

6 

. 23 

23 

3 

28

9

19 

22

24 

21

77 

11

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

40 

60 

150

410 

420 

520 

525 

675 

681 

704 

727 

730 

758

767

786 

808

<D

832 

§53 

930 

941

21 

22

23 

24

25

26 

27

28 

29

30 

31 

32

Formation.

Shale, fine quartz sand, dolomitic rock, iron oxide, calFine white sand, pyrites, 

shale, large amount of

Fine white sand, pyrites, 

shale, some lime rock.. ....

Shale, variegated pebbles, 

chips of flint rock, lime 

rock, and plenty of pyrites .

Extremely fine gray sand, 

shell fragments, very fine 

white quartz, black carbonaceous matter, some 

clay and limestone; oil 

showing very good. .......

Fine gray sand, lime concretions, some white quartz, 

black carbonaceous particles, considerable iron oxFine gray sand, lime concretions., white quartz, black 

carbonaceous matter, 

magnetic iron oxide in 

abundance; oil showing

Sand rock, white quartz ....

Sand rock; gas and oil show- ing. .....:.................

Fine gray sand, carbonaceous particles, magnetic

Bluish-gray clay, very fine 

sand, black particles, magThickness.

Feet.

79 

¥ 

40

10 

2

23 

21

12 

42

20 

80

50 

151

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,020

1,060 

1,070

1,072

1,095 

1,116

1,128 

1,170

1,190 

3,270

1,320 

1,471
74 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

SABLTSTE PASS OIL, PONDS."

THEORIES OF ORIGIN.

Situated a short distance offshore and within 3 miles west of the mouth of the Sabiiie are two small 

oval areas less than a mile in longer diameter, in which the water is always relatively smooth. The 

approximate size and location of these areas are shown on the accompanying map (fig. 6). This peculiarity of the water in these areas, particularly in the western of the two, has been known to local pilots, 

fishermen, and others for many years. It is stated on reliable authority that no matter how heavy the 

sea may be on surrounding portions of the Gulf, within these restricted areas, it never breaks, and this 

fact is constantly taken advantage of by coasting vessels, which find here a safe anchorage during 

storms. The commonly accepted explanation of this peculiarity, among sailors and others, is that oil 

coining from submarine springs spreads over the surface of the water for a short distance around the 

vents, and thus prevents the waves breaking. So widespread is this view that accounts of these "oil 

ponds" are common in.the literature relating to the use of oil on the water during storms at sea. It 

does not appear, however, that any oil film has ever been observed on the surface of these portions of 

the Gulf, and the commonly accepted explanation merely rests on an inference from the observed effect 

of oil artificially applied.

Dr. W. B. Phillips & accepts the facts above stated, but offers another explanation, namely, that the 

quiat water is due not to cil, but to the presence upon the Gulf bottom of very fine mud containing a

FIG. 6. Map of Sabine Pass, showing location of so-callecl oil ponds.

lage amount of decayed organic matter which is stirred up by. the waves and produces the same effect 

as oil spread upon the surface. Quoting Doctor Phillips's words:

'' The true explanation of the so-called oil pond appears to be as follows: The bottom of the sea there 

is composed, for the most part,of a thick black mud in which are embedded various animal and vegetable 

remains. Under the incipient decomposition that is nearly always in progress in such material, substances of a more or less oily nature are formed. The absorption or segregation of oil by means of certain d ; atoms may also have contributed to the presence of oily substances in the ooze. When this mass 

becomes stirred up by wave action and diffuses itself through the water, rising even to the surface, 

the roughness of the water is affected in a manner comparable with the action of oil. The soundings in 

the so-called oil pond, according to chart No. 203 of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, vary 

from 4 to 16 feet, while outside of the shallow water the depth increases to 20 and 25 feet, the 5-fathom 

curve lying about a mile to the south. The oil-pond area is then a sort of terrace, the bottom of which 

is soft black mud and ooze. At one place on the chart a rocky bottom is marked, but this lies outside

a Reprinted from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212. 

 6 Texas petroleum: Bull. Unh'. Texas No. 5, July, 1900.
SA.BINE . PASS OIL PONDS. 75

the area known as 'the pond' and is between the present pond and the site of the old pond. Waves 

beating upon a terrace laid in material which from its very nature is more or less oily, or contains substances which would act in a manner comparable with that of oil, would seem to present the true 

explanation of the calmness of the area under discussion."

It may be said in objection to this explanation that these areas of calm water do not appear to be 

intimately connected with any peculiarity in the topography of the Gulf bottom, or with the character 

of the material of which it is formed, or with the special abundance or peculiarity in the forms of animal 

or vegetable organisms living there. On the contrary, precisely the same conditions in all 

these respects characterize the Gulf coast for many miles, and if they are sufficient to produce calm 

water at one or two points they should produce the same effect along the entire coast An essential 

feature which must be accounted for by any satisfactory explanation is the extremely local character 

of the quiet spots and their persistence for many years, practically unchanged, although it appears 

that the location of the western area was permanently shifted some distance to the east during the 

great storm of 1878. *-

. Whether or not these areas of calm water are due to the presence of oil must for the present, therefore, remain an open question; but, at any rate, some other explanation than that offered by Doctor 

Phillips must be found. Although the presence of oil in these so-called oil ponds has not been proved, 

there is no question of its occurrence in the immediate vicinity. At various points along the west jetty 

at the mouth of Sabinc lliver oil globules may be obtained by stirring the mud to a depth of 6 to 10 feet. 

This locality was examined by Doctor Phillips, and again by his assistants, and he expresses the conclusion in the report above quoted that the oil there found was derived from the Beaumont field; that 

it had been carried down Neches River or Hildebrands ,Bayou, and had accumulated in the angle

between the west jetty and the shore, becoming finally entangled with the mud. The possibility of 

this origin for the oil at the mouth of the Sabine was thoroughly examined by the writers, and it is not 

believed possible that it could have been derived from such a source.

Anyone familiar with the behavior of oil.upon the surface of water will appreciate the difficulties of 

the explanation given by Doctor Phillips. Oil tends to spread out in a thin fllm, in which condition it 

is subject to rapid evaporation, and is thus quickly dissipated. Moreover, being lighter than water 

and having the tendency, owing to its surface tension, of spreading in a thin film, it could scarcely sink 

to the bottom and become entangled in mud to the depth at which it is now found. Again, the oil is 

found only along the west jetty, whereas, if it had floated down the river it should be found in equal or 

greater quantities along the east jetty, owing to the direction of the prevailing winds and currents. 

Finally, while the chief attention has been attracted to it since the discovery of the Beaumont field, it 

is reported on good authority that the oil was observed while the jetties were being constructed, many 

years before it could possibly have been derived from Beaumont.

The conclusion appears inevitable, therefore, that the oil is either indigenous in the mud forming the 

Gulf bottom, or, if derived from any extraneous source, that this source is the underlying beds. It is 

of course possible that it has been formed in place, through chemical or organic agencies, chiefly by 

living diatoms, as suggested by Doctor Phillips in the report above quoted. While he does not state 

his conclusion explicitly, he apparently inclines to the view that while the oil actually found is derived 

from the Beaumont field, oil of similar character may be secreted by the diatoms living in.the mud. 

In order to determine this point, numerous samples of mud were collected at various places in the vicinity, from the surface, at different depths of water, and from a considerable depth below the surface. 

These were submitted for chemical and microscopical study to Dr. Harold J. Turner, of Johns Hopkins 

University. Doctor Turner's results are here given in full:

EXAMINATION OF MUD FROM GULF OF MEXICO.

'' In the plasma o of certain species of diatoms numerous minute globules of oil are contained. They 

are distributed irregularly through the body. In the genera Navicula and Pleurosigma the globules 

are relatively large, and in Navicula most numerous. Under the microscope the globules of oil in the 

body of the diatom strike the eye at once by their great refraction of the light. The fatty nature of the 

globule is shown by its immediately turning dark upon staining with osmic acid, as was first pointed 

out by Schultze. <> Diatoms are plants, and build up their organic structure under the influence of 

light from carbon dioxide and water. Starch and sugar are not formed, and it may well be that the oil 

is the first product of assimilation. Both Liiders c and Pfitzerd have observed that the fatty oil is accumulated especially at the time when the cells are existing under unfavorable conditions, as when they 

are contained in a basin of water in a room. When the water in the basin is renewed, and consequently 

the oxygen also, the oil is largely reabsorbed in the plasma of the diatom.

" In a recent investigation Kraemer and Spilker« have suggested that in the oil of diatoms petroleum

a E. Pfitzer, Ban und Entwicklung der Bacillariaceen, in .1. Hanstein's Botanische Abhandlung, 1871, 

p. 33.

b Schultze, Bewegung der Diatoinen, p. 374. 

c Liiders, Beobachtung, u. s. w., p. 42. 

d Pfitzer, Hanstein's Botanische Abhandlung, p. 34. 

«Ber. Deutsch. chem. Gesell., vol. 32,1899, p. 2940.
76 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

may have its origin. They worked upon some material to which the .name 'Seeschilck' (sea slime, ooze) 

has been applied. The material occurs in Uckermark, a subdivision of Prussia, north of Berlin. It 

underlies a peat bog and reaches the depth of more than 40 feet. To the hand it has a somewhat fatty 

feel. The mass contains 90 per cent water, which dries out slowly in the air. The material is rich in 

nitrogen, containing more than 3 per cent; and it is used both for fertilizing purposes and for the extraction of ammonia on a large scale. Under the microscope the ooze is seen to consist principally of 

diatoms, such, for example, as species of Navicula, Mdosira, &nd_Pleurosigma. Upon extracting the 

dried mass with hot benzine and crystallizing the material obtained from alcohol, a crystalline product 

melting at 75° C. is obtained. The residue, insoluble in alcohol, closely resembles paraffin oil obtained 

from certain petroleums.

'.'By treating the ooze with 5 per cent hydrochloric acid (by which operation about one-half of the 

weight is lost as hydrocarbons, organic acids, etc.) and drying the insoluble portion, there was obtained 

on the average 3.6 per cent of diatom wax which could hardly be distinguished from ozocerite. It had 

a black color, a fatty luster, an asphalt fracture, melted between 50° and 70° C., and contained 0.97 per 

cent sulphur. Upon combustion it yielded 73.5 per cent carbon, 11.2 per cent hydrogen, and some oxygen. By investigating various specimens of ozocerite Kraemer and Spilker found that the diatom wax 

had closely similar properties, and they argue a common origin of the two. They suggest that the 

diatom is an agency in the formation of petroleum. The minute oil globules contained in the plasma 

of the diatom may be the origin of some petroleum.

'' The region where is found the mud yielding the oil is on the margin of the G ulf of Mexico near Sabiue 

Pass, immediately west of the west jetty and about 3,200 feet from its landward end, at the point 

marked 'F' on the accompanying map (fig. 6). The mud is thick and black. It appears to be composed of thoroughly macerated organic matter mixed with grains of silica. The shells form only a 

very small part of the whole. By stirring the mud to a depth of 3 to 4 feet abundant globules of oil, 

1 to 4 mm. in diameter, rise to the surface and there break. It appears that the number of globules 

increases as the depth of the mud which is stirred becomes greater. The strata of mud upon which 

rests the mat upon which the jetty is constructed yield the most oil. The oil is not equally distributed, 

but is more abundant at some points than at others, being most abundant at the edge of the mat. It 

is reported that the workmen observed oil in the mud at the time the jetty was constructed.

"A sample of 2 cc. of this oil was collected under great difficulties, as the globules break on reaching 

the surface of the water. ' From it the oil was extracted with ether. Upon evaporation of the ether a 

thick black oil was obtained, possessing a not disagreeable odor, and much thicker than crude Beaumont oil. An attempt was made to compare it with Beaumont oil by violently shaking a sample of 

the latter with mud and sea water at intervals for three days, distilling with steam for two hours, and 

extracting with ether. The residual oil still possessed its characteristic odor, though not so marked, 

and it was not as thick as the oil collected from the mud. It did not seem possible to identify the oil 

from the mud with the Beaumont oil.

"The various samples of mud were carefully examined for oil. Each sample was repeatedly 

extracted with redistilled ether. The extracts, after evaporation of the ether, yielded a very thin film 

of a greenish-yellow residue containing sulphur. A blank determination showed that the method was 

capable of extracting a globule of oil about 3 mm. in diameter after it had been thoroughly worked into 

the mud.- Two samples, Nos. 109 and 114, yielded traces of oil. The other samples were free of oil. 

The presence of sulphur is not unusual in dark-colored muds, arising as it does from the decomposition 

of organic material.

'' The salt-water diatoms multiply very rapidly, and their shells would in time fill up the tropical seas, 

were it not for their enemies, which devour them in enormous numbers. The region in the Gulf of Mexico whence were obtained the samples of niuds is not especially favorable for the accumulation of 

diatoms, judging from the number of them actually found in the mud. Many species of diatoms 

belonging to the various genera, namely, Navicula, Pleurosigma, Rhoicosigma, Mellosira, and Coscinodiscus, were found in the samples. The species of Navicula and Pleurosigma are the most numerous. 

Of the entire mass only a very small fraction consists of diatom shells. The mud consists largely of 

thoroughly macerated organic material mixed with grains of silica. A 10 per cent hydrochloric acid 

produced just a slight effervescence.

"The microscopical and chemical examination of the samples of mud gave the following results: 

No. 105. Collected 6 feet below the surface, which was covered by 4 feet of water at mean tide, on beach,

at point marked "A" on map. Few whole diatom shells; no living diatoms; no oil. 

No. 106. Collected 30 feet below surface at same place as No. 105. Few pieces of broken shells; no living diatoms; no oil.

No. 107. Collected 18 feet below surface and 17J feet below tide level, on beach, at " B." Same as No. 106. 

No. 108. Collected 30 feet below surface, at same place as No. 107. Same as No. 107. 

No. 109. Collected from surface, uncovered at low tide, west of west jetty, Sabiin. Pass, about 600 feet 

from landward end, at "C." This sample consists of two kinds of muci, one black, the other 

greenish-yellow in color. In the dark-colored mud the shells were numerous. The greenishyellow mud was plentifully supplied with diatom shells and contained living diatoms of the 

species Navicula and Pleurosigma. The entire sample of 115 grams yielded a trace of oil. 

The sample was from mud showing oily film on surface.
ORANGE AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES. 77

No, 110. Collected 5 feet below surface, in same place as No. 109. Manyshells; no living diatoms; nooil. 

No. 111. Collected 6.8 feet below surface, exposed at extremely low tide, 200 feet west of west j°tty, 3,500

feet from its landward end, at "D." Few shells; no diatoms; no oil. 

No. 112. Collected 6 feet below surface, which is covered at mean low tide, 300 feet west of west jetty,

5,500 feet from its landward end, at " E." Same as No. 111. 

No. 114. Collected 4 feet below surface, covered by 2 feet of water, at mean low tide, west of west jetty,

3,200 feet from its landward end, at "F." Shells no more numerous than in No. 111. 100

grams of mud yielded a trace of oil. 

No. 115. Collected 10 feet below the surface, which is covered by a few inches of water at low tide, 250

feet east of east jetty, 50 feet from edge of marsh, at "G." Few whole shells; no living

diatoms; no oil.

No. 116. Collected at surface, same place as No. 115. Few shells; living diatoms present; no oil. 

No. 117. Collected 2 feet below surface covered by 9J feet of water, 6,000 feet west of west jetty, at "H."

No living diatoms; some shells; no oil.

"Diatom shells are found in all the samples, but they are not abundant in a single one. They are, 

however, more abundant in samples Nos. 109 and 116 than in any of the others. Both of these samples 

were collected from the surface of the mud, while all the others were collected from below it. In each of 

the samples collected from 2 to 8 feet below the surface, i. e., Nos. Ill, 112,114,115, and 117, a few shells 

are found. The shells are least abundant in samples Nos. 106,107, and 108, which were collected from 18 

to 30 feet below the surface along the shore.

'' Living diatoms were found in the two samples taken at the surface, Nos. 109 and 116, but they were 

absent from all the samples which had been collected below the surface of the mud. The compact 

nature of the mud, which prevents free circulation of water and consequent renewal of the oxygen, is 

inimical to the existence of the diatoms.

"The samples of mud were free of oil, except samples Nos. 109 and 114. The latter is the mud from 

which the oil globules rise when stirred, and the occurrence of the oil in No. 109 is doubtless to be attributed to the same cause as will account for that in No. 114. The samples of mud which were collected 2 

and 9 feet below the surface were free of living diatoms. The quantity of shells contained in the mud 

was small in comparison with the total contents of the mud.

"With these facts before us it does not seem possible to explain the occurrence of the oil in the black 

mud as arising from the action of diatoms. It can-not be attributed to the segregation of oil by living 

diatoms, because of their entire absence from the mud; nor can it have its origin in diatoms buried in 

the mud in the past, because of the small number of shells present; and, lastly, as regards its contents 

of diatoms, the mud from which the oil rises is not different from the mud at various places near by, 

which show no traces of oil."

The results of this investigation by Doctor Turner, while not absolutely conclusive, indicate that 

some other source for this oil must be sought than the diatoms. Since, as shown above, it is entirely 

improbable that the oil was derived from Beaumont by floating upon the surface of the water; the only 

other source assignable is from the underlying strata. It does not necessarily follow, even if this is the 

case, that this region is underlain by a commercial deposit of petroleum, but the indications are sufficiently favorable to warrant thorough exploration by means of the drill. The most favorable indications are afforded within the region lying between the quarantine station and the outer end of the west 

jetty and thence westward for a quarter of a mile.

SEA WAX.

In connection with the so-called oil ponds may be mentioned a peculiar substance called sea wax, 

which is frequently found along the Gulf beach from the Sabine to Corpus Christi. This sea wax is 

reported to have been found in cakes as large as G or 8 feet in length and an inch or two in thickness. 

The chemical composition of this material has been determined by Dr. A. L. Watz, of Tulane University, his results being given in full by Doctor Phillips in the report above cited. This sea wax is 

undoubtedly a petroleum residuum or an asphaltum. The cakes have traces of concentric structure, 

as though the material had spread out in all directions from the source of supply at the center, where it 

is slightly thicker than elsewhere. The source of this material is not known, and it may have nothing 

whatever to do with the oil ponds, but its presence is at least suggestive and points to the existence of 

springs of liquid bitumen somewhere in the gulf, and to that extent supports the theory that the oil 

ponds are actually due to the escape at these points of petroleum from the underlying beds.

SCATTERED WETJLS I]ST ORANGE AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES.

Several wells have been drilled near Orange, on Sabine River, but the materials passed 

cthrough are not known to have contained anything unusual.

The Stillwell Company drilled three holes in the southeast corner of Joseph Grigsby league, 

near where Neches River enters Sabine Lake. There is here a considerable ridge, whose 

trend is nearly parallel to the shore of Sabine Lake. The ridge rises perhaps 20 feet above 

the lake, or half that much above the surrounding country. The deepest of the three
78 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Stillwell wells reaches 1,475 feet. Small showings of oil were noted in all of the wells. 

The best showing was between 1,013 and 1,040 feet. At this depth strong gas pressures 

were encountered. Much sulphur is reported as occurring at about the same depth. A 

material called asphalt by the driller came up in fragments from the same depth". Nothing 

but clay was found between 1,045 and 1,475 feet.

Two wells have been drilled on Hildebrands Bayou, on the Grange league, one at Ncderland and one near Port Arthur, all of which have been abandoned. The following section 

may be taken as typical:

Log of Port Arthur Oil Company's well, %\ miles west of Port Arthur, Tex.

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9

Formation.

Whitish-yellow wet sand . . .

Thickness.

Feet. 

87 

22 

182 

40 

70 

40 

25 

30 

227

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

87 

109 

291 

331 

401 

441 

466 

496 

723

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16

Formation.

Conglomerate of sand, mud, 

and clay ..................

Thickness.

Feet.

. 14 53£

248 

45 

30 

119

140

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

724^ 

' 778 

926 

971 

1,001 

1,120

1,260

At Sabine Pass four wells have been drilled within a radius of 5 miles. In general, the 

section shown by these wells consists of alternate beds of blue clay and sand, the heavy 

blue clays predominating. Three were drilled in prospecting for petroleum and the fourtli 

for the purpose of'supplying water to the hotel at Sabine Pass. The following section may 

be taken as typical of the four:

Log of Texas Oil Company's well, 3 miles west of Sabine Pass, Tex.

1

?,

3

4

6

. Formation.

oil at bottom .............

Sand........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

170

130

430

33

236

2

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

170

300

730

763

999

1,001

7

S

<\

10

11

Formation. Thickness.

Feet. 

38

17

2

77

155

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,039

1,056

1,058

1,135

1,390

1,486

Petroleum in small quantities showed in the lowest sand, and it is claimed there was 

enough gas to lift the casing a few inches. The sand was very fine and flowed easily. Tt 

filled the well casing in a few hours to a height of 300 feet.

In the German-American Oil Company's well sand was also found at about 1,400 feet. 

This was underlain by yellow clay and gravel to a depth of _60 feet. In the Coast Ridge 

well wood was found in the sand at a depth of 1,120 feet. The hotel well gave abundance 

of salt water at 1,061 feet.

Several wells have been drilled at Big Hill, Jefferson County, about 25 miles south- 0 

southwest from Beaumont. The hill rises in a gentle swell above the. surrounding prairie 

and contains several thousand acres. It has a somewhat irregular crescentic outline. Mr. 

Kennedy, who visited the locality several years ago, gives the following account:«

a Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, p. 126.
HIGH ISLAND. 79

One well has been drilled on the slope of the hill at its eastern extremity. A detailed log of this well 

is not available, but it is known that at a depth of 350 feet rock was encountered, which continued to 

a depth of 1,400 feet, where drilling was discontinued. This rock, which is remarkably uniform throughout its 1,050 feet, is a light-gray crystalline dolomite. The rock is massive, but contains parallel seams, 

which may represent bedding planes. -These have an inclination of about 7°, indicating a decided dip 

in the beds. Since the angle of dip is obtained from cores, its direction can not be determined, but it 

is assumed to be toward the east with the surface slope on which the well is located. The dolomite 

contains much gypsum and in places is cavernous. A few small pockets of oil were found, but for the 

most part the rock removed in the form of cores was entirely free from any stain or other indication 

of oil.

The limestone here referred to is no doubt of the same nature as that of the large masses 

found at Spindletop and at Damon Mound. The record has since been obtained of a second well on Big Hill, but its exact location is unknown. This well went 2,496 feet before 

encountering any formation characteristic of the mounds. At that depth it entered "solid 

gray limestone, with gypsum and some pyrite." After drilling into this rock 34 feet, the 

well was abandoned. A well at Winnie, a few miles to the west, found no consolidated 

 rock to a depth of 1,600 feet.

Several wells were drilled at Hampshire, on the Gulf and Interstate Railroad, one of 

which reached a depth of 2,506. feet. Gas was encountered at 639 feet and again at 1,658 

feet. A trace of oil was noted at about 300 feet. While the materials passed through 

were very similar to those above the oil rock at Spindletop, it appears from the log of this 

well that the beds of dense limestone, which are generally but a few inches or a very few 

feet thick in the first 1,000 feet, become thicker with depth. For example, at a depth of 

2,275 feet a 35-foot stratum of "hard white and.blue lime rock" was encountered. Nothing was found which resembled the peculiar formations of the oil mounds.

Several wells have been drilled in the vicinity of Fannett, 14 miles southwest of Beaumont. The J. P. Laridrum well, 3 miles west of Fannett, is 1,191 feet deep. At depths 

of 900 to 1,000 feet considerable gas pressures were encountered, and there were some suggestions of oil. The beds passed through are the ordinary Coastal Plain sediments.

HIGH ISLAND.

The mound called High Island lies about halfway between-Sabine Pass and Galvestou. 

It is about a mile from the Gulf coast and on the lino of the Gulf and Interstate Railroad. 

It is entirely surrounded by salt marsh, above which it rises nearly 48 feet, that being the 

elevation of its highest point above sea level. It is approximately circular and about 1£ 

miles in diameter. The total area of dry ground, including a low "second bench" on the 

north side, is nearly 2,000 acres.

A considerable part of the surface is farmed, and the mound has long been thought 

desirable as a summer resort. With this thought,in mind the question of water supply for 

domestic purposes became one of importance. There are springs both on the top and at 

the base. The former are strongly sulphurous and are described below. Those at the 

base of the mound yield salt water, accompanied by a large amount of inflammable gas. 

The water also carries much carbonate of lime, which it deposits at the surface in the 

mat of coarse grasses, thus building small dome-like elevations around each vent. In an 

attempt to find fresh water, more than a dozen wells were sunk in the southwest quarter 

of the island to depths ranging from 120 to 350 feet. In all these wells salt water was found 

at depths varying from 150 to 200 feet. It is stated, also', that one of these wells found 

salt at 300 feet. ' 

In the, northern half of the island surface wells found sulphur water, with much smaller 

amounts of salt than in the southern half. The Smith mineral springs, on the northwest 

side of the island, have a considerable local reputation for medicinal qualities. The contents of these waters are of interest on account of their connection with the rock formations, as well as for comparison with "sour waters" elsewhere, whose composition has been 

supposed to be in some way related to the substances which characterize the oil mounds. 

The following analyses were mado for the owner of the springs, Mr. George E. Smith:

Bull. 282 06 6
80 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Analysis of sample from Smith spring No. 3, High Island, Texas.

[By Prof. H. H. Harrington. of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College.]

Grains to the 

English gallon.

Potassium chloride....................................................... 1.661

Sodium chloride. .......................i.......... 1...................... 5. 81

Sodium sulphate.................;. ........................................ 4.158

Magnesium sulphate.;.................................................... 2.211

Protosulphate of iron..................................................... 3. 534

Calcium sulphate.......................................................... 10. 808

Aluminum sulphate. .............. ..-^.................................... 3. 51

Silica................................................................... 1.91

Organic matter.......................................................... Trace.

Total............................................................. 33.602

Analysis of sample from Smith spring No. 2, High Island, Texas.

[By James Kennedy, Ph. G., M. D.]

Grains to the 

U. S. gallon. 

Sodium chloride.......................................................... 61. 720

Potassium chloride....................................................... Trace.

Magnesium bicarbonate. ................................................ 30. 479

Ferrous bicarbonate...................................................... .970

Calcium bicarbonate...................................................... 15. 599

Calcium sulphate......................................................... 6. 320

Alumina................................................................ . 950

Silica................................................................... .720

Loss ..................... 1...........................'................. .510

Total............................................................. 117.263

Cubic inches. 

Sulphureted hydrogen..................................................... 2. 73

Organic matter.......................................................... None.

In digging at one place a formation was encountered which was apparently a mass of 

sulphates, chiefly of iron, resulting from the oxidation of pyrite. All these springs are 

charged with hydrogen sulphide. The mouth of one well of this character was stopped 

with straw, and a year later the straw was found so thickly coated with sulphur as to resemble a solid mass of that substance.

The presence of oil was suggested by the abundance of inflammable and sulphurous 

gases,'as well as by a superficial resemblance of the mound to Spindletop. At least six 

wells have been sunk to considerable depths and one to 2,600 feet. The Big Four (a test 

well drilled under an agreement of four companies) went 995 feet, where the water was 

lost in a porous rock. In a previous attempt a depth of 610 feet had been reached. A 

showing of oil was noted at 505 feet in the first hole and one at 972 feet in the second hole. 

For several hundred feet from the surface the sediments at this place contain a considerable proportion of §and, but at greater depths clay is dominant. In the deep hole of the 

Big Four well no fewer than 14 beds called'" rock" were passed through. It can not be 

determined now much of this so-called rock is limestone and how much is sandstone. The 

former, however, is known from the data of other wells to be present in the island. The 

Carroll well, near the Smith mineral springs, passed through 316 feet of sands, clays, and 

thin rock beds, and found below these a 6-foot bed of gray limestone. At 331 feet the drill 

entered gypsum, in which it continued to a depth of 810 feet without passing through. 

This gypsum was of a white color, showing d.a.rk spots when the cores were taken out, but
HIGH ISLAND. 81

FIG. 7. Sketch contour map of High Island.
82 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN".

on exposure the color of the whole became dark. The cores show crevices at least onehalf inch wide, suggesting that the formation beneath the mound may contain fissures of 

large dimensions. One of the Guffey wells found gypsum at about 600 feet and stopped 

;in the same substance at nearly 1,200 feet. Another passed through gypsum from 900 to 

1,300 feet, where it entered pure rock salt. At 2,600 feet the salt had not yet been drilled 

through.

In certain other wells gypsum is found as an admixture with clay and sand. The salt 

reported at 300 feet is probably of the same mixed character. Hot waters are encountered, 

which are saline or sulphurous, or both. Sulphur compounds of lead, zinc, and barium 

appear -occasionally in the salt and gypsum as crystals of galena, sphalerite, and barite. 

.Slight showings of gas and oil were found at small depths, the gas being chiefly H2S and SO2 .

The two logs which follow show the characteristic materials found in drilling:

Logs of wells on High Island, Texas.

CARROLL WELL. 

[Received from Mr: Carroll.]

!

jl

; ?.

3

' 4

5

:R

.7

'8

9

in

r>

13'

14

Formation.

Clay........................

Rock. .......................

Gumbo. ............

Sand ........................

Rock........................

Gumbo .....................

Rock.........................

Rock. .......................

Thickness.

Feet. 

28

8

. 2

8

8

26

1

9

89

3

12

1

26

1

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

28

36

38

46

54

90

91

100

189

192

204

205

231

232

15

If.

17

18

19

?n

?i

m

?3

?4

?5

?fi

97

Formation.

Rock. .......................

found to be gypsum) ......

Thickness.

Feet. 

9

1

19

0

11

1

 20

20

6

2

6

479

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

241

242

264

9?<;

276

290

316

322

324

325

 «1

810

BIG FOUR (SECOND HOLE).

2

Q

4

ft

6

7

-.9

10

11

13

14

Clay........................

Sand with three layers of

which followed the pipe

Clay........................

Sand........................

Clay below gravel and shells 

at 3^n foot

Very hard rock; 36 hours to

Rock; took 48 hours to drill 

2 feet......................

20

11

45

18

124

2

6

q

7

2

20

237

282

300

424

426

432

A17

443

450

452

15

16

17

IS

19

?,0

?1

??,

23

24

25

26

?,7

28

W

0^

31

Rock; 30 hours to drill 7

Clay........................

Rock........................

Clay.........-..-....---.-..

Rock. .......................

Clay and sand; hard blue

Sand .........................

Blue gumbo. ...............

Shell and blue gumbo .......

Blue gumbo ................

Rock. .....:.................

Soft mud . ..................

20

2

3

6

9

4

41

2

67

2

3

30

2

24

1

124

16

472

474

477

483

492

496

537

539

606

608

611

641

643

667

668

. 792

808
BARBERS HILL. 83

Logs of wells on High Island, Texas Continued. 

BIG FOUR (SECOND HOLE)-Continited.

3?

33

^d

oc

36

37

38

39

'Formation.

Rock........................

Blue mud ....................

Blue gray rock, very porous.

Thickness.

Feel. 

22

3

60

2

11

16

2

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

830

833

007

QQ7

899

910

926

928

40

42

43

45

Formation.

cations. ...................

Limestone and gravel.. .

Blue stones with inica, gas

Thickness.

Feet. 

16

1

18

21

£i

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

944

9'45

0(13

972

yyo

Set 12-inch pipe at 496 feet; 4-inch pipe at 834 feet.

BARBERS HILL,.

About ten wells « have been drilled in search of oil on Barbers Hill, in Chambers County, 

20 miles south of Dayton. The hill is a roughly circular mound 20 feet or more in height 

and having an area of several thousand acres. Its highest part is almost flat, but its slopes, 

comprising the larger part of its area, are gently rolling. The surface indications which 

led to drilling for oil consist chiefly of the escape of gases. The appearance of the mound 

itself is suggestive of Spindletop, though the elevation is greater.

The principal operator in this district has been Mr. Pattillo Higgins. Before the close 

of the summer of 1904 Mr. Higgius had drilled five wells. It is said that several wells 

found indications of oil, but none have found it in paying quantities. A brown oily pgum 

found in the Higgins well No. 5 at a depth of 738 feet has the appearance of a residuum 

of oil left by evaporation.

The succession of beds passed in drilling does not differ materially from the familiar 

series of the developed and prospective oil fields of the Coastal Plain. There are clays 

in abundance, with sands, gravel, and thin beds of hard limestone. In well No. 2, near 

the center of the island, gypsum began to appear at 557 feet, apparently as a constituent 

of sandy beds. From this depth to nearly 1,200 feet, where the well stopped, gypsum 

appears at frequent intervals, sometimes as selenite flakes, sometimes as large concretions 

said to be embedded in sand. A single large body of gypsum was not found, though it 

is not improbable that such exists at a greater depth, covering a mass of rock salt.

Mr. Higgins has preserved samples of all beds with great care. These are described in 

the following log: '

Log of Biggins v>ell No. 2, Barbers Hill, Chambers County, Tex. 

[Description of samples kept by Pattillo Higgins.]

Formation.

Soil............................................ . ... ..... ;.. . ...

Yellow clay, blotched with red ........................................ . .......

Very fine yellowish sand.. .................... . . .

Yellow and blue variegated stiff clay..... .... ....... ..... ... ........

Reddish-yellow, very fine sand, enough clay to make it lumpy, slightly calcareous 

Clear white silica sand ................................ ....... ... ......

Variegated yellowish and blue clay. .............................................

a No data were obtained later than March, 1905.

Thick- 

'ness.

Ft. in. 

2 0

16 0

14 5

19 4

19 0 

30 6

53 0

Total 

depth.

Ft. in. 

2 0

18 0

32 5

51 9

70 9 

101 3

154 3
84 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Log ofHiggins well No. 2, Barbers Hill, Chambers County, Tex. Continued.

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

2fi

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

4?

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

*n

<\A

 

Formation.

White sand.......................... ........

Light clay ........................................................................

Fine white sand ................................................. ................

White sand, medium to coarse, with black grains. ............. ................

Light gumbo .....................................................................

Fragments of limestone, some sand ...... .",. ................. ................

Light clay. ...........................'............................................

Large concretions of gypsum (egg size) embedded in sand; some powdered gypsum shown. .....................................................................

Fragments of gypsum insand; some very fine yellow sand within this range, also

Same material without the concretions/the red and yellow (as if limonite) parThickness.

Ft. in. 

6 4

15 0

2 0

2 0

79 2

45 4

10 0

1 0

5 0

7 1

10 4

17 2

14 5

2 2

1 0

3 4

1 10

15 1

3 7

2 3

7 2

4 9

11 5

35 6

99 5

11 9

G 0

29 5

5 7

C 8

13 6

9 3

18 4

6 6

24 7

6 11

3 11

2 8

10 4

34 0

30 0

80 10

250 8

7 0

7 0

24 1

30 0

Total 

depth.

Ft. in. 

.160 7

175 7

177 7

179 7

258 9

304 1

314 1

315 1

320 1

327 2

337 6

354 8

369 1

371 3

372 3

375 7

377 5

392 6

396 1

398 4

405 6

410 3

421 8

457 2

556 7

568 4

574 10

604 3

609 10

616 6

630 0

639 3

657 7

664 1

688 8

695 7

699 6

702 2

712 6

746 6

776 6

857 4

1, 108 0

1,115 0

1, 122 6

1, 146 7

1, 176 7
OIL. FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN. 85

VICINITY OF DAYTON.

A locality 8 miles west and a little north of Dayton attracted considerable attention 

for several reasons, even before oil was found in'commercial quantities in April, 1905. 

The first occasion of interest in this locality was the obtaining of considerable quantities 

of gas a few feet below the surface. The surface clay in this vicinity is exceptionally 

impervious, and gases have therefore been retained below it which, under ordinary circumstances, would have escaped. Shallow wells and post holes filled with water show a 

constant bubbling up of gas. Some years ago Mr. T. R. McGowan, on and near whose 

. farm much gas is found, dug four shallow wells for gas, one of which was 28 feet deep. 

At 26 feet was a layer of pyrite, partially decomposed, and beneath this an exceptionally \ 

tough bed of gumbo. Although gas had been .noted at all depths, it came with much 

. greater pressure from beneath this impervious bed. For some years Mr. McGowan burned 

this gas for domestic purposes. The supply was more than sufficient for bhe household 

and the larger part of it went to waste.

The second feature of interest in this locality is the rock salt discovered in deep wells 

drilled for oil. One of these, the Taylor-Dayton No. 1, is very near to the shallow gas 

wells. To a depth of 580 feet, this well showed sediments of the familiar Coastal Plain 

type. Moderate quantities of gas and faint showings of oil were found in certain sands. 

Below these were 10 feet of limestone, with .a showing of oil. It is possible that this bed 

corresponds in its origin and nature to the oil-bearing limestone of the oil fields. The 

material from 590 to 799 feet was reported as solid gypsum. Beyond that the drill went 

500 feet farther in pure salt, but did not pass through it. In two other wells of the TaylorDayton Company the salt was mixed with sand, but was said to .be overlain by gypsum, 

as in well No. 1. Similar deposits of salt have since been found on the west side of the 

field. .

In the winter of 1904-5 a number of wells were drilled about 1 mile south of the McGowan 

wells. The first of these to obtain "oil was the Higgins-Paraffine No. 2, which was finished 

in April, 1905. Within a few months the same company sunk at least 4 successful wells, 

and as many more were put down by other companies. In October, 1905, the daily production of the field was between 600 and 700 barrels. The gravity varies between 17° 

and 23° B. In the northeastern part of the field much gas is encountered and several 

severe blow-outs have occurred.

The oil is found between 600 and 700 feet deep. Most of it is obtained from loose sands, 

and the wells in such cases are provided with strainers. In at least one case, the HigginsParaffine No. 6, the oil is said to be derived from "rock." The depth in this case is 619 

feet. There is no accurate description of the oil rock in this well, but fragments of rock 

were brought to the surface by the blow-outs of the Sun No. 5 and the Morning Star. These 

were said to show, a close resemblance to the oil rock at Spindle'top. That which came 

from the Sun No. 5 contained much pyrite. Th» wells from which these fragments came 

yielded no oil. .

This field is on the.margin of "Dayton Hill," a poorly defined elevation which extends 

westward from Trinity River about 10 miles, having an average width of perhaps 6 miles. 

Its highest part is 25 to 30 feet above the surrounding country and 90 to 100 feet above 

the sea.

Four miles southeast of Dayton, near Trinity River, there is a low spot which has 

attracted attention by the abundance of its escaping gases. There are also sulphur waters 

and reports of small seepages of oil. Six wells have been attempted here within-a very 

small area. Most of these have failed to get down more than a very few hundred feet. 

The deepest, at the time of the investigation, was the Bullard & Wilson No. 5, 670 feet.

The drilling revealed an abundance of gas, and showings of oil were found in several 

sandy beds. A porous limestone was found at a depth a little less than 400 feet, but it 

contained no oil. Strong salt water charged with hydrogen sulphide was found below 360 

feet. A little sulphur came from an uncertain depth in the Bullard & Wilson well, probably 

from below 600 feet.
86 OIL .FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

SCATTERED WEL.L.S NEAR HOUSTON.

Several wells were drilled at Pierce Junction, 8 miles southwest of Houston. Much gas 

appeared both at the surface and in the wells. At least one of the wells found a showing of 

oil. It is said that salt was found at 900 feet, underlain by limestone. The purity of the 

salt is not known. The Rio Bravo Oil Company has done considerable drilling at Missouri 

City, 15 miles west of Houston, but without results. Reports from Blue Ridge, in Fort 

Bend County, indicate a curious mixture of materials between the depths of 200 and 600 

feet. This mixture includes gravel, pyrite, and crystals of sulphur, in a matrix of gypsum 

and dolomitic limestone. On the Camp rice" farm, near Alvin, the Santa Fe Railway 

drilled several wells, the deepest being 1,500 feet. Nothing of interest was found.

HOSKINS MOUND.a

In the southeastern part of Brazoria Co'unty, between Chocolate and Bastrop bayous, 

is Hoskins Mound. Its area is nearly 700 acres and its elevation 37 feet above sea level, 

or 30 feet above the plain. Three wells have been drilled here, none of which has failed to 

give showings of oil and gas. These occur in beds of alternating sands and clays at various 

depths to 800 feet. The largest showing of gas and oil was in well No. 3, in which a vigorous blow-out occurred from a depth a little less than 600 feet. A large amount of sand was 

expelled, together with a few barrels of oil. Thin beds of rock are found, chiefly at considerable depths. The samples of consolidated rock seen were all sandstone cemented by carbonate of lime, but thin plates of limestone are also reported.

At 610 feet in well No. 2 and at 780 feet in No. 1 thick beds of marl were found. Samples 

of this material were examined, and it is believed to correspond closely with the descriptions 

of the material which underlies the porous oil-bearing limestone in the oil-producing fields. 

It is sticky when wet and chalky when dry, is highly calcareous, and has little grit. It 

occurs here in beds 50 to 100 feet thick. As in other districts, the thick beds are poorly 

consolidated or perfectly soft. Where the same material lias passed into limestone, it 

occurs in thin beds only.

The water found in the sands is comparatively fresh to depths of 800 or 900 feet. At 

980 feet in well No. 2 and at 1,125 feet in well No. 1 water was struck which was described 

by the contractor as black, salt, sulphur water, with a very bad smell and a biting or burning effect on the tongue. It is probable that this water contains sulphuric acid.

AMSTERDAM.

At Amsterdam, on the west side of Chocolate Bayou, 7 miles north of Hoskins Mound 

is an elevation which is without abrupt slopes and definite boundaries except on the north 

side. This Amsterdam mound rises 16 feet above sea level and 10 feet above the plain.

On the east side the channel of Chocolate Bayou exposes a bed of concretionary limestone 

beneath 2 or 3 feet-of soil. The material of the limestone horizon varies between two 

extreme phases. On the one hand it may appear as separate spherical concretions, often 

several inches in diameter. At the other extreme it is a bed of cavernous rock 2 or 3 feet 

thick. The concretions, when broken, frequently show wide open cracks radiating from 

the center. In some cases the space within is filled with clay. This limestone is of interest 

because of the light it may shed on the deeper porous limestones which bear oil.

Several wells have been drilled for oil one to a depth of 1,373 feet and another to 1,499 

feet. The records of these wells show occasional traces of oil and gas. Salt water continues 

to flow from one of them at the rate of about 1 barrel per minute.

BRYAN HEIGHTS.

This mound is in Brazoria County, 3 miles south of Velasco, and but little more than a 

mile from the Gulf coast. It covers an area of 300 acres and rises 30 feet above tide. The 

surrounding plain is about 11 feet high. This locality has received frequent mention as 

containing asphalt in small quantities. Jet-like or asphaltic "sea wax" has been picked 

up on the shore, and the soil 'at places contains minute grains of what is supposedly the 

same substance.

o Sae note at bottom of page 138.
BKYAN HEIGHTS. 87

Seven wells were drilled for oil before the autumn of 1904. The drilling of one of these 

resulted in an. enormous flow of gas, the chief constituent of which was hydrogen sulphide. 

The initial flow was estimated at 6,000,000 cubic feet daily. Other wells encountered less 

gas. Several wells on the heights found flows of water at depths between 450 and 500 feet.. 

The fact that the Reed well, located on the flat on the northwest side, found a similar watersupply at 611 feet has been taken by some to indicate a dip of the beds toward the edges 

of the mound. There is no reason, however, for believing that the beds have more lateral 

continuity at this placo than elsewhere in the Coastal Plain. Correlations and inferences 

as to structure from the present well data are therefore not warranted.

Far the larger part of the formations passed in drilling are clay. Sand, gravel, and limestone appear occasionally. A number of samples have been preserved, but there is no 

record of the depths from which they were taken. Among these was found a gypsiferous 

white marl of the same nature as that found at Hoskins Mound. Another sample called 

"oil sand" is a purely crystalline limestone of the yellow, sugary appearance shown by 

many of the Spindletop samples. The sample Avas soaked with oil and is believed to represent a formation corresponding to the oil-bearing rock at Spindletop. This does not 

imply that it contains oil in commercial quantities.

Sulphur is mentioned as occurring at or below the oil horizon, and gypsum is said to be 

found below that depth. Samples examined showed these two substances as parts of the 

same fragment. There is every reason to think that the characteristic materials noted in 

other mounds occur here in their usual order.

The Home well yields small quantities of a strong sulphur salt water from an uncertain 

depth. Most of the water from the wells on the hill is as fresh as from those of the surrounding plain, on which a number of artesian wells have been sunk. Some of these wells 

near Brazos River, within 10 miles of its mouth, are more than 1,000 feet deep, and the 

water is sufficiently fresh for domestic use. A number of others from about half that 

depth yield smaller quantities of hotter water. The water of one of the deep wells at Surfside is said to have a temperature of 104°. The artesian well at Velasco is .1,060 feet 

deep and the water flows slowly from a 4-inch pipe. It is accompanied by gas in sufficient 

quantities to burn at the mouth of the well.

The following log was carefully kept by the driller:

Log of Reed well, Bryan Heights, Brazoria County, Tex. 

[By J. F. Frederickson, driller.]

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6

7

8 

9

10

11 

12 

13 

14

Formation.

Black surface (asphaltic

Black clav ..................

Black clay with reddish 

spots of "decomposed

Black clay with minute

First sign of gas in blue

Black clay with "decomposed lime .and iron".....

Black shale and sand .......

Black shale with some 

gravel. At 365 feet were 

4 inches of rock, very hard .

Thickness.

feet.

 30 

12 

20 

 25 

5

70

27 

21

16

18 

3 

28 

55

15

Total 

depth.

feet.

30 

42 

62 

87 

92

162

189 

210

226

244 

247 

275 

330

345

15 

16

17 

18

19 

20

21

22 

23 

24

25

Formation.

Soft black clay with "deSoft blue clay with yellow 

clay m ixed ................

Yellow clay, sand, and shale. 

Oil sand, pebbles, and shale;

Yellow clay, sand, and shale. 

Hard rock, probably sandOil sand, large pebbles, some 

oil........................

"Flint;" twisted off pipe

Pipe dropped suddenly 13 

feet after drilling 2 days

Thickness.

feet. 

60

62

82

8 

30

2

2 

4 

2

1 

13

Total 

depth.

feet. 

405

467 

549

557 

587

'589

591 

595 

597

598 

611
88 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

KISEK HILL.

Two miles northwest of the town of Columbia, Brazoria County, is Kiser Hill, an irregular 

elevation which has a height of about 30 feet above the surrounding plain. On its southern 

half, at less than half that elevation, four oil wells have been drilled. One of these, No. 2, 

has made the place known by producing, for sixteen months, by natural flow, a good lubricat-. 

ing oil at the rate of about 5 barrels per day. In the midst of that period the market for the 

oil stopped. The well continued to flow until a part of the casing was removed. The oil 

came from a depth of 480 feet, from a material reported as "oil sand," but samples of this 

were not seen. A specimen of rock taken from 364 feet in the same well and said to have 

contained oil, with much gas, was found to be a highly porous limestone. There were other 

showings of oil, at various depths, from 89 feet to 835 feet. Small blow-outs occurred at 

various levels, and a little gas was found as deep as 1,050 feet in well No. 3.

Sulphur is reported from various depths, always in connection with " rock," and frequently 

in the form of small crystals. Pyrite is likewise abundant. A rock at the bottom of well 

No. 4 (760 to 812 feet) is called a "black limestone with soft streaks." A small core was 

obtained from one of the "soft streaks" and found to be a friable sandstone, containing 

small veins of salt. Similar cores are said to have contained crystalline sulphur.

Water was found under strong artesian pressure. Well No. 1 continues to flow, the water 

being accompanied by considerable gas. The slow and long-continued flow of the oil from 

well No. 2 was more like the quiet overflow due to artesian pressure than the spasmodic 

gushing due to gas pressure.

The logs of wells Nos. 1 and 2, given below, are representative of .the field:

Logs of wells at Kiser Hill, Texas.

WELL NO.l. 0 

[Received from Mr. John Underwood.]

1

2 

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Formation.

showing of oil at 388... ... 

Alternating sand and clay.. 

Blue shale with sand below

containing good show of 

oil........................

Material not mentioned; it 

contains gas in large

sional globules of oil ...... 

Rocks, shells, and wood,

White rock saturated with 

oil............:...........

Gray rock impregnated with 

something yellow, either 

oil or sulphur, and conThickness.

Feet.

388 

70

20

20

. 2

5 

5

2

25

Total 

depth.

Feet.

388 

458

478

498

500

505 

510

512

537

10

11

1?

13

14

15

10

17

18

Formation.

Rock, sandstone, or limestone, not determined....

Gray rock with pyrite and

Blue clay with strong gas

Gray limestone with sulphur and strong gas presVery fine loose sand with 

oil alternating in thin

blow-out of gas at' 603 ....

Black rock called limestone. 

The water was lost at this 

place and the hole abanThickness.

Feet.

7

4 

16

\.£i

8

4

28 

48

16

Total 

depth .

Feet. 

544

. 548 

564

584

588

616 

664

680

No oil was obtained from this well, but its showings were better than those of any other well at 

Kiser Hill.
DAMON MOUND.

Logs of wells at Riser Hill, Texas Continued.

WELL NO. 2. 

[Received from Mr. John Underwood.]

89

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14

15 

16

17

Formation.

Soil.........................

White clay..................

Sand with streaks of clay. . . 

White clay ..................

Clay and sand alternating. .

Sandstone, limestone, some 

shells; pyrite, and sulphur

Blue limestone, very hard, 

containing sulphur crystals, and some pyrite .....

Thick, 

ness.

Feet. 

2 

8 

15 

1 

34 

45 

14 

. 15 

16 

1 

59 

1 

9

.2 

23

69 

6

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

2 

10 

25 

26 

60 

105 

119 

134 

150 

151 

210 

211 

220

222 

245

314 

320

18 

19 

20

21 

22 

23

24

25 

26

27 

28

29

30 

31

Formation. 

Sand showing some oil .....

Limestone; set 6-inch casing here. ...................

Material not given..........

Sand with some showing of

Blue porous or cavernous 

limestone (specimen seen), 

blow-out of gas and oil ...

Clay........................

Oil' sand .....................

Clay........................

Hard limestone, mostly

Compact sand, small blowout at 436.................

Oil sand, good lubricating 

oil found at 480...........

Rock.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20 

6

1

7 

8

2

6 

6 

4 

21

1

34 

22

32

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

340 

346

347 

' 354 

362

364

370 

376 

380 

401

402

436 

458

490

The water was lost in the porous limestone between 364 and 370 feet. From the oil sand struck at 476 

feet, the well filled up to a depth of 160 feet while shut down for a few days. This well produced lubricating oil by natural flow for sixteen months. A part of the casing was then removed and the flow 

stopped.

±>AMO]Sr MOUTSTD.

This elevation, in the northwest corner of Brazoria County, is one of the most conspicuous 

topographic features of the Texas Coastal Plain. It rises 83 feet above, the surrounding 

level plain, which is itself about 57 feet above the sea. The mound has an area of nearly 4 

square miles, and its surface is diversified by minor hills and valleys. Erosion has been 

active, and the valleys are in part due to this cause. To what extent the minor inequalities 

of elevation are due to the same agencies which uplifted the whole mound is uncertain. From 

the great variation in the formations revealed by the drills, it is highly probable that the 

subordinate elevations are in part due to constructional agencies.

Some reputation attaches to Darnon Mound on account of the "sour dirt" or "vitse ore" 

which was in former years taken from its surface in carload lots and sold for medicinal purposes. This material is the soil of the island, which, in certain spots on the west side, is 

 impregnated either with sulphur resulting from the decomposition of escaping sulphurous 

gases or with various salts similar to those dissolved in the waters of Sour Lake and High 

Island. As an indication of the.geologic constitution of the hill, the mineralized'soils of 

Damon Mound may be regarded as the equivalent of the sour waters of High Island.

Up to September, 1904, four deep wells had been drilled for oil, and a fifth was being 

drilled. The logs of these wells are very different. That of trie Guffey No. 1, at theWest 

base of the mound, showed sand, gravel, and clay- in various stages of consolidation, and ' 

also some thin beds of limestone. The drill went down 1,097 feet and discovered nothing 

distinctive, unless it be a few masses of wood and a 17-foot bed of "loose dirt and sulphur." 

This last was reached at 729 feet. Its depth is not believed to have any significance for purposes of correlation. It is evidently an occurrence of the same nature as may be observed
90 OIL FIELDS OF 'TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

almost anywhere in the Coastal Plain, where hydrogen sulphide or sulphur waters rise 

through the uncompacted sediments. The sulphur, like the porous bed which contains it, 

may have very small lateral extent, and; a short distance away, beds either higher or lower 

may have the same character.

The Damon Mound Oil and Pipe Company's well, on the eastern slope, was drilled in very 

different material. After 260 feet of clay, a limestone 70 feet thick was found. Then came 

200 feet more of clay, followed by 650 feet of limestone. Below this was 50 feet of sand and 

clay, the only sand .in the section of 1,230 feet, whereas the section of the Guffey No. 1 was 

more than half sand.

The Herndon well, east of the center of the mound and near its highest part; encountered 

the materials which are most characteristic of the similar mounds found elsewhere on the

FIG. 8. Sketch, contour map of Damon Mound.

Coastal Plain. One hundred and seventy-one feet of gypsum were passed between the 

depths of 378 and .549 feet. In the next 30 feet the gypsum was mixed with sulphur. 

After 8 feet of coarse sand the drill entered salt at 587 feet, and stopped in the same material 

at 1,160 feet.

The well which was being drilled by Mr. Mulcahy on the southern slope of the mound when 

the district was visited in August, 1904, had reached at that time a depth of 206 feet. Fully 

three-fourths of that depth had been drilled in solid rock. A specimen taken from 138 feet 

was of hard blue cavernous limestone. Some selenite crystals were found less than 20 feet 

from the surface.
VICINITY OF OTTINE. 91

Limestone of a warty and cavernous appearance comes to the surface on the eastern slope. 

It was at one time quarried, and was shipped long distances. The horizon of this stone was 

no doubt calcareous from the time the sediments were laid down, but the body of limestone, 

as now known, is probably largely concretionary. As at Amsterdam, there are gradations 

between isolated concretions and large cavernous bodies.

Most of the shallow-well waters of the mound are sufficiently mineralized to have a distinctive taste, but the waters from various pa,rts of the area differ. That which comes from 

a depth of 206 feet in the Mulcahy well is strongly sulphureted and contains little or no salt.

Two logs which show the distinctive geologic features of the mound are here given:

Logs of wells at Damon Mound, Texas.

HERNDON WELL.

[Elevation 140 feet.]

1

?

3

4

5

6

Formation.

Soil.........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

11

 35

36

14

46

4

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

11

 46

82

96

142

146

7

8

9

10

11

1?,

Formation.

Gpysum ....... r ............

Salt.........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

19

6

378

30

8

' 573

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

165

171

549

579

587

1,160

DAMON MOUND OIL AND PIPE LINE COMPANY'S WELL. 

[Elevation 100 feet.]

1

2

3

Clay........................

Clay................:.......

260

70

200

260

330

530

4

5

650

50

1,180

1,230

VICINITY OF OTTINE.

Over a considerable area, which includes parts of Gonzales, Wilson, and Bexar counties, there are frequent indications of gas and oil. The vicinity of Ottine, Gonzales County, 

possesses considerable interest on account of its mud volcanoes and the drilling which has 

been done in search of oil.

Ottine is surrounded by a rolling country, through which runs the deep valley of San 

Marcos River. The channel at this place is 96 feet below the level of the town. A terrace about 50 feet above the river is at places about a mile wide between bluffs. About 

halfway down from this terrace to the river is a newer terrace, which, in the vicinity of 

Ottine, is several hundred feet wide. A.t a still lower level the river has at places a very 

narrow flood plain.

It is on the lower terrace that the mud volcanoes are found. Some are now active, 

while dry rounded knolls appear to represent extinct ones. There are other rounded lumps 

as much as 5 feet high and 30 or 40 feet in diameter, with abrupt slopes meeting the flat 

surface of the terrace in such a manner as to give to the elevations very definite outlines. 

Some of these are very wet; in fact, water may be seen oozing from their tops, accompanied by bubbles of gas. The surfaces'of such mounds are covered with vegetation, which 

forms a mat. Beneath this surface is a semiliquid quaking mass. A man standing 

on the top and supported by a plank may shake the entire mound. While the material of 

these mounds and of the more typical mud volcanoes with craters is generally mud, it is; 

frequently mixed with sand,
92 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

The gas to which these phenomena are due also comes up copiously from the bed of the 

river and causes boiling pools in the sands along the river banks. It is abundant to a depth 

of 900 feet in the wells drilled for oil. These phenomena indicate that the gas does not 

result entirely from organic matter recently incorporated in the alluvial deposits. The 

connection of the mud volcanoes with such deposits is probably due to the fact that the 

gas escapes without notice through the sandy soil of the back country. Through the 

impervious covering of the old flood plains, however, gas must escape at isolated points 

where it can force a passage. In so doing it may enlarge the conduit by carrying material 

to the surface.

Nine wells have been drilled to various depths within 3 miles of Ottine. The Putnam 

well, beside San Marcos Kiver, is 1,176 feet deep. The records of the several wells show a 

great preponderance of sand over other materials. Some clay was found not far below the 

surface. Below that, one well showed no clay and the others showed different amounts, 

suggesting that the deposits are in lenses, or that the same bed varies in character from 

place to place. Beds of rock from a few inches to several feet in thickness were numerous. Much pyrite was encountered, that at small depths being frequently decomposed, 

giving rise to "sour dirt."

While gas was found at frequent intervals, showings of oil were of rare occurrence. A 

small showing was supposed to be found at 200 feet in the well drilled by Mr. J. A. Otto 

west of the town, and probably also in his first well, located on the west side of the river. 

Small quantities of oil were found at shallow depths in wells on Mr. R. Wohlfahrt's land, 

3 miles east of Ottine. A few gallons of oil coming from a depth of 82 feet were dipped 

out of a dug well. This led to drilling, but without success. One well reached a depth of 

1,004 feet, but found no oil below 80 feet, except a faint showing at about 500 feet. A 

good artesian flow of water was found at about 550 feet. Half a mile to the west the 

Ottine Oil Company put down a well, getting a powerful artesian flow from about the same 

depth. The flow from this well-is estimated to be at least'10 barrels per minute. The 

water from both artesian wells is slightly sulphurous. Some gas accompanies the water. 

In the Wohlfahrt artesian .well the gas is said to have made its appearance several weeks 

after the completion of the well.

VICINITY O3? SAN ANTONIO.

Small quantities, of oil at shallow depths are common in the vicinity of San Antonio. 

Six and one-half miles southeast of the city are three wells belonging to Mr. George Dullnig, which have for some years produced a good lubricating oil for the local market. The 

oil is pumped only occasionally. It is estimated that the three wells together might be 

made to yield one barrel per day. These wells have depths of 265, 300, and 900 feet, 

respectively, the first yielding its oil from a depth of 235 feet and the others from 300 feet. 

Little is known of the materials passed through in drilling, but the oil is contained in a 

marly sand covered by blue clay. A few similar wells in the same vicinity are owned by 

the San Antonio Oil Company. Artesian wells in the city of San Antonio find a stratum 

at about 500 feet which in nearly all cases shows oil. Eight miles northeast of San Antonio, 

and 10 miles southwest, on Leona River, heavy oil has been found at small depths in quantities similar to those of the Dullnig wells.

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS.

This locality in Wilson County abounds in sulphur springs, and contains certain other 

features which have attracted the attention of oil investors. These include escapes of gas 

from the ground and an occasional oily film on t"he water of some of the springs. The 

most significant occurrence is that of small quantities of oil in wells drilled for water. The 

usual depth at which such showings have been noted is 80 to 100 feet. It is said that a 

number of wells drilled for water were abandoned on account of the taste of oil. Small 

quantities of the oil have been brought up from the wells and used among the farmers for 

lubricating purposes,
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS. 93

Cibolo River, afc this place, has a valley several miles in width. Its immediate channel 

is cut 30 feet or more below the flat bottom of the valley. It is along the steep banks of 

the river that the largest sulphur springs occur. Their waters color the river a milky green 

for some distance. On the valley floor, at least half a mile from the river, are the "sour 

springs," which have a faint sulphur taste mingled with a slight sourness, due probably 

to the presence of sulphates.

On the old alluvial plain are certain so-called "bogs," which resemble some of the soft 

m'ounds found among the mud volcanoes near Ottine, except that these are not elevated. 

They are composed of a soft quaking mire, always wet, apparently by the rise of spring 

waters.

The narrow, dry channel of Alum Creek is cut about 20 feet below the main valley bottom, or 40 feet below the dissected sandstone upland. The rock walls of this gorge and 

the sands in its bottom are abundantly incrusted with the materials left by the evaporation of spring waters. There are layers of pure sulphur and of the sour salts, presumably 

sulphates. A brown loam taken from the bottom of the channel is intensely sour, resembling the "sour dirt" formerly shipped from Dampn Mound.

Five wells have been drilled for oil within a strip about 3 miles long. The Pipkin well, 

whose log is given below, found showings of oil at depths of 415, 775, and 1,352 feet. In 

the Hobbs well, located in the vicinity where oil appeared in the water wells, oil was detected at 80 feet and again at 350. Gas appeared in the Pipkin well 'at various depths. In 

the Adams & Wolf well, a blow-out occurred at 140 feet. Strong sulphur water like that 

from the springs is flowing from the Pipkin well at a rate of at least 1 barrel per minute. 

As flows were encountered at three horizons below 970 feet, the depth from which this water 

comes was not ascertained.

The exposed sandstones of this vicinity show some considerable dips, but the details of 

structure have not been worked out.

Log of Pipkin well (American Mineral Company), Sutherland Springs, Tex. , 

[Kept by P.-E. Pannewitz.]

1

2

3

4 

5 

C

7 

8

9

10

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20

21

Formation.

Soil........................

Coarse white sand, with 

flowing water and gas...

Black gumbo and gravel. . .

Hard gray rock containing 

pyrite....................

Coarse, white sand, with 

flowing sulphur, water,

Gray sand, with pebbles and 

lignite................ .

Soft gray rock.. . .

Gray sand containing wood. 

Hard gray " bowlders "..... 

Gray sand mixed with shells

Soft gray rock. .........

Gray sand mixed with shells 

 Hard gray "bowlders" . .... 

Gray sand............... ..

The same, mixed with lignite. ............... .

The same, mixed, with wood.

Thickness.

Feet. 

14

3 

13 

2 

16 

4 

13

6

19

16 

5 

29 

7 

01 

0 

8 

.12 

C 

40

7 

8

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

14

17 

30 

32 

48 

52- 

OS71

90

100 

111 

140 

147 

1 208 

j 214 

I 222 

« 234

£ :M° 

J 280

7

/ ~87 if i5

22

23 

24 

25 

20 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31

32 

33

34 

35

30 

37

38 

39 

40 

41

Formation.

The same, mixed with ligHard blue gum bo, very_sour

Dark-gray clay and sand...

.Dark -gray clay and sand, 

with lignite and iron. .....

Da;rk-gray crystallized limestone, with trace of oil. ...

Dark-gray clay, with lignite, shells, iron, and flowBlack clay, with lignite, 

shells, and iron. ..........

Hard light-blue rock, with

Black clay, mixed with

Gray sand, with shells. .....

Thickness.

Feet.

7 

58 

8 

2 

1 

2 

2 

3 

2

35 

4

02 

3

144 

12

52 

8 

34 

6 

2

Total 

depth.

Feet.

302 

300 

368 

370 

371 

373 

375 

378 

380

415 

419

481 

484

628 

040

092 

700 

734 

740 

742
94 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN".

Log of Pipkin well (American Mineral Company), Sutherland Springs, Tex. Continued.

42

43 

44.

45 

46 

47

48

49

50 

51

52 

53

54 

55 

56 

57

58 

59

Formation.

Gray clay, with, shells and

Hard black rock, porous in 

parts, with trace of oil. . . . 

Black clay, mixed with shells

Dark-gray clay and sand . . . 

Hard black dolomite containing gas ...............

Gray clay, with shells, iron, 

and fine greensand .......

Hard dark-gray limestone . . 

Black clay mixed with iron,

Soft dark-gray rock; flowing water of bad odor .... 

Black clay mixed with iron 

and shells .................

Hard black limestone. . .....

Black clay, with shells, iron,

Black clay, with shells, iron,

'

Thickness.

Feet.

29 

4

32 

60 

8 

11

3

60 

3

21 

10

1 

1 

3 

1

39 

4

18

Total 

depth.

Feet.

771

775

807 

867 

875 

886

889

949 

952

973 

983

984 

985 

988 

989

1,028 

1/032

1,050

60 

61

62 

63 

64

65 

66 

67

68 

69

70 

71 

72 

73

74 

75

76-

77

Formation.

Hard black rock, with shells.

Dark sand, containing iron, 

flowing water, and gas. . . .

Hard black gumbo mixed 

with iron "bowlders". ...

Dark sand and clay mixed

Dark clay mixed with iron

Hard dark rock, with trace 

» of oil and flowing water. . .

Dark sand and clay mixed

Soft dark rock. .............

Thickness.

Feet. 

6

34 

4 

9

4 

7 

114

2 

4

12 

4 

98 

. 4

2 

32

22 

4 

88

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,065

1,090 

1,094 

1,103

1,107 

1,114 

1,228

1,230 

1,234

1,246 

1,250 

1,348 

1,352

1,354 

1,386

1,408 

1,412 

1,500

JENNINGS FIELD. 

LOCATION.

The Jennings field, which produces most of the petroleum of Louisiana, is situated in 

Acadia Parish, about-6 miles northeast of the city of Jennings and an equal distance from 

Mermentau station, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The field lies about midway between 

Bayou Nezpique and Bayou des Cannes, these two streams being about 4 miles apart and 

uniting with each other, and with Bayou Plaquemine, some 3 miles south of the oil field, 

to form Mermentau River. Jennings is 90 miles east of Beaumont, Tex., and 188 miles 

west of New Orleans. The field lies nearly 50 miles inland from the Gulf coast, and is on 

the outcrop of the Port Hudson (Pleistocene) formation, as mapped by the Louisiana

Survey.

TOPOGRAPHY.

This part of the Coastal Plain is not so perfect a flat as that which surrounds the city 

of Beaumont, Tex. The two bayous have incised the surface of the plain to a depth of 

perhaps 20 feet. The beginnings of dissection by their tributaries impart to the neighboring strips of land> gently rolling surface. In addition to this relief due to stream action 

the Jennings field has a further elevation, probably not greater than 5 or 6 feet, which 

appears superficially to be of the same nature as that of Spindletop and other oil mounds 

of Texas. This elevation is not oval-in plan or symmetrical in form, but irregular and of 

indefinite boundaries. The dissection of its borders by the beginnings of stream erosion, 

makes it difficult to decide how much of its height should be ascribed to uplift and how

much to erosion.

" HISTORY AND PRODUCTION.

GROWTH OF THE FIELD.

Attempts to find oil in this field w.ere induced by the escape of gas from the soil. The 

first drilling was by the Jennings Oil Company, but the well was ruined by an accident,
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL.VII

JENNINGS-HEYWOOD OIL SYNDICATE

SUBDIVISION 

 81 ,, . .,-,,-, ,- ,, r

MAP OF JENNINGS OIL FIELD.
JENJUNGS FIELD. '95

after six months of labor. In August, 1901, the Southern Oil Company .drilled a well 1,822 

feet deep. By its violent gushing of oil and sand this well showed beyond doubt that the 

formation encountered was an oil-bearing sand of importance. The well produced 200,000 

barrels before the gushing ceased. There is no record of any sale of oil from the field in 

1901, but in the following year Louisiana produced 548,677 barrels, almost all of which 

came from the Jennings field. In 1903 the output was approximately doubled. The production during the first half of 1904 continued at a rate not very different from that of the 

previous year, ranging between 2,000 and 2,500 barrels a day. On August 4, 1904, the 

Producers Company finished a well on the Latreille tract, on the east side of the field, which 

became the first great Jennings gusher. Following this success other large wells were put 

down in rapid succession. All but the first of the great gushers are in the Arnaudet tract, 

on the east side of the field. o- The yield of these wells rapidly increased the output of the 

field to over 50,000 barrels a day, and for several months the rate of production did not 

fall below that figure. Over 6,000,000 barrels were produced in the last five months of 

1904. More than 95 per cent of this oil came to the surface by natural flow from the wells 

finished after August 1 on the east side of the field. The small balance was pumped from 

the older wells.

INDIVIDUAL WELLS. '

Some of the newer wells will be noteworthy in the annals of the oil industry for their 

large yields in short times. The Bass & Beckenstein No. 1 yielded 1,500,000 barrels in the 

one hundred and forty-five days from September 8 to January 31, this probably making a 

short-time record for the United States, though the statistics of other fields are not at hand 

to support this statement. The Wilkins No. 2 yielded 995,800 barrels in the eighty-two 

days from November 20 to.February 10. It will be observed that these notable outputs 

 do not involve daily yields from single wells much greater than 12,000 barrels, and that no 

well yielded, in any single day, much more than 15,000 barrels. A comparison of these 

figures with those of Spindletop, where initial daily capacities as great as 95,000 barrels were 

ascribed to certain wells, does much to emphasize the oft-repeated statement that the 

unprecedented gushing of the Spindletop wells was of very brief duration.

.RESERVOIRS AND PIPE LINES.

To accommodate the great production of the Jennings field the tankage, steel and 

earthen, was rapidly increased to more than 7,500,000 barrels. Four pipe lines connect the 

field with the Southern Pacific Railroad at various points, and a line has been built to 

Atchafalaya lliver, a distance of 59£ miles to the east, passing through the Anse la Butte 

fields, 45 miles east of Jennings.

USES AND CHARACTER OF THE OIL.

Up td August, 1904, most of the Jennings oil was used for fuel by various industries 

within 100 miles of the field. During the summer season much of it went to the pumps 

employed to flood the rice lauds. Some had from the outset been bought by the Southern 

Pacific Railroad for fuel, and after the coming in of the great gushers most of the product 

was used in this way. A small refinery was built at Jennings, which is able to obtain from 

the crude oil about 7 per cent of illuminating oil, 25 per cent cylinder oil, and.4 per cent good 

asphalt, suitable for roofing and roofing paint. The remaining 64 per cent furnishes lighter 

lubricating and neutral oils. 0

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS.

WELL SECTIONS.

The character of the formations is well illustrated by the following logs. That of the 

Chicago-Jennings well No. 1 illustrates the character of the formations outside the field as 

compared with those within the productive area. .

a No data have been obtained since May, 1905. 

Bull. 282 06 7
96 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Logs of wells in and near Jennings field. 

GUARANTEE WELL NO. 1.

1

?

3

4

5

fi

7

8

9

10

11

Ifl

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

?0

21

Formation.

Clay........................

Coarse sand and gravel .....

Clay........................

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Clay.......;..:..............

Clay.........................

.....do......................

Clay.........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

35

20

10

25

10

600

10

10

20

20

160

80

20

60

40

10

20

50

40

60

15

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

35

55

65

90

100

700

710

720

740

760

920

1,000

1,020

1,080

1,120

1,130

1,150

1,200

1,240

1 300

1,315

n

23

?A

25

?6

?7

28

29

in

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

Formation.

Rock. .......................

Clay.........................

Rock........................

Clay../......................

Rock. .......................

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

§

.200

i

13J

90

i

101

5

46

10

20

25

4

10'

20

2

10

4

43

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,315?

1,5131

1,516£

-1,530

1,620

l,620g

1,634

1,639

1,685

1,695

1,715

1,740

1,744

1,754 '

1,774

1,776

1,786

1,790

1,833

1,887

CROWLEY OIL AND MINERAL COMPANY'S WELL NO. 3. 

[Log kept by Mr. Lake Grow.]

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8. 

9

T

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7

8 

9 

10

Clay.........................

Gravel......................

Blue shale...................

Gravel......................

Blue shale. ..................

60. 

840 

43 

'207 

210 

50 

20 

12 

98

60 

900 

943 

1,150 

1,360 

1,410 

1,430 

1,442 

1,540

10

11 

12

13 

14 

15

Shells, rock, gravel, and fine 

sand.. ....................

Shells and gumbo ...........

Oil sand, coarse mixed with 

gravel and dry asphalt . . .

20 

32

95 

73 

40 

10

1,560 

1,592

1,687 

1,760 

1,800 

1,810

his well has 43 feet of screen at the bottom and 100 feet from 1,597. to 1,697. 

CROWLEY OIL AND MINERAL COMPANY'S WELL NO. 5. 

[Log kept by Mr. Lake Grow.]

Blue shale; a few inches of

Blue, shale...................

Rock, hard gumbo, and 

shells.....................

65 

745 

90 

160 

120 

20

75 

25 

100

100

65 

810 

900 

1,060 

1,180 

1,200

1,275 

1,300 

1,400

1,500

11 

12 

13 

14 

.15 

16

17 

18 

19

Good show of oil (presumHard sand, salt water.

Thin shell rock, then almost

1 

79 

40 

30 

20

40 

24 

6

80

1,501 

1,580 

1,620 

1,650 

1,670

1,710 

1,734 

1,740

1,820

Well drilled in April, 1904; 82 feet of screen.
JENNINGS FIELD. 97

Logs of wells in and near Jennings Jield Continued.

CHICAGO-JENNINGS OIL COMPANY'S WELL NO. 1, 1J MILES NORTHWEST FROM JENNINGS FIELD, ON GARROULD LAND.

[H. H. Jones, driller and contractor.]

.1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10

H

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34

35 '36 

37 

38 

39 

40

41

Formation.

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Gravel in clay. ..............

Gravel ......................

Rock........................

Clay.........................

Rock. .......................

Sandy clay. .................

Clay.........................

Gravel......................

Clay.........................

Soft limestone. .............

Clay and sand ..............

Tough blue clay. ............

Sand and clay. ..............

Fine blue sand ..............

Packed sand ................

Sandstone ..................

Packed sand ................

Rock........................

Sand ........................

Clay.........................

Rock. .......................

Clay.........................

Rock. .......................

Clay. . .......I...............

Sandstone with light showing of oil. .................

Clay.........................

Hard sandstone. ............

Clay and shale ..............

Blue clay. ...................

Sandy blue clay. ............

Sand, shells, and clay, the

Thickness.

Feet. 

101 

331 

' 70 

10 

22 

10 

44 

22 

21 

84 

19 

2 

17 

 3 

18 

10 

22 

18 

40 

20 

112 

14 

93 

51 

1 

19 

1 

49 

57 

1 

5 

1 

54

5 

5 

4 

50 

20 

41

21 

24

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

101 

432 

508 

518 

540 

550 

594 

610 

637 

721 

7.40 

742 

759 

762 

780 

790 

812 

830 

870 

 890 

1,002 

.1,016 

1,109 

1,160 

1,161 

1,180 

1,181 

1,230 

1,287 

1,288 

1,293 

1,294 

1,348

1,353 

1,358 

1,362 

1,412 

1,432 

1,472

1,494 

1,518

42 

43 

44 

45 

40 

47 

48

49

.50 

51 

52 

53 

54 

55 

56 

57 

58 

59 

60 

61 

62 

63 

64 

65 

66 

67 

68 

69 

70 

71 

72 

73 

74

75 

76 

77 

78 

79 80'

Formation.

Rock........................

Clay with shells at bottom. . 

Clay ........................

Rock........................

Hard clay, . hardpan with 

sand at bottom ...........

Hardpan with sand streaks

Streaks of clay and sand. . . .

Clay ........................

Clay ........................

Clay ........................

Clay ........................

Shells .......................

Clay ........................

Clay ........................

Limestone with pyrite. .....

Clay......................... 

Limestone with pyrite. . .... 

Clay.........................

Coarse white sand with

Clay.........................

Clay.........................

Blue clay ...................

Thickness.

Feet. 

3 

3 

50 

163 

1 

43

66

63 

62 

20 

4 

4 

3 

13 

1 

13 

6 

6 

8 

4 

15 

2 

3 

16 

6 

7 

31 

2 

8 

6 

20 

3

23 

2 

4 

16 

4 

6 

2

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,521 

1,524 

1,574 

1,737 

1,738 

1,781

1,847

1,910 

1,972 

1,992 

1,996 

2,000 

2,003 

2,016 

2,017 

2,030 

2,036 

2,042 

2,050 

2,054 

2,069 

2,071 

2,074 

2,090. 

2,096 

2,103 

2,134 

2,136 

2,144 

2,150 

2,170 

2,173

2,196 

2,198 

2,202 

2,218 

2,222 

2,228 

2,230
98 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

As compared with the Texas fields, the most remarkable feature of the geology of the 

Jennings field is the very large proportion of coarse sediments.. Clay or gumbo, which is 

by far the most abundant material drilled through in the Texas fields, here occupies a subordinate position. In the Crowley well No. 3 there are about 421 feet of clay in a total 

depth of l^O feet. The corresponding figures in the Crowley No. 5 are 529 and 1,820; in 

the Crowley No. 12, 409 and 1,706. In the Superior No. 1 there were 620 feet of clay in a 

total depth of 1,510 feet. The Jennings Oil Company's well No. 7 had 643 feet of clay in a 

total depth of 1,870 feet. The data from many other wells are less definite, but there is 

general agreement that the material is, on the whole 3 of a coarse texture. The average proportion of clay shown by the logs received is probably less than one-third. On the other 

hand, a few very reliable logs from points in Acadia Parish, outside the Jennings field, 

show the proportion of clay to be a little more than one-half. The well at Church Point, 26 

miles northeast of Jennings, had 1,022 feet of clay out of 2,006. The record of the ChicagoJennings No. 1, which is 2 miles northwest of the field, showed, in a total depth of 2,230 feet, 

clay beds aggregating 1,185 feet. ' .

SAND AND GRAVEL.

The place of importance commonly occupied by clays in the other fields is here held by 

sand and gravel. The latter is found in a remarkably large proportion. In the reports 

the. gravel is frequently not separated from the sand. Within the first 1,000 feet the mention of a single body of "sand and gravel" or "quicksand and gravel" or "water sand and 

gravel" from 600 to 800 feet thick is the rule rather than the exception. Even disregarding the proportion of this amount which should be set down as gravel, the aggregate thickness of beds described as gravel alone is frequently several hundred feet. The logs obtained 

from the wells outside of the productive field show no such thick bodies of sand and gravel.

", LIMESTONE.

A further contrast between the formation of this field and of the Texas fields appears in 

the comparative absence of the-thin, hard beds of limestone. A number of wells report no 

such beds whatever. Over considerable areas they are limited to a few inches in chickness> 

and even then rarely encountered. In certain well logs there is mention of "soft limestone." Where this description appears the thickness of the bed is usually considerably 

greater than that of the characteristically thin, hard sheets. This tends further to confirm 

the supposition that the prompt and early consolidation of the marly sediments, as compared with that of clays and sands, is closely related to their prevailing thinness. The 

wells outside of the productive field show the familiar prevalence of these limestone beds, 

which is characteristic of the fields farther west. Thirteen of such thin, hard plates are 

mentioned in the log of the Chicago-Jennings No. 1. In addition to these the same log 

records a 40-foot stratum of "soft limestone." The well section at Church Point includes 

three thin beds of hard limestone and three thicker ones which have not yet become thoroughly consolidated.

Closely related to the beds of limestone are the deposits of shells, which, in the Jennings 

field, are notably abundant. They may constitute the entire body of a bed, but are more 

frequently reported in connection with another material, generally clay or gumbo, but in a 

considerable minority of cases with sand or gravel.

The Occurrence of iron pyrite is relatively frequent. While found at any depth, it is said 

by well-informed drillers to be far more abundant below a depth of 1,600 or 1,700 feet, or 

just above the oil. It does not occur in solid masses by itself, but impregnates sediments, 

sometimes to the extent of thoroughly indurating the beds. It is least often found impregnating sands and gravels.. It is more frequently mentioned in connection with shells and
JENNINGS FIELD. 99

clay. Where limestone layers exist, pyrite is still more often named as a constituent of 

"rock," this word being commonly understood to signify the thin plates of limestone. 

Generally the rock so impregnated is found to be inclosed between beds of clay.

OCCURRENCE OF THE OIL.

PRINCIPAL ZONE.

The oil at Jennings, as at Saratoga, is found in a sandy zone rather than in a single 

stratum of sand. The style of formation is that which is customarily spoker of among 

oil men as "broken sands." This zone may have a thickness of 100 or, in exceptional 

cases, 200 feet, but is usually much thinner. It lies for the most part between the depths 

of- 1,700 and 1,900 feet. Above this main oil-producing zone are the principal beds of 

clay or gumbo, most of such beds being found in the lower half or even the lowest third 

of the well sections. This clay has the position and function of a cap rock. The great 

depth of the oil in the Jennings field, as compared with that in the other fields,- is due to 

the highly sandy or even gravelly character of the upper sediments. They contain no 

impervious bed of wide extent. Oil which might otherwise have accumulated in these 

beds has therefore been allowed to escape to the surface. In some parts of the field a 

showing of oil was common at a depth of about 1,000 feet. No pay oil was obtained from 

this zone.

Immediately above the sandy zone which forms the main reservoir for the oil there 

are generally beds composed largely of shells, and frequently impregnated with pyrite. 

Such beds, not being entirely impervious, are found to some extent saturated with the 

oil, and in some cases small producing wells might have been finished in these beds without 

entering the more porous sands below. This occurrence has given rise.to a rather general 

supposition in this field that the shells and pyrite are in some way connected with the oil. 

The connection, however, is purely incidental The overlying bed of shells may be absent 

at places, while at others it may be separated from the oil sands by a layer of gumbo, the 

shell bed in the latter case being void of oil.

The depth of the main zone is usually between 1,700 and 1,900 feet. This depth varies 

in different parts of the field, but all attempts to correlate depths in such a way as to show 

dips or folds are of no avail. The explanation applied to similar diversities of depth in 

the Saratoga field (see p': 58) applies with equal fitness to Jennings. The logs of wells 

of the Crowley Oil and Mineral Company in the northeastern part of the field (see map, 

PI. VII, and list of wells, p. 101) make repeated mention of the oil at 1,760 feet. It may 

bo that these'occurrences indicate a more or less continuous bed of sand at a nearly uniform 

depth; but .between the wells which found oil at this depth are other wells which found 

nothing but clay at 1,760 feet, though finding'oil considerably hjgher or lower. Therefore, 

even if the 1,760-foot level rep'resents one and the same stratigraphic horizon, it must 

be considered that the bed is not everywhere of sand. Wells on the same tract from 600 

to 700 feet farther north find oil 100 or 200 feet higher. Should this, however, be regarded 

as indicating a southward dip of the sands, the same dip should be expected to appear 

with some consistency in neighboring tracts. Such consistency is entirely wanting.

Southwest from the Crowley tract toward the center of the field, the 1,760-foot level 

continues to yield oil in an occasional.well, while intervening wells find their supplies of 

oil at various depths ranging from 1,600 to 1,800 feet. In the extreme western part of 

the field is a group of wells which may, in general, be said to have found an oil body between 

1,800 and 1,900 feet deep, but no consistent dip can be detected within this group. Going 

south from the center of the field, one finds a vague suggestion of a southward inclination 

of the oil-bearing zone. That such an inclination would be difficult to determine, even 

If present, is evident from the fact that the log of the Jennings Oil Company's well No. 7 

mentions oil at six distinct horizons between 1,656 and 1,864 feet. Still farther- south 

the Charleston well found some oil at 1,735 feet, which is about the average deptfi in the 

central part of the field. Some-of the more recently drilled wells in the eastern part of 

the field, in the Arnaudet tract, have found the oil at depths of about 1,900 feet.
100 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

 The.significance of this utter irregularity in the depths of the various wells lies in the 

indication that (1) the oil horizon is not a single continuous porous stratum, but a zone 

having indefinite boundaries and containing many isolated oil-bearing sands; (2) there 

are no determinable dips, if indeed there are any dips at all, and (3) the varying depths 

of a group of wells can not be so correlated as to be used as a basis for inferring the probable 

depths of the oil-bearing sand at any other place.

... SHALLOW WELLS.

Some 15 or 20 shallow wells on the southern border of the field found a small body of 

heavy oil at a depth of about 110 feet. Such wells yielded from one-half barrel to 5 barrels 

or even more per day. The oil was for a time used for fuel in the drilling of the deeper 

wells, but later almost the entire product has been used as a lubricant. It will be seen 

that this occurrence in the Jennings field is very similar to that of the heavy surface oils 

at Saratoga, Sour Lake, and Nacogdoches.

SALT WATER.

It has been shown by.repeated occurrences in the Jennings field that there is an abundant supply of salt water beneath the oil; that this body of salt water may be tapped by 

wells drilled too deep; and that eventually, with the gradual exhaustion of the oil, wells 

are invaded by salt water. Certain wells which were drilled too deep;early in 1904, encountered the salt water and may have been partly to blame for allowing this water access 

to other wells. As late as September, 1904, the large wells in the Arnaudet tract were 

free from salt water,ibut later its appearance became general. The Bass & Beckenstein 

well No.. 3 came in as a salt-water well in November, after the water had invaded this 

part of the field. In, such instances it is not improbable that had the well been drilled 

earlier it would have-yielded oil.

In its advance from well to well through the irregularly distributed sands.of this field 

the salt water has shown the same freakishness which was remarked at Sour Lake and 

other Texas fields. Certain wells, for example the Superior No. 2, have for a long time 

continued free from salt water after its appearance in large amount in surrounding wells. 

On the other,hand, while the sandy zone which contains the oil can- not be regarded as a 

folded, bed,.nevertheless, wherever the sands of this zone are sufficiently abundant and 

close together .to afford'communication over a considerable area, the effect of this structure 

in controlling the movements of fluids is the same as that of an inclined stratum of sand. 

(Compare fig. 12, p. 119.) It may therefore be expected that the behavior of salt water 

,and oil will, be .controlled largely by their relative specific gravities, as is the case in those 

fields where the oil is contained in a single continuous bed of porous sand. This is found 

to^e the case, the salt water making a gradual advance from the deeper wells to the shallower in accordance with the well-known laws of its behavior in the Appalachian fields. 

The spots in which salt water first appeared, and from, which it spread to other, wells, 

.were near\the north and south sides of the field respectively. The group of wells on the 

extreme west side reached salt water very early.

; In addition to the large amount of salt water whidh presses upward beneath the oil, 

considerable, amounts are found in higher beds. These are, in all cases, separated from 

the lower oil by impervious clays, and their movements are quite independent of that 

of the fluids below. In the nor-thern part of the field it was quite-common to find a considerable quantity of salt water at depths of from 1,400 to 1,600 feet. In one or more of 

the great gushers on the east side a strong flow of salt water was also encountered above 

the oil, and issued between the outer and inner casings, while the well itself produced 

oil only.

In at least one case (the Guarantee well) a flow of hot salt water was derived from beneath 

the oil sand. The exact temperature of this water was not taken, but a reliable man reports 

it as having been so hot that one could barely hold his hand in the water. It is stated
JENNINGS FIELD. 101

by several trustworthy drillers that all the water above the oil has the normal ground 

temperature and that high temperatures, wherever encountered, come in suddenly below 

the horizon of the oil. (Compare Batson, p. 56.)

GAS.

It is usually said that the Jennings field does not yield much "dry gas." The significance of this expression is that most of the gas is contained in the beds with the oil instead 

of in higher strata or pockets, as at Saratoga. Jenniugs has not been without its blow-outs, 

a few of them destructive, but'these have come from about the same depth, as the oil. 

An examination of 'the recorded logs will readily show that the formations above the oil 

lack the extensive clay beds which are necessary as covers in order to retain large accumulations of gas. The gas from the great gushers is of the same poisonous character as 

that at Spindletop.

LIMITS OF THE FIELD.

The outlines of the Jennings pool are fairly well indicated by the limits of the present 

development. The area is about 100 acres. A sufficient number of dry wells have been 

drilled around the edges to show that any great expansion of the field is very doubtful. 

Considerable drilling has also been done at a distance of 1 or 2 miles from the field. Such 

wells have generally been drilled somewhat deeper than the producing wells within the 

field, but thus far they offer no encouragement to further efforts. Ninety-two wells were 

drilled in this field before the middle of September, 1904. A large majority of these were 

producers. In the next three months great activity was displayed.

The following is a list of wells completed before October, 1904:

Wells in main portion of the Jennings oilfield. 

[The numbers on the left correspond to those on the map (PI. VII).]

Map 

No.

1

2

3

4

5

 6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

OO

24

25

26

27

Owner.

.....do................................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do. ..............................

.....do...................:...........

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

Equitable Oil Co ....................

.....do.. ..........................I..

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

Well 

No.

11

5

3

10

2

8

7

1

9

4

0

12

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

3

'4

2

4

3

6

5

Map 

No.

 28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

vt

51

52

53

54

Owner.

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

Morse Oil Co. (Wilkins) .............

.....do...............................

Bienville Oil Co .....................

.....do...............................

.....do:.......,......................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do..........:....................

.....do..........................:....

.....do...............................

Morse Oil Co ........................

Well 

No.

7

8

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

5

4

1

2

1

2

1

1

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

6

o
102 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Wells in main portion of the Jennings oil field Continued.

Map 

No.

55

50

57

58

59

 fiO

fi1

6?,

63

64

65

66

67

68

69 '70

71

17,

73

Owner.

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

.....do...............................

Western Oil Co......................

H. &R. Oil Co.. ....................

McFarlain Oil Co .....................

Well 

No.

2

3

4

1

1

1

- 1

2

'1

' 1

1

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

Map 

No.

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

no

Owner.

.....do...............................

Lake Oil Co ...........................

Sch ultz Oil Co ........................

.....do..............;................

.....do.........«......................

. ....do. ............................. .

.....do...............................

Wilkins.... .................:.......

Well 

No.

1

1

2

2

1

2

3

1

13

2

14

1

2

7

1

WELSH FIELD.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

'¥

This field is about 3 miles northwest of the village of Welsh, which is 10 miles west of 

Jennings. In an oblong tract some 1,500 feet northeast and southwest and perhaps half 

as wide, fifteen wells have been drilled since the summer of 1902, about half of which have produced oil in marketable quantities. None of these wells has been a large producer for any 

great length of time. The daily production from six or seven wells in August, 1904, was 

between 300 and 400 barrels. . .

The site of the Welsh field is a gentle elevation on the otherwise flat Coastal Plain. The 

elevation is distinctly visible from a distance, and amounts to between 5 and 10 feet, but 

the boundaries of the mound are not easily defined within narrow limits. The elevated 

area is approximately the same as that of the developed oil field. It is oblong in shape, 

having its greatest length in a northeast-southwest direction. Around the edges of the 

developed field a sufficient number of dry wells have been drilled to make fairly safe the 

prediction that the productive area will not be greatly extended. At a distance of onefourth of a mile to the southwest the Texas Company drilled to a depth of 1,200 feet without finding oil. The Decatur well, which is about the same distance south of the field, is 

2,012 feet deep, and, though showings of oil were noted at depths of, 1,400 and 1,600 feet, 

the well may be called dry. A short distance northwest of the field the Colorado-Texas 

Company drilled 2,350 feet, finding only a faint showing of oil at about 1,000 feet. The 

Brown-Lively well, on the northwest side, is about 1,100 feet deep, and the Boss well, onefourth of a mile northeast of the field, is about 2,000 feet deep. Both of these are dry, 

though the latter is said to have found showings of oil at 1,400 and 1,600 feet. Six miles 

north of the Welsh field the Decatur Company drilled two wells to depths of about 1,200 

feet and found no oil. The Spindletop well, which is near the Decatur wells, and is 1,700 

feet deep, found only a showing of gas at about 1,000 feet. At Roanoke, 5 miles east of 

the town of Welsh, are two dry wells said to be 1,100 or 1,200 feet deep. Some 6 or 7 miles 

southeast of Welsh, the Big Mound Oil and Gas Company drilled a dry hole 1,551 feet deep.
WELSH FIELD. 103

WELL, SECTIONS.

The character and vertical distribution of the sediments, both within the productive 

field and beyond its limits, are well shown in the following sections:

Logs of wells in and near Welsh field.

WELSH OIL AND "LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY'S, WELL NO. 3. 

[Received from Mayor L. E. Robinson, Welsh.]

1

?,

3

5

fi

8

9

10

Formation.

Sand ........................

Sand with showing of oil. . .

cept that they contain frequent bowlders and gravel

Gumbo with a fine rock at

Thickness.

Feet. 

105

20

42

103

19

G2

23

556

fiA

20

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

105

125

167

270

289

351

374

930

1,016

11

1?,

13

14

15

1fi

17

IS

19 

20

21

Formation.

Rock not hard, presumably 

sand cemented in streaks. .

Rock and sand ..............

Rock........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

18

10

10

66

21

44

44

87

15 

64

53

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,034

1,044

1,054

'l,120

1,141

1,185

1,229

1,316

1,331 

1,418

1,471

The total depth of this well as corrected by tape measure should be 1,464 feet. Seven feet should be 

taken off from the measurements above 930.

BIG MOUND OIL AND GAS COMPANY'S WELL, 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WELSH. 

[Received from W. N. West, driller.]

1

2 

3 

4

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10

Very fine sand with water. .

Sand and gravel with much 

water. ....................

Blue clay ...................

Sand........................

Blue clay ...................

Sand ........................

95 

51 

84

230 

12 

38 

55 

35 

95 

65

95 

146 

230

460 

472 

 510 

565 

600 

695 

760

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20

Sand........................

Sand........................

Sand; well dry and aban25 

320 

15 

45 

105 

38 

]02 

65 

55

21

785 

1, 105 

1,120 

1,165 

1,270 

1,308 

1,410 

1,475 

.1,530

1,551

The following is a list of wells in and near the field:

Wells at Welsh, La. 

[The numbers at the left correspond to those on the map (fig. 9).]

1. Proven Field. <,

2. Hilltop No. 1.

3. Hilltop No. 2.

4. Hilltop No. 3.

5. Hilltop No. 4.

6. Southern Pacific No. 1. 

7; Southern Pacific No. 2.

8. Southern Pacific No. 3.

9. Metropolitan.

10. Welsh Oil and Land Development Company 

No. 1.

11. Welsh Oil and Land Development Company 

No. 2.

12. Welsh Oil and Land Development Company 

No. 3.

13. Welsh Oil and Land Development Company 

No. 4.

14. Southwestern Oil Company No. 1.

15. McFadden.

16. Texas Company.

17. Decatur Oil and Mineral Company.

18. Colorado-Texas.

19. Brown-Lively.
104 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

7

34

4-7

74

7

14-

27

34

7

/J*

34-

6

35

4 '

75

6

/5

26

35

6

26

«*

36

5

36

^ 5.

76

5

$

/6

36

£

/6

25

36

4

37

44

77

14

17

37

4

/7

<

37

J

4-

< 

\

 < 

/<

3

a

 3<

'9

3 

>ll

\2 

9

23

38

3

> 3

?<9

^

JS»

C

79

4

<?

/5

5 

22

39

o

'39

4s4-O

4/

80

\

2O

»

4-0

n

\

20

40

-ri

^

/

,"

21

4-t

5/

6/

7/

Vl7

^

«

<?^

^®9

52

62

72

3

/3

23

33

6

4-3 

A-,

T /

53

63

73

4-

«

 4

85

-

~

v5^

6^

7^

5

«

^5

J5

^5

^

65

75

i

2

3

4

5

6

7

6

/6

26

36

4-6

*,

66

76

7

t?

27

37

"

57

67

77

a

/e

ea

38

48

58

68

78

9

29

39

49

*,

69

"7O

/O

20

30

40

SO

60

7<y

30

Dry well Gas well Producing we//

FIG. 9. Map of the Welsh oil field. The numbers correspond to those In the list given in the text (p. 103).
U- S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY iULLETIN NO. 282 PL. VIII

SAND GUSHER AT WELSH, LA.
ANSE LA BUTTE FIELD. 105

All of the oil in the Welsh field is found at depths ^differing little from 1,000 feet, though 

faint showings at about 300 feet and again at 700 feet were noted in several instances. 

The oil is contained in uncompacted sands overlain by a single thick bed of gumbo, or, 

in other cases, by a succession of beds in which gumbo is prominent. For a depth approximating .100 feet from the surface of the ground the material is commonly reported as 

clay, but with this exception there is no important clay horizon above that which overlies the oil. The accumulation of oil at a higher level is therefore impossible. At a depth 

of several hundred feet is a body of sand and gravel, often more than 100 feet thick, from 

which water is pumped in abundance for the irrigation of rice. No rock is reported except 

such as is manifestly a partially cemented sand. A thin plate of this nature overlies the 

oil in a few of the wells, and probably extends over a considerable part of the field. It 

is frequently spoken of as the "cap rock," but it is probable that the function of holding 

down the oil and gas is performed mainly by the overlying clays.

GAS.

Gas is found in considerable quantities. Its escape at the surface was the principal 

indication which led to drilling, though the existence of the mound itself must have been 

regarded as significant. The greatest quantities of gas are found at the horizon of the 

oil. The No. 3 well of the Welsh Oil and Land Development Company was ruined by 

a severe blow-out which came from a depth of 1,100 feet. (See PI. VIII.) The same 

company's well No. 4 gushed for nearly one month before it was put to pumping, after 

which it yielded about 60 barrels daily for a period of at least eighteen months, or until 

the autumn of 1904. A blow-out in the Metropolitan lasted for about ten hours. On 

being closed down and cleaned out a year later, a similar blow-out occurred, lasting for 

about the same period. The McFadden well, after being pumped for one month, began 

to flow by its own pressure and continued to do this for at least six weeks. A similar 

occurrence took place in the Southern Pacific Nq. 1, which flowed from 50 to 75 barrels 

per day under its own pressure after having been pumped for a number of months.

SALT AVATER.

The amount of salt water pumped with the oil at Welsh is considerably greater than 

that of the oil itself. Some trouble has been experienced in the separation of the Welsh 

oil from the water which accompanies it. The .process.requires an inconveniently long 

time and high temperatures. After the separation the oil may be used for fuel, though 

in its constitution it differs sufficiently from the other Coastal Plain oils to cause a slight 

inconvenience in using it in the same burners.

ANSE LA BUTTE FIELD. 

DESCRIPTION.

For several years a limited amount of oil has been obtained from the Anse la Butte 

district. This place is about -8 miles north of Lafayette, La., between Bayou Vermilion 

and Bayou Teche. The surface here has perhaps 10 or 15 feet of relief, due to stream 

erosion. In addition to that which is evidently of erosional origin, there is a somewhat 

symmetrical mound rising a few feet above the general level of the country. (See contour 

map, fig. 10.) It can not be definitely stated that the elevation at this place is due to 

the causes which made the salt islands rather than to erosion, but the presence of salt 

as shown by the well sections lends a strong probability to that supposition. Moreover, 

the form of the elevation has sufficient regularity to suggest an origin similar^to.that of 

the salt islands and the oil mounds of the Coastal Plain. Besides the more or less symmetrical mound, there are other limited elevations whose appearance is intermediate 

between that of the mound and that of purely erosional features. The center of the 

district in question is occupied by a swamp about 1,500 feet long and 1,000 feet wide.

Within an area about 1 mile east and west by a mile and a 'half north and south 15
LOG OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

wells were drilled before the close of the summer of 1904. Most of these found showings 

of oil, and at least four have produced small amounts of oil for the market. None had 

an initial capacity much in excess of 100 barrels per day. In February, 1905, but two 

wells, the Heywood Nos. 1 and 2, continued to .produce, showing little diminution of 

capacity after two years' production. They were pumped with air, and yielded enough 

oil to supply the fuel used in drilling another well and to satisfy a small local demand. 

Several more producers were driPed during 1905, one of which, the Lake No. 2, is 1,808 

feet deep. The capacities of the newer wells are similar to those of the older.

SURFACE INDICATIONS.

 In and around the swamp gas is seen to escape, sometimes in large quantities. Within 

the swamp itself this gas has given rise to a number of small mud volcanoes. On the 

northern edge is a so-called gas spring; it should rather be spoken of as a considerable 

area of soft ground from which much gas escapes. Through 2-inch pipes driven into this 

ground by hand gas may escape at such a rate as to support a flame several feet in height. 

On the east side of the marsh an asphaltic substance is found, at places, about 8 inches 

beneath the surface of the ground. This substance so strongly impregnates the subsoil 

as to give to it something of the consistency of rubber, making it difficult to cut with a 

spade. In addition to these phenomena, which have for a long time suggested the possible presence of oil, there are springs of sulphureted water, especially on the southeast 

side of the field. The presence of water thus mineralized has been regarded with some 

interest on account of its association (fortuitous or otherwise) with some of the larger oil 

fields, notably Sour Lake.

WELL, SECTIONS.

The following logs are selected as representative well records of this field. They show 

the types of sediments and the occurrence of the. salt bodies.

Logs of wells in Ansc, la Bulte field.

HEYWOOD NO. 1. 

[B. H. Harper, driller.]

Formation.

Sand and gravel, mostly

Salt.. ............... ....---

Clay..........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

208

272

460

Total

depth.

Feet. 

268

540

1,000

4 

5

f>

Formation.

Sandy clay or cemented sand. 

Sand........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

GO 

9on

200

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

1,060 

i Qsn

1,550

Some oil at 1,100 feet or thereabouts; now producing about 20 barrels of aromatic oil per 

produced about 40 barrels per day at first.

HEYWOOD NO. 2. 

[W. Scott Heywood, driller.]

1

?,

3

Clay........................

Clay and coarse oil sand

300

100

85

300

400

485

4

5

fi

Blue clay ....................

capable of producing 10

Clay.........................

85

23

15

570

103

608

The log of this well was received from the driller, Mr. Heywood; and is guaranteed to be correct. 

The well contains two screens, in the 485-foot sand and 593-foot sand, respectively. Its daily production is from 15 to 18 barrels.
ANSE LA BUTTE FIELD.

Logs of well in Anse la Butte field Continued. 

MORESI NO. 1. 

107

1

2 

3

4

5

fi

7

8

Formation.

Clay........................

Sand, with showing of oil. . .

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

16 

130

21

114

81

38

110

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

40

56 

186

207

321

402

440

550

g

10 

11

1?

13

14

i <;

Formation.

Rock, perhaps sandstone (?)

Quit in shells below oil sand.

Thickness.

Feet. 

50

291 

47

23

69

15

105

Total 

depth.

Feel. 

600

891 

938

961

1,030

1,045

1,150

From 600 to 938 was the best showing of oil. The well produced salt water. When pumped, might 

have produced 10 barrels of oil per day from about 700 feet deep.

ANSE LA BUTTE OIL COMPANY'S WELL NO. 2.- ' 

[Published by Dr. C. F. 7,. Caracristi in a report to the company.]

1

?,

3

4

5

6

7

8

<>

10

11

1?!

13

14

15

Rock. .......................

Sand ........................

37

3

10

50

50

50

25

1

2

7

2

3

2

18

5

37

40

50

100

150

200

225

226

22S

235

237

240

242

260

205

16

17

18

19

?0

21

m

?3

94

25

?f>

27

?8

W

Salt..........................

Rock (flint) .................

Salt....'............:........

3

17

5

30

30

4

10

26

180

6

2

212

11

 i

268

. 285

290

320

350

354

 364

390

>;7ft

576

578

790

801

801J

DRILLER'S NOTE. Gas pressure at base of well 700 pounds to the square inch.

SEDIMENTS.

Anse la Butte is situated on the outcrop of the Port Hudson formation, as mapped by 

the Louisiana Geological Survey. The beds passed in drilling are generally uncompacted 

sands, gravels, and clays'. The proportion of sand and gravel is large as compared with 

that found in the Coastal Plain oil fields of Texas. Thick beds of clay are not common" 

above a depth of 700 or 800 feet. Lower than that, some massive clay formations are 

found, especially in the outlying wells at some distance from the center of the field. The 

reports of thin beds or plates of hard rock, so common in the Texas fields, are almost 

wholly wanting at Anse la Butte. A few notations- of such occurrences are taken from 

the records of wells northwest of the swamp. There is frequent mention of "rock," but 

the thicknesses of beds so named are generally far greater than those noted in the Texas 

fields. The rock is also frequently soft and is sometimes specifically said to be a sandstone 

or soft sandstone. From all the well records obtainable, as well as from a few specimens 

seen, it may be fairly inferred that the type of rock which has received frequent mention 

in the records of the Anse la Butte wells is a sand more or less cemented by carbonate of 

lime. The harder parts are doubtless often concretions.
108 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Data were obtained from nearly all of the wells named in the following list:

Wells at Anse la Butte, La., September, 1904- 

[The numbers at the left correspond to those on the map (fig. 10).]

1. Hey wood No. 1.

2. Heywood No. 2.

3. Heywood No. 3.

4. Heywood No. 4.

5. Heywood No. 5. 

C. Lucas.

7. Anse la Butte Oil Company No. 2..

8. Moresi No. 1.

9. Moresi No. 2.

10. Moresi No. 3.

11. Moresi No. 4.

12. New Iberia Oil and Mineral Company.

13. Southern Pacific No. 1.

14. Pioneer.'

15. New York and Acadia.

FIG. 10. Map of Anse la Butte, La. Surveyed in February, 1904, by G. D. Harris. Q0i\ wells. 

The numbers attached correspond to those given in the list in the text. Nos. 1, 2, 8, and 11 have 

produced oil.

r( . ' . ' 

OCCURRENCE OJT THE OIT..

The oil occurs in sandy beds and generally at no great depth. In the Myers well (Keywood No. 5) these beds are spoken of as "softer places " within a thick body of rock encoun-
ANSE LA BUTTE FIELD. 109

tered at a depth of 308 feet. From an examination of the materials, it appears that these 

so-called "softer places" are uncemented sands included between well-cemented beds of 

similar material. The "rock" from which oil is derived in the Moresi No. 4 is probably 

of the same character, although in this instance the oil was obtained at or near the top of 

the rock. In all the other cases it seems clear that the oil comes from porous beds of sand, 

gravel, or sandy clay. The one occurrence which is peculiar to this small field, and of 

exceptional interest, is th8 finding of a so-called "aromatic oil" at a depth of 1,000 to 1,060 

feet in the Heywood No. 1, this being beneath the 272 feet of rock salt which was passed 

in the upper half of the well section.

GEOLOGIC STRUCTTJKE.

Various attempts have been made to correlate the data of the different wells in such a 

way as to show dips of certain beds which have been assumed to be continuous from well 

to well. . From the available data of nearly all the wells drilled previous to September, 

1904, it is quite safe to say that no correlation is possible; that the formations, so far as they 

are continuous from well to well, can not be recognized or identified; and, therefore, that it 

is not possible from the present data to infer dips or folds in the structure. A 6-inch core 

of rock taken from one of the wells on the east side of the swamp shows markings which 

are inclined at a high angle, presumably toward the southeast. These lines have been 

supposed by some to represent bedding and therefore to indicate a pronounced uplift 

near the center of the field. From«an examination of the core referred to, this inference 

is believed to be not wholly established. The markings resemble joints or fractures which 

have been recemented quite as much as bedding planes. There is no inherent improbability in the assumption of deformation which would tilt the bedding planes to the southeast; that is, away from the salt body. Such deformations have been noted elsewhere iii 

similar relations,"but only to a very slight degree in the gently domed structures of the 

oil-bearing mounds. It is not yet demonstrated that there is an uplift at Anse la Butte 

of greater intensity than those noted in the larger and better-known oil fields of the Coastal 

Plain. (Compare pp. 35, 44, 54.)

SALT.

Salt was reached or passed through in three or four wells, but its deptli and thicknesses arc so diverse at different places that it is impossible at present to assign even 

an approximately exact form to the body or bodies of salt. The original Anse la Butte 

(Simpson) well passed through 189 feet of salt between the depths of 381 and 570 feet. 

Beneath this salt were 8 feet of "rock" and gravel; the drill then entered salt again, 

which it passed through at a depth of 790 feet, thus showing an entire thickness of 401 

feet. Though showings of oil and gas were noticed, this well never produced. The record 

of the Heywood No. 1, on the northern margin of the swamp, shows 272 feet of salt between 

the depths of 268 and 540 feet. This well entered salt again at a depth of 1,350 feet and 

drilled 200 feet farther without passing through the salt body. Between 1,000 and 1,060 

feet the well produced oil at the rate of about 20 barrels per day. The Heywood No. 4, 

west of the swamp, entered salt at a depth of 220 feet and stopped in the same formation 

at a depth of 1,803 feet. Reports differ as to the finding of salt in certain other wells and, 

to some extent, in the thickness of the salt formations already named.

If these salt bodies are connected in one continuous mass, it may be inferred that the 

Heywood No. 4 pierced the central body, and that the salt passed through in the Simpson 

well and the Heywood No. 1 represents.offshoots from this body. It may well be supposed 

that such offshoots would be controlled to some extent, in form and position, by bedding 

planes. The diversity of depths and thicknesses of salt bodies, however, throws grave 

doubt on the theory that there are sedimentary beds of salt, and suggests that the bodies 

here encountered are of secondary origin and that they follow lines determined by the 

movements of ground water, which, in turn, were influenced by the character and distribution of the sediments. Inasmuch as the oil is chiefly on the east side of the swamp and
110 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

the salt on the west side, it would seem probable that, so far as there is a central oil body, 

it branches out to the sides in porous sands in forms similar to those of the body of salt, 

and that the Heywood well No. 1 is located at a place where the branches of the salt body 

and the branches of the oil body are, in a manner, dovetailed. There is a similar occurence 

at Belle Isle, where a well was drilled near the edge of the salt body. After passing through 

five beds of salt, aggregating about 250 feet and alternating with sediments, a sand was 

reached at 1,475 feet which contained a very small quantity of light straw-colored oil.

Salt water is found in all parts of the Anse la Butte field. As in the other fields, it may 

be found either above or below the oil, but in the former case the two are always separated 

by an impervious bed. Gas is found in moderate quantities, generally above the oil.

MINOR LOUISIANA DISTRICTS. 

VINTON.

About 4 or 5 miles southwest of the village of Vinton, La., is a mound covering 'about 800 

acres. It rises 35 feet above the surrounding country and 50 feet above the level of the 

sea. It is approximately circular in form, but contains an irregular depression or trough 

which partly isolates a portion of the mound on the east side. This is the portion which 

has been of interest in the matter of oil. Gas bubbles have long been observed rising to 

the surface in the swampy depression or in other places when covered by the water of 

recent rains. Seepages of oil have likewise been observed, forming films 'on standing 

water. It is also said that the water of shallow wells has suggested petroleum by its taste. 

Certain springs of water, about a mile east of the mound, hav§ been noticed to possess a 

sour taste similar to that of the waters at Sour Lake.

There are at present four shallow wells which derive.a heavy oil from a depth of about 

26 feet. These wells are pumped by hand and yield on an average about 15 gallons of oil 

per day. The oil is used for lubricating purposes by the large lumber concerns at or near 

Vinton. More of these wells will doubtless be drilled. It is estimated by the proprietor 

that one man could attend to 12 or 15 shallow wells, pumping by hand about 15 gallons 

daily from each well.

Since 1902 there have been at least six attempts to drill deep wells. Three of these have 

been successful in getting down to the desired depths. In the others is was found that the 

rotary drill was unable to penetrate a thick stratum of gravel which was found about 400 

feet deep. The stones of this gravel are at some places so large that the return current of 

water is unable to bring them to the surface. The three wells which succeeded in passing 

this stratum of gravel attained depths of 1,100 to 1,200 feet* Oil was not found in sufficient 

quantities to pump, but the sections of these wells made known some interesting facts 

regarding the formations.

There were in all cases at least 20 feet of surface clay. Some wells report no clay or 

gumbo whatever below this. Others found clay in subordinate quantities to a depth of 

nearly 400 feet. Beyond this .depth is the bed of coarse gravel mentioned above, which is 

in some cases 100 feet thick. . This gravel is water bearing, but whether the powerful artesian flow which now issues from the Vinton Oil and Sulphur Company's well No. 2 comes 

from this grayel or from a lower bed is not definitely determined. In any case the source of 

the flow seems to be above a depth of 600 feet. The occurrence of artesian water under 

great pressure at this depth doubtless indicates the presence of a rather widespread bed 

of clay immediately above the horizon of the water. The well sections (none of which 

were accurately recorded) indicate that the principal material from this depth to 950 feet 

is sand or poorly cemented sandstone. Below 950 feet a formation was encountered which is 

reported as gypsum, though in the absence of satisfactory samples it must remain a question whether the next'150 feet is really gypsum or partially consolidated marl. It is said 

to have contained occasional showings of oil. 

There is frequent mention of sulphur, and specimens of pure sulphur nearly one-half 

inch in diameter were seen. Its mode of occurrence is in doubt. It is quite probable that,
HACKBERRY ISLAND. 111

despite the records of "pure solid sulphur/' some of it occurs in a disseminated form in 

beds of sand. The existence, however, of small pieces of solid crystalline sulphur suggests 

the inference that certain beds of limestone were passed which contain sulphur in small 

caverns, and that the occurrence is therefore not very different from that at Spindletop or 

at Sulphur Mine, Louisiana, which is 15 miles northeast of the Vinton mound. The fact 

that certain specimens of limestone, coming from an unknown depth, are crystalline and 

resemble the oil rock of the Texas fields, gives probability to this supposition. The depth 

of one sulphur bed is said to have been 538 feet. It is reported again at about 1,000 feet, 

associated with the so-called gypsum.

From the samples examined it is quite certain that some gypsum was passed through. 

No cores were taken out and it is therefore impossible to determine whether the gypsum 

constitutes a solid body or whether it exists merely in a disseminated form.

The Vinton mound possesses a certain interest because it contains the materials which 

are characteristically associated with the oil-bearing mounds. In so far as well records 

were kept it appears also that the general order of succession of the materials here is the 

same as at Spindletop. Aside from the purely sedimentary beds sulphur is the first characteristic material encountered by the drill. The gypsum appears at a greater depth, as 

.it does at Spindletop. Although rock salt is not reported at Vinton, certain samples from 

the wells are very salty. Some of the sediments are impregnated with pyrite.. Considerable 

gas was liberated. That which now bubbles up with the artesian water from the Vinton 

Oil and Sulphur Company's well No. 2 is in large part hydrogen sulphide.

HACKJ1ERBY ISLAND.

 This so-called island is a mound surrounded by coastal marsh. It reaches a maximum 

height of 35 feet, being steepest on the northwest side toward Black Lake and sloping 

gently .to Calcasieu Lake on the east. From the surface of this mound much gas escapes, 

and some of the spring and well waters are strongly sulpliureted. These are the features 

which have been suppose'd to indicate the presence of oil. 

Three wells have been drilled here by the Louisiana-Texas Oil Company. Nos. 1 and 3,

 on the east side of the island attained a depth of 1,460 feet. The records of these wells 

show uucompacted clays, sands, and gravels to 908 feet. Beyond that depth thin plates 

of hard rock were noted at frequent intervals. These are variously described, sometimes 

as limestone and sometimes as sandstone with a calcareous cement. A 7-foot bed of lignite was found at 1,421 feet in well No. 1. The sands near the bottom of the well contain 

a considerable amount of pyrite. There was a showing of oil at 1,460 feet.

Well No. 2 (see p..112) on the northwest side of the island, near Black Lake, shows a section 

which is similar to that of the other two wells to the depth at which those wells stopped. 

At 1,565 feet the drill entered a stratum of limestone 45 feet thick. From detailed descriptions received from the driller, Mr. H. H. Jones, whose observations are trustworthy, it 

appears that samples obtained from this limestone are entirely crystalline and porous, 

and that therefore it is very similar to the characteristic oil-bearing limestone of the Texas 

fields. It did not, however, produce oil in this case. Below this limestone were 10 feet 

of black sand. The water used in drilling was lost in this sand and several hundred loads 

of clay were pumped into the well in the form of slush before the pores of the sand were, 

in a measure, stopped and the return current of water recovered. A showing of oil was 

noted near the bottom of the well arid may haye come from this sand, though this is not 

certain. Salt water was-likewise encountered and may have come from the same source. 

Below this sand, between the depths of 1,620 and 1,830 feet, is a gray-white material 

described as having little grit and not affected by acid. Samples of this material were not 

seen, but it is called gypsum by two or three observers who are believed to be competent 

judges. The position of this formation, with reference to the porous limestone, is the

.same as that of the gypsum at Spindletop. To judge from the analogy of other districts, 

it may be regarded as useless to drill this well deeper, though it can not be positively stated 

that the oil might not be found at some other spo.t on the island. 

Bull. 282 06 8
112 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Louisiana and Texas Oil Company's well No. 2, Hackberry Island, Louisiana. 

[H. H. Jones, driller.]

Formation. '

Alternating gumbo and sand, with streaks of something like brownish asphalt;

A gray-white material, with a little grit not affected by acid. This was called

Thickness.

Feet. 

832

3

657

2

71

45

10

210

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

832

835

1,492

1,494

1,565

-1, 610

1,620

1,830

BAYOU BOUILLON.

Where Bayou Bouillon, or Larumpe River, enters the Atchafalaya, some 30 miles northeast of New Iberia, La., there is a considerable area which is characterized by the abundance of gas which issues from the ground. In fact, the bayou is said to take its name from 

the bubbling up of gas through its waters. There are occasional occurrences of oily or 

asphaltic matter in the soil. These phenomena, more especially the former, led to drilling in the hope of finding an oil body. Up to the present time at least six wells have been 

started, .three of which attained considerable depths.

Samples of the gas were analyzed by Professor Metz, of Tulane University, who finds 

93.72 per cent to.be hydrocarbons. It is not stated what proportion of the whole is marsh 

gas. Professor Metz finds no hydrogen sulphide, which is so common a constituent of 

the gas of the Texas oil fields. The gas is very similar to that which is found elsewhere 

in the delta and coastal region of Louisiana.

The oil, which has been found in small quantities at shallow depths, has also been analyzed by Doctors Metz and Eustis. It is of a dark-brownish or black color, very viscid and 

having a specific gravity of 0.859. The fractional distillation of this. oU resulted as follows:

Fractional distillation of oil from Bayou Bouillon, Louisiana.

Temperature.

Below 150° C. ........................

Below 300° C. .........................

Above 300? C...... ....................

Product,

Loss ................................................

Percentage by 

volume.

A ^

OQ A

42.0

15.5

9 8

100.0

The few logs obtained, though taken from wells not far apart, are very different. This 

diversity may be supposed to indicate that no one bed has any considerable lateral extent. 

If this be true, it may be inferred that no large oil body could be retained below the 

horizon protected by the surface clays and above the depth at which the wells stopped. 

From the meager data at hand it is not possible to state positively that the continuous 

clay beds which are necessary as cap rocks are wanting, but the amount of clay' reported 

in the Maxwell & Sherwood well is very small (see p. 113). There is frequent mention of clay 

mixed with sand, but the beds distinguished as pure clay are never more than 5 feet in
BAYOU BOUILLON. 113

thickness.- Under such beds a showing of oil was generally noted! A 300-foot .limestone 

is reported in this well between the depths of 850 and 1,150 feet. The Shelbourne well, 

whose log is given below, shows much more clay or gumbo. A stratum 173 feet thick 

was.encountered at a depth of 390 feet, and most of the material between that depth and 

810 feet is clay, or contains a-considerable admixture of clay. In each of these wells a 

number of thin plates of rock were passed. In another well, not specifically, named; a sandy 

bed between 1,200 and 1,280 feet yielded salt water said to be hot enough to burn the 

hand.

Logs of wells on Bayou Bouillon, Louisiana.'

SHELBOURNE WELL. 

[Received from Mr. Robert Martin.]

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11

12

Formation.

Clay...............;........

Sand........................

Sand. ................'.......

Heavy gravel ........:......

Sand ........................

Gumbo, gravel, and pockets 

of gas, showing some oil. .

Thickness.

Feet. 

62 

176 

10 

50 

4 

28 

2 

2 

. 50 

173

43 

5

Total 

depth.

Feet. 

02 

238 

248 

298 

302 

330 

332 

334 

 390 

503

000 

Oil

13 

14.

15 

10 

17

18 

19

20

21

Formation. '

Soft gumbo, with some gas, 

showing a little oil ........

Gumbo.....................

Very soft gumbo ...........

G umbo, with fine gravel and

Gumbo, with gasand some

Sand and gravel,, showing 

oil.......................:

Thickness.

Feet. 

21

24 

24 

55

" 27"

'V

"1,7' 

 ! 4

30

Total 

depth.

Feet.

''022

1 : -l!

' "' 040 

' '''070

" '",' ''725

 '' 752 

753

770

774

810

MAXWELL & SHERWOOD WELL.

1

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13

14 

15 

1C 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22

Coarse white sand showing 

oil. .......................

Fine sand showing oil.. .

Gumbo.....................

Sand showing oil..........:.

Gumbo. .....................

. Gumbo and sand mixed .... 

Gravel......................

Sand ........................

5 

15 

80 

5 

58 

3 

4 

38 

2 

4 

14 

' 3

8 

4 

1 

9 

. 2 

18 

20 

10 

'8 

4

5 

100 

100 

105 

103 

160 

170 

208 

210 

214 

228 

233

242 

240 

247 

256 

258 

276 

286 

296 

304 

308

23 

24 

25 

20 

27 

23 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

30 

37 

33 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43

Gumbo, gravel, and sand . ..

Gumbo and fine gravel

 6 

10 

0 

8 

14 

30 

81 

3 

134 

20 

30 

30 10 ' 

30 

20 

. 70 

20 

20 

300' 

140 

265

314 

324 

330 

338 

352 

382 

403 

460 

600 

620 

650 

080 

090 

730 

740 

810 

830 

850 

1,150 

1, 290 

1,555

Water was salty below 1,000 feet. From 1,150 to 1,200 feet water overflowed pipe.
114 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

ORIGIN AND ACCUMULATION OF OIL BODIES, a 

ORIGIN OP PETROLEUM.

CLASSIFICATION OF THEORIES.

The origin of petroleum is one of the most obsciire problems by which geologists are confronted. 

Numerous widely different theories have been advanced and advocated by geologists and chemists 

during the last fifty years, but as yet there is none which can be regarded as generally accepted and of 

universal applicability. In the present connection any full discussion of these theories is manifestly out 

of place, and only a bare outline of the more Important ones will be given. It should be stated, however, 

that numerous facts have come to light in the development of the Coastal Plain field which have a very 

direct bearing upon theories of the origin of the oil. These have in part been given in the preceding 

pages, but will be stated more explicitly in this and the following sections.

The theories may be divided into three main groups: (1) Those which attempt to explain the origin 

of oil by inorganic agencies; (2) those which ascribe it to an organic origin; and (3) those which involve 

both inorganic and organic agencies.

THEORIES OF INORGANIC ORIGIN.

In I860 Berthelot suggested that water containing carbonic acid or an.earthy carbonate coming in 

contact with metallic sodium or potassium at a high temperature might produce both liquid and 

gaseous hydrocarbons such as are found in various oil fields. In ]877 MendoljefT published his theory, 

which remains the most plausible of all the inorganic theories thus far proposed. Stated briefly, it is 

that water percolating downward through fissures in the earth's crust comes in contact, under conditions of high temperature and great pressure, with metallic carbides; that a chemical reaction takes 

place, with the formation of metallic oxides and saturated hydrocarbons, and that the latter ascend 

and impregnate the porous beds of sedimentary rocks in which they arc now found.

Various modifications of the theories of Berthelot and Mendeljeff have been suggested by other 

chemists, but these contain the essentials of all the purely inorganic theories which merit consideration.

The fact is unquestioned that hydrocarbons similar to or identical with some of the constituents of 

natural petroleum may be produced in the laboratory by the action of inorganic substances, but no 

geologic or other evidence that these reactions actually take place in the earth's crust has been discovered. The conclusion must therefore be that while the inorganic theory is attractive it is not 

proved.

THEORIES OF ORGANIC ORIGIN.

These theories may be again divided into two groups: (a) That petroleum is indigenous to the rocks 

in which it is found, and (6) that it is the product of natural distillation.

The first of these theories was advocated by Sterry Hunt, who asserted that all petroleum was formed 

in limestone by the decomposition of the animal remains which it originally contained. It was also 

advocated by Lesley and Whitney.

The theory was further amplified by Orton, who extended it to the petroleum found in the shale and 

sandstone in the Appalachian field as well as that found in limestone. According to Orton,& petroleum 

results from the primary decomposition of organic matter, and was formed when the rocks containing 

it were themselves formed.

A modification of this theory has recently been advanced namely,that the oil, instead of being the 

product of decomposition of organic matter, is secreted by living organisms of a low order, such as 

diatoms, and therefore exists as such as an original constituent of the rock in which it is found. The 

presence of oil associated with diatoms in the mud at Sabine Pass is regarded by Doctor Phillips as 

furnishing some degree of support to this theory. [See p. 74.]

The majority of geologists have held to the second theory namely, that petroleum is derived from 

the organic matter disseminated through great masses of carbonaceous shales by the process of slow 

natural 'distillation at relatively low temperatures, and that it has subsequently migrated through the 

strata to the reservoirs in which it is found. In proof it is pointed out that these carbonaceous shales 

yield by artificial distillation a large quantity of hydrocarbons, both gaseous and liquid, which are 

indistinguishable from those found in nature: but the possibility of natural distillation at a temperature sufficiently low to leave the inclosing rocks entirely unchanged has not been proved, nor have the 

residues of carbon which would result from such distillation been found in the rocks. Q

Again, there is much diversity of opinion among those who hold to the organic origin of petroleumas to whether its source is in animal or vegetable remains. Peckham believes that petroleum may be 

derived from both animal and vegetable matter,'but that the source of the organic matter determines 

the character of the oil, that with a paraffin base (e. g., Pennsylvania) being derived from plant remains, 

and that with an asphalt base (e. g., California) being derived from animal remains.

o Reprinted with slight revision from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212. 

t> Ann. Kept. Geol. Survey Ohio, 1890, p. 85.
AtfD ACCUMULATION. 115

THEORIES OF COMBINED ORGANIC AND INORGANIC ORIGIN.

Among the theories which fall in the third group may be mentioned that proposed by 0. C. D. Ross o 

in 1891. It is that petroleum is produced by the action of volcanic or solfataric gases containing sulphurous acid and hydrogen sulphide upon limestone, with the formation of gypsum and free sulphur. 

The reactions given undoubtedly take place in the laboratory, and they may also take place in certain 

localities in nature. On the other hand, Hopkins >> proposed a theory, which has been elaborated and 

modified somewhat by other chemists, according to-which the gypsum is the original material and the 

limestone is secondary. The essential features of this theory a re that gypsum, calcium sulphate, hi the 

presence of decomposing organic matter which gives off carbonic acid, is reduced, with the formation of 

limestone, calcium carbonate, free sulphur, and hydrocarbons. This reaction has not been exactly 

reproduced in the laboratory, but neither can the conditions which must prevail at great depths in the 

earth be exactly reproduced.

It will be observed that the theories of this group are intermediate between those of the first two 

classes. The original materials arc in part organic (limestone and vegetable or animal matter) and in 

part inorganic (volcanic gases and gypsum).

CONCLUSION.

This great diversity of views regarding the origin of petroleum is equaled by the diversity in character 

of the petroleum itself and in the geologic conditions under which it is found. In fact, it is probable 

that the final theory will include most of those outlined above, and will recognize the fact that this 

substance which is so widely distributed in .nature may be the product of widely different processes 

acting upon a great diversity of materials. Thus the hydrocarbons which have been observed in certain volcanic rocks and in gases given off from volcanic vents may be entirely inorganic, resulting from 

the reaction between water and heated metallic carbides. The oil of the Appalachian field may be 

derived from the slow distillation of plant remains disseminated through the underlying shales, and 

that of the Trenton limestone of the Lima field from animal remains originally contained in the rocks 

in which it is now found. [Finally, the oil of the Gulf Coastal Plain may be derived, in part at least, 

from the action of decomposing organic matter, both animal and vegetable, but chiefly the* latter, upon 

gypsum or limestone, either as sediments or borne in solution in the sea water which originally permeated the sediments.]

ACCUMULATION OP THE OIL,.

CONDITIONS FOR ACCUMULATION.

Hydrocarbons of the petroleum type are among the most widely distributed .substances in nature. 

They are found associated with almost all classes of rocks, both crystalline and sedimentary, from the 

oldest to the youngest. While these hydrocarbons are very widely distributed they are, however, 

usually in small quantities, and accumulations sufficiently large to be of commercial importance are 

restricted by certain well-defined conditions to a relatively small portion of the earth's surface. In 

many regions it is comparatively easy for the geologist, by an examination of surface.conditions, to 

state definitely and with certainty that no oil in commercial quantities will be found. In other large 

regions he can state that oil may be found, and can point out in some cases the most favorable localities, 

but he can not predict the actual occurrence of an oil pool in advance of drilling.

The essential conditions for the accumulation of oil are (1) a sufficient supply of oil derived from any 

of the sources above described, (2) a porous reservoir rock in which it may be stored, and (3) an impervious cap rock which will prevent its escape. Conditions which favor its accumulation but are not 

always essential arc (4) gentle undulations of the strata forming anticlinal arches or domes, (5) the 

complete saturation of the rocks with water and its slow circulation under hydrostatic head or convection due to differences of temperature.

THE OIL SUPPLY.

This is of course the first and most essential condition, for without it no accumulation could cake 

place however favorable other conditions might be. Of all the conditions enumerated above this is 

probably the one which prevails over the largest areas. Wherever there are heavy deposits of sedimentary rocks some of the beds generally contain organic material, either animal or vegetable, from 

which an abundant supply of hydrocarbons might be derived, and doubtless in a large proportion of 

cases at sometime in the history of such beds conditions have been favorable for its conversion into " 

petroleum. This is notably true of the many thousand feet of strata constituting the Cretaceous 

and Tertiary formations on the Gulf Coastal Plain.

THE RESERVOIR ROCK.

All granular rpcks which enter into the composition of the earth's crust are to some extent permeable 

to liquids. This porosity, the vacant space between the rock particles, varies from less than one-half 

of 1 per cent in rocks like granite to 8 or 10 per cent in ordinary compact, fine-grained sandstones, and 

25 per cent or even more in coarse.gravel or cavernous limestone and dolomite. The porosity of a rock

 a Chemical News, vol. 04,1891.

6 Report on the Geology of Louisiana, 1869.
116 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

depends upon the shape of the grains; their uniformity in size, and the amount of cementing material. 

It is wholly independent of the size of the grains. Hence a fine-grained sand may have as great capacity 

for holding oil.as a coarse gravel. The term ''oil pool." is in common use in most oil fields and is a 

convenient one, but is liable to lead to misapprehension. An oil pool is simply a restricted portion of 

any porous bed which is saturated with oil. It is limited both vertically and horizontally by some 

impervious barrier which prevents the escape of the oil. It does not generally contain any large fissures 

or caverns, the oil being.contained in the minute spaces between the constituent grains of the bed. In 

exceptional cases, such.as the Spindletop pool, where the reservoir rock is a limestone or dolomite, there 

are cavities of appreciable size, probably to be measured in inches and possibly in feet, in which the oil 

is,stored, as well,as in the minute spaces between the constituent grains of the rock.

[Ther.e,is,np difference between an ''oil sand " and a '' water sand " except that the pores of theformer 

contain oil) while those of the latter are filled with water. The popular belief, therefore, that an expert 

can tell by examining a sample of sand whether the formation "ought to contain oil," has no 

foundation.] r

The character of the reservoir rock does not determine the character of the oil, but does determine 

its behavior when the pool is tapped by the drill. When the rock is a firm, fine-grained sandstone, it 

yields its oil slowly, even when under great pressure, and the yield continues for a long time, steadily 

.decreasing, however,; as the supply is drawn from increasing distances. A cavernous dolomite, on the 

other hand, offers little resistance to .the passage of the oil toward the well, and the flow from such a 

rock is consequently,rapid and short-lived. When the oil is held in an unconsolidated sand the latter 

flows toward the exit along with the oil and quickly chokes the well unless held back by some straining 

device.

- ; - .THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.

Since petroleum ha^ a lower specific gravity than water, it always tends to rise when the two liquids are 

associated in the rocks, and if not stopped by some impervious barrier would continue until it reached 

the'surface and then be dissipated. An essential condition of any large accumulation is therefore an 

impervious stratum which shall check this upward course of the oil and restrain it in a porous reservoir 

rock below. Such impervious strata usually consist of fine clay, clay shale, or muddy limestone. If 

the bed is perfectly continuous, a few feet in thickness of clay or clay shale is sufficient to prevent any 

leakage from the underlying porous beds even under great pressure. In the Spindletop pool the cover 

is formed by a considerable thickness of alternating clay beds and limestones. * * * [The so-called 

"cap rock" is a dense crust of the porous, oil-bearing limestone. The term is often loosely used with 

reference to the entire body of the limestone.]

ANTICLINAL STRUCTURE.

When oil, whatever its origin, occurs in a porous bed along with water, it tends to-rise toward the 

surface and continues to rise until it reaches the surface or meets some obstruction. If the obstruction 

is a perfectly horizontal stratum of impervious material, the progress of the oil is checked, but it does 

not accumulate'in: large bodies. If, on the other hand, the impervious stratum is inclined, the oil.continues to move upward along its under side until it meets a downward bend in.the bed which it can .not 

pass. Theioil is thus.trapped in the fold or anticline, and if the impervious bed is continuous over the 

crest it continues to accumulate and an oil pool is formed. The Appalachian field is characterized by 

low folds, which have.a general northeast-southwest trend, parallel with the large folds of the Appalachian Mountains, and these folds have been of the highest importance in the accumulation of oil in 

that field. In the Gulf Coastal Plain no structures are found which at all resemble the anticlines of the 

Appalachian field. The latter are undoubtedly due to horizontal compression of the earth's crust, 

but'the Coastal Plain.does not appear ever to have been subjected to such compression, and consequently the long, regular parallel folds are wanting. The circular or elliptical domes which have been 

described as occurring at Spindletop, Damon Mound, and elsewhere are structures of a wholly different 

class, and could scarcely have been produced by horizontal compression. Although these domes are not 

strictly comparable with the anticlines of the Appalachian field, they are equally efficient in furnishing 

the structural conditions favorable for the accumulation of oil.

 i: .. . SATURATION . OF .THE ROCKS AND CIRCULATION OF THE SATURATING FLUID.

Sedimentary rocks'b'eldw'the immediate surface are generally saturated with water, either fresh or 

sah'ne. In some cases, particularly in the Appalachian field, the rocks are dry, and under these conditions, even when sufficiently porous, they are not readily traversed by oil. This condition, however, 

is probably very rarely present in the thoroughly saturated beds underlying the Coastal Plain.

GENERAL, RELATIONS OF GAS, OIL, AND WATER.

'.Inmost oil fields -both gas and salt water are found. Many wells yield .all three, either 

at'the same lime Win succession. A knowledge of their mutual relations is important, not 

only in the proper management of a single well' but in the exploitation of a field as a whole. 

Where any two of these fluids are found in the .same reservoir, the heavier is found below
RELATIONS OF GULF COASTAL .PLAIN OILS. 117

and the lighter above.. Where all are present and free to arrange themselves according to 

their several specific gravities, the gas will be found above the oil and the salt water .below. 

These conditions are shown in the accompanying sketch (fig. 11). The well A taps the top 

of the reservoir and yields only gas; the well B, on the side of the reservoir, penetrates only 

oil-bearing rock and the oil is forced upward by the downward pressure of the overlying gas; 

the well C penetrates the reservoir rock below the lower limit of the oil, and hence yields 

only water, which may or may not flow at the surface.

These simple theoretical conditions imply that all the oil, gas, and water are contained 

in a single reservoir whose roof contains no subordinate arches or domes. Under these circumstances a light fluid borne up by a heavier will be gathered into a single body at the top 

of the reservoir. In actual occurrence such simple cases are exceptional and the distribution of the three fluids is sometimes complicated, yet the principle is very important. 

Wells'frequently yield gas at first and oil later, on account of the pressing up of light 

fluids by the heavier. The appearance of salt water in a well after the exhaustion of the oil 

is a common occurrence. . . NATURAL PLOW.

When oil is struck, it usually rises in the well. It may even overflow or be expelled with 

great violence. Two theories have been employed in explaining the pressures necessary 

to these phenomena, the gas-expansion theory and the hydrostatic theory.

The gas-expansion theory assumes, as the one essential condition, that the gas and the 

oil are confined under'pressure in the same reservoir. It matters little whether the gas be

Land surface

FIG. 11. Theoretical relations of gas, oil, and water in the reservoir rock.

above the oil or absorbed by the oil on account of the pressure. In either case the expansive 

pressure of the gas may expel the oil when the latter is tapped by a well.

According to the hydrostatic theory, the gas, oil, and water are arranged in the subterranean reservoir in the order of their specific gravities, the gas being on top and the water 

at the bottom. The water is assumed to saturate the porous stratum continuously from 

beneath the oil reservoir to the outcrop and to transmit the pressure, due to the greater 

elevation of the outcrop, to the overlying oil. A close correspondence was found by Orton 

between the closed pressure of wells in the Trenton field of Ohio and Indiana and the weight 

of a column of water equal to the difference in elevation between the well head and the 

Trenton outcrop. -Even in this region, however, which is the one commonly cited in sup-- 

port of this theory, there are certain cases of exceptionally high and low pressures which it 

does not explain. ' It also fails to explain the extreme range in pressure observed in the 

Texas-Louisiana field in different parts of the same pool, and, further, it is inconsistent with 

the behavior of the wells when flowing (see p. 123).

GEOLOGICJRELATIONS OF THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN OILS.

In'the preparation of this report the geologic relations of the oil have been kept constantly in mind. ' So far as possible they have been described concretely for each field. 

The following more general statement should be read in the light of the facts thus givenin detail. Some repetition is-inevitable in summing up the facts and making the generalizations.
118 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

The accumulation of oil in the Coastal Plain sediments is, in several respects, in strong 

contrast with the corresponding process in parts of the Appalachian field. In the latter 

case the reservoir rock, the cap rock, and the formation from wjiich the substance of the 

oils is believed to be derived are all continuous, without important change of character, 

over thousands of square miles. The'relation of each to the oil is so definite that if, at 

any place, the age and folds of the underlying rocks be ascertained, the conditions with 

respect to oil are to a considerable degree known. -On the Coastal Plain not only are dips 

and folds difficult to determine, but the age of a bed gives no clue to its physical character 

or its relation to oils, if present. Stratigraphy is therefore relatively less important in the 

study and exploitation of oil in the Coastal Plain fields than in fields of the Appalachian 

type.

SOURCE OF THE HYDROCARBONS.

Most of the sediments of the Coastal Plain contain small quantities of petroleum. The 

amount thus disseminated is extremely large, perhaps larger than that which has accumulated into bodies of commercial importance. The distribution is so general that it would 

be impossible to name any one formation, or any series, as the probable source of the 

original hydrocarbons. The distribution of oil in very small quantities through hundreds 

or even thousands of feet of sediment, much of which is highly impervious clay, might be 

supposed to give plausibility to the assumption of its origin within the beds where it is 

now found. On the other hand, the enormous quantities found in certain small pools are 

inexplicable on any such hypothesis.

MOVEMENTS.

The collection of hydrocarbons into reservoirs of oil is related to the presence of water 

in at least two ways: (1) The oil is buoyed up by the ground water; (2) the oil must share 

to some extent in the movements of the water until the former comes to rest under an 

impervious arch or dome. These statements apply to oil as a liquid lighter than water, 

but the nature and condition of the hydrocarbons previous to their accumulation as oil 

are unknown.

EFFECTS OF IRREGULAR BEDS.

Being buoyed up by the ground water, the oil should rise through the sands of the Coastal 

Plain sediments until a bed <5f clay is reached. If porous and impervious beds were here 

regular in thickness and character, like those in the Appalachian fields, and were similarly 

folded, the oil would travel to the crests of the anticlines and accumulate in long, narrow 

pools. The beds of this region are, however, most irregular. No two well sections, even 

if closely adjoining, exactly correspond. In Ohio alone the Berea sandstone extends over 

15,000 square miles with scarcely any variation in thickness and composition. In the 

Coastal Plain, on the other hand, no single bed can be traced without material modification 

over 100 square miles. Clay beds graduate laterally into sands, and vice versa. Under these 

conditions the small coastward dip of the sediments is practically negligible in comparison 

with the much steeper slopes formed by the irregular distribution of sands and clays. A 

large number of sand beds fortuitously distributed may touch, forming a single body, 

whose effect on. the movements of ground water is that of an inclined stratum. This condition is illustrated in fig. 12, in which the bedding planes are assumed to be horizontal, 

though bodies of porous and impervious sediments are distributed in such a way that the 

movements of ground water are along steep slopes.

Not only are such slopes as are here described generally much steeper than the dips, 

but they conduct the oil now in one direction and now in another, so that the course pursued by the rising fluids may be inconceivably devious and the vertical "component of the 

resulting movements very large. The lower surfaces of the clay bodies, taken as a whole, 

are irregular, and do not offer continuous slopes. The oil in its upward movement finds 

innumerable small pockets or traps in which it comes to rest. It may finally reach the 

surface and cause "surface indications" or it may accumulate in the sands in bodies of 

commercial importance as at Saratoga and Jennings.
EESEEVOIES. 119

ACCUMULATION AT SPINDLETOP.

It is not impossible that the extraordinary pool at Spindletop may have originated by 

the coming together of oil originally disseminated, but if so, the oil must have traveled 

very long distances laterally, or the lower sediments in that vicinity must have had a 

peculiar composition. It is probable that the quaqu aver sal dip from Spindletop extends 

but a short distance beyond the limits of the oil field (see p. 36). If so, the structural 

^slopes, which guided the oil to. the pool, must have been due to the irregular distribution 

of porous and impervious sediments. That such slopes, whose very existence is due to 

irregular distribution, should be continuous for miles without a break in the impervious 

cover is remarkable. It is no less surprising that so large a proportion of the oil should 

have reached the central reservoir instead of being detained in pockets by the way (see 

fig. 12). As pointed out below (p. 120), there are some indications of an upward movement 

of ground water in the mounds and oil fields. This would involve lateral movement of 

surrounding ground waters toward the place of rising, thus aiding in the accumulation of 

oil. These considerations have a bearing on the question whether the Spindletop oil was 

independent in origin from the mound itself and simply found the mound a convenient 

reservoir, or whether the making of the oil was a part of the same complex process which 

resulted in the peculiar assemblage of minerals which underlie the mound.

FIG. 12. Ideal section of irregularly interbedded sands and clays. Oil may be borne up from A and 

B past C, D, E, and F, accumulating at 1,2, 3, 4, and 5. The proportion of clay may be much larger 

than here represented and the motion of the fluids may be more nearly horizontal.

RESERVOIRS.

IN THE SAND.

The Coastal Plain oils are found in two classes of reservoirs, sands and porous limestone. 

In either case the impervious cover is mainly of clay. Sometimes the oil-bearing sand is 

overlain by a thin bed of dense limestone which is locally called the "cap." As such 

limestones are frequent in the clays, and are no more impervious than the clays themselves, they play no essential part in the retention of the oil. They are mentioned here 

merely to guard against attaching significance to them.

Where the accumulation of oil in the sands is considerable, it is necessarily prevented 

by impervious beds from escaping laterally as well as upward. The absence of oil from 

coarse, loose sands may frequently be due to the fact that it is free to escape upward 

around the edges of the clay cover, '^^here circulation is free, sands so situated become 

the so-called "water sands."
120 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOTJISIAKA_COASTAL PLAIN. '

IN THE LIMESTONE.

The oil-bearing limestone of the mounds may be either porous or cavernous, or both. 

Where completely crystalline, a part of the oil is contained in the pores between the individual crystals. Not all the porous limestone contains oil. At Spindletop no limestone 

was found with empty caverns, while at Damon Mound, where the rock is very cavernous, 

no oil is found." In the .Matagorda field a part of the cavernous limestone bears oil, but 

some fragments came to the surface perfectly clear and unstained by oil. From this evidence and from the high degree of independence among wells (compare pp. 60, 122) it may 

be inferred that the oil-bearing limestone varies greatly from place to place in the amount 

of pore space, that it comprises a group of small reservoirs or compartments rather than 

a single large one, and that neighboring compartments in the same "pool" may be entirely 

without communication.

Beneath the reservoirs in the sand are generally thick clays, and beneath the porous 

limestones are various impervious formations, among which clay, marl, and gypsum are 

common. In no case can it be shown that the beds beneath the oil are less impervious 

than those above. It is necessary to assume either that the oil entered the reservoir from 

the sides or that, previous to its accumulation as an oil body, the substance of the oil 

existed in some form in which it was able to traverse clay more rapidly than at present.

MOVEMENT OF GROUND WATER IX THE MOTJoSTDS.

A number of phenomena seem to indicate local upward movement of the ground waters 

of the Coastal Plain. These phenomena are more frequent in or near the mounds and oil 

fields than elsewhere.

SALINITY.

One evidence of vertical circulation lies in the distribution of fresh and salt ground 

waters. It may safely be assumed that, in general, the movement of coastal-plain ground 

waters is coastward and that this water is supplied by rain on the land. Therefore when a 

coastal plain has been long out of water, the salt water originally contained in the sediments will be replaced by fresh water. At great depths salt water may persist longer. 

Drilling has shown that the water may be fresh to a depth of more than 1,000 feet. That 

which came from the bottom of the Galveston well (3,070 feet deep) was only brackish. 

The water from a depth of 100 or 200 feet at Sour Lake or Batson is quite as salt as that 

which came from 3,000 feet at Galveston. With greater depths the salinity rapidly 

increases. Even a mass of salt such as underlies Spindletop could not produce this local 

effect without an upward circulation.

The frequent proximity of salines or salt marshes to oil fields has been remarked by Mr. 

Lee Hager.a The perennial dampness of many such spots is believed to be due to rising 

waters.

TEMPERATURE.

The temperature of waters in or near the oil fields is frequently much higher than the 

normal for the depth from which the water comes. Most observations of well temperatures 

in the oil fields have been made under conditions which did not insure accuracy, but there 

is general agreement in the testimony. The normal ground temperature at a depth of 

30 feet at Batson is about 74° F. Adding 1 degree for each 50 feet of additional depth 

the temperature at 1,000 feet should be about 93 ° F. Temperatures of 116 °, 122 °, and 126 ° 

are reported at Batson. Wells several miles from the field report even hotter waters. A 

temperature of 180° is reported from a well near the Saratoga field. Matagorda had a 

strong artesian flow of sulphur water at a temperature of 99f ° from a depth of 700 feet. 

Various wells at Sour Lake and Jennings showed temperatures above 100°. In some 

fields, as at Jennings, it has been observed that abnormal temperatures were not 

encountered above the oil, but came in suddenly when wells were drilled deeper.

« The mounds of the southern oil fields: Eng. and Min. Jour., July 28, 1904, p. 137.
RELATIONS OF OIL, GAS, AND WATER. 121

THE WORK OF RISING GROUND WATERS.

Both the abnormal temperatures and the abnormal salinity suggest upward movements 

of ground waters. Future study may perhaps show that ground waters have been concerned in making the salt and gypsum of the mounds, as well as the crystalline limestone, 

whose origin has already been explained (p; 16). It may even appear that the pressure 

exerted during the growth or alteration of these bodies was sufficient to raise the mounds. 

The agency of circulating.waters in the accumulation, not only of the oil in the Coastal 

Plain pools, but also'of the associated sulphur, dolomite, and salt, has been suggested by 

HilLo

The hypothesis is as follows: The oil and salt pockets of the Texas Coastal Plain are probably not 

indigenous to the strata in which they are found, but are the resultant products of columns of hot saline 

waters winch have ascended, under hydrostatic pressure, at points along lines of structural weakness 

through thousands of feet of shale, sand, and marine littoral sediments of the Coastal Plain section, 

through which oil and sand & are disseminated in more or less minute quantities. The oil, with sulphur, 

may have been floated, upward on these waters, and the salt and dolomite may have been crystallized 

from the saturated solution.

The channels of these ascending waters may have b'cen in places of structural weakness, such as fissures, which probably at one time continued to the surface, but may have been sealed by the deposition. 

of the later overlapping strata now capping the oil pools.

Many facts may be adduced in support of this hypothesis, although it must be admitted 

that it presents some serious .difficulties. The mode of accumulation of the enormous 

masses of rock salt which occur in the Louisiana Salt Islands, in Damon Mound, in High 

Island, and also in Spindletop, has never been satisfactorily explained. For a variety of 

reasons it does not seem possible that they can be the result of evaporation of sea water 

in natural salt pans, which is supposed to be the origin of most deposits of rock salt. It 

may therefore be necessary to refer their origin to precipitation from rising ground waters, 

though no plausible reason has yet been suggested for the precipitation of the salt.

The spot at which the ground water rises may be determined by the absence of a continuous clay cover-or by a small fault. In either case any oil-brought up would escape so 

long as the vent remained open to the surface. If the vent were subsequently sealed by 

the deposition of impervious beds, the oil might collect in a pool. It has been suggested as 

a possible explanation of the difference between the oil-bearing mounds like Spindletop, 

on the one hand, and those barren of oil like Danion Mound and the Salt Islands, on the 

other, that the vents of the former were thus sealed after the salt had been deposited, while 

those of the latter had remained open..

RELATION OF THE OIL TO GAS AND SALT WATER.

GAS.

Gas may be encountered at any depth, either with or without the oil. That found above 

the oil, or in fields where no oil is found, is commonly called "dry gas." If this be allowed 

to escape it sometimes happens that a spray of oil begins to show in the gas after a few 

hours or a few days. This points to some communication between the reservoirs of gas and 

oil. Much gas is so closely associated with the oil that the two issue simultaneously. This 

is the "poisonous gas" of the gushers. In the reservoirs it is probably contained in the oil 

under pressure instead of accumulated above it. Gas is also frequently found beneath an 

oil body. This phenomenon of a lighter fluid beneath a heavier indicates that the two 

are separated by an impervious bed.

SALT WATER. - 

Salt water occurs both above and below oil bodies. Two or three alternations may be 

found, each water horizon being separated from the next underlying oil by a bed of clay.

» Hill, R. T:; The'Beaumont oil field, with notes on the other oil fields of the Texas region: Jour. 

Franklin Inst.,-1902.

6 It is probable that this word "sand," which appears in Mr. Hill's original paper, should have been "salt."
122 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN. '

In some cases the two fluids are contained in the same reservoir, the salt water gradually 

replacing the oil at the top of the reservoir as the oil is pumped out or expelled by gas 

pressure.

INDEPENDENCE AMONG WELLS.

Neighboring wells in the limestone show by their behavior a large degree of mutual independence. To a less degree this is true of wells in the sands. The depths of wells in the 

limestone vary greatly within short distances. One well may produce oil, and a deeper 

well near by may yield only gas, or a shallower one may be yielding salt water. The behavior 

of the same well at different times may be still more strange. A few wells have gone entirely 

to salt water and, after days or weeks, have begun again to yield oil in large quantities. 

In some cases the later yield was pure oil with no water. These phenomena of independence 

among wells and of abnormal behaviors are due to the subdivision of the reservoir into 

many compartments. Communication among these compartments is of all degrees of. freedom. Some of them may be entirely sealed. A number of small rooms may be drained 

by the same well, either simultaneously or successively. One room may contain mainly oil, 

another mainly gas, or a single room may contain all three fluids. These conditions are 

sufficient to account for all apparently abnormal phenomena.

WELX, PHENOMENA.

LOSS OF WATER.

In drilling by the rotary process it may occur at any time that the water being pumped 

into the well suddenly fails to reappear. This is called "losing the water." It indicates 

that a porous stratum has been entered. The nature of the rock can not be determined 

except by the'behavior of the tools, for without a return flow no samples are obtainable. 

The failure to get a return of the water does not necessarily prevent further drilling, for, 

in its escape into the porous or cavernous rock, it may, for a time, at least, carry with it the 

cuttings and thus keep the bottom of the hole clear. If the uncased part of the hole does 

not cave the working of the tools is not interfered with. The continued pumping in of 

"slush" (often thickened under such circumstances) may sufficiently choke the pores by 

which the water has escaped to restore the return flow, or the porous bed may be drilled 

through and cased, allowing the drilling to go on as before.

This sudden loss of water may occur in the sands above the oil rock, but at Spindletop it 

was more frequent at the horizon of the latter. It is not to be understood that when 

water is lost the porous bed into which it is passing is either dry or lacking in gas pressure. 

It may bear water, oil, or gas. The sinking of the column of water in the drill pipe merely 

indicates that the fluid-pressure within the rock is less than that of the column in the well. 

Therefore, if the well be bailed, it may blow out or gush, the oil being brought up as a spray, 

or it may be a good pumping well. Under the conditions which allow the water to be lost 

it must not be expected that the well will flow either water or a solid stream of oil.

SUDDEN DROPPING OF TOOLS.

A phenomenon sometimes associated with the loss of water (though either may occur 

independently) is a sudden dropping of the drilling tools. Frequently such a drop is 

reported as 3 or 4 feet, or even twice that amount, though doubtless the reports are exaggerated. Such drops are generally believed by drillers to indicate great cavities. Small 

drops while drilling in the limestone may, indeed, be so explained, but in many instances a 

cavity in the limestone can not be assumed. Many drops are reported as occurring in a 

sand just below a hard plate of limestone. The drill may have worked hours and perhaps 

days on the thin limestone, a strong current of water all the time- washing the bottom of 

the hole. This current may have access by a fracture to the underlying sand and wash 

out a great cavity in the latter before the drill has passed through the limestone. The 

tools then drop. It will be observed that sand, in which the drop so frequently occurs, is a
SUEFACE INDICATIONS. ' 123

poor substance to support large cavities. Probably in most cases it is not necessary to 

assume a ca.vity, but a quicksand produced by continued injection of water. A sudden 

loss of water may follow the drop of 1 he tools.

WELL PRESSURES

[The phenomenon of gushing, so common in all the large fields of the Coastal Plain, implies great 

pressure.] In- some cases it has shown almost explosive violence, blowing out casing and breaking 

heavy cast-iron valves. The maximum pressure has never been even approximately measured. Some 

closed pressures of 500 pounds and over per square inch have been reported, but these are not well 

vouched for. The reliable measurements vary from 79 to 350 pounds.

The following are the most trustworthy measurements which have been made of closed pressure:

Measurements of closed pressure of oil wells in Gulf Coastal Plain field.

Pounds. 

American Oil and Refining Company................................................................ 79

Texas Oil and Pipe Line. ............................................................................ 112

Tran^-Mississippi................................................................................... 300

Yellow Pine ........................................................................'............... 340

San Jacinto No. 1................................................................................... 350

The 

*******

Hooks well at Saratoga showed a steady closed pressure of 127 pounds.. 

It appears highly probable that the pressure in the oil reservoir is due largely to the expansive force 

of the associated gas.' When the oil rock is penetrated by the drill it is usually, though not always, 

necessary to remove the water from the casing by bailing. When the pressure is thus relieved there is 

first a rush of gas, followed by a stream of oil, which is expelled with great violence. The oil, however, 

never flows in a steady stream like the water from an artesian well, but-by a series of jets or pulsations. 

These may be relatively slow, each flow of oil lasting for several rninutes, followed by an equal or longer 

period of quiescence, in which only gas escapes; or they may be rapid, several pulsations occurring 

within a single minute. The rapidity.of the pulsations appears to depend, among other things, upon 

the depth to which the well is drilled into the oil rock; and their rapidity, and consequently the yield 

of the well, is generally increased by deeper boring. It is also probably influenced by the character of 

the oil rock, the more porous rock yielding its contained oil more rapidly than that which is relatively 

compact. In addition to this longer period the stream of oil generally shows a very rapid pulsation 

similar to that observed in a jet of mingled water and steam when a boiler is blown off.

A common method of raising oil in wells which do not flow is to carry air under high pressure to the 

bottom of the well by means of a small pipe within the casing. When the air is turned on and accumulates sufficient pressure to lift the column of oil in the casing, the oil is expelled in a pulsating stream 

exactly similar to a natural gusher. In the one case, however, the expansive force of artificially compressed air is the expelling force, and in the other case it is the expansive force of the naturally compressed gas which is associated with the oil in the rock reservoir.

In addition to the expansive force of the gas, there is also probably some hydrostatic pressure in this 

field, but its influence in producing the phenomena of a gusher must be relatively insignificant. Quite 

generally throughout the Coastal Plain region an artesian water flow is obtained at depths ranging 

from COO to 1,500 feet, but this has only a very moderate head. This is seen in the 1,400-foot artesian 

well at the Beaumont court-house, where the head is only a few inches above the surface. [The invasion 

of wells by salt water is, doubtless, in some cases, due to hydrostatic pressure; in other cases it is due 

to gas pressure.] * * *

If the pressure to which the gushing in the Spiudlctop and other Coastal Plain pools is due is chiefly 

the expansive force of gas, it follows that this force will expel only a part of the oil, and the remainder 

will necessarily be won by pumping or by supplying the place cf the natural gas by compressed air. 

[This has already been demonstrated in the case of Spindlctop, where gushing ceased in 1903.]

SURFACE .INDICATIONS.

The surface indications which have led to the exploiting of the several fields are various. 

They may be divided into two classes those which are common to oil fields in general, and 

those which owe their significance to the peculiar relations of the Coastal Plain oils. Almost 

all surface indications depend on a circulation of fluids. The lines of such circulation 

through the sediments of the Coastal Plain have been shown to be very devious (see fig. 12, 

p. 119). A seepage at the surface, therefore, does not indicate the exact location of an oil 

body. The two may be miles apart. Usually surface indications are scattered throughout 

an area which is many times that of the oil pool. Very abundant seepage.of oil or gas-may 

result from the want of an impervious cap or of domed structures which would make accumulation possible. It is, therefore, by no means to be inferred that the escape of a large

p Revised and reprinted from Bull, U. S. Geol, Survey No. 212.
124 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

amount of gas is a better indication than that of a small amount. Indeed, the best fields 

of the Coastal Plain have been marked by very modest indications.

INDICATIONS COMMON TO OIL FIELDS IN GENERAL.

Of the indications common to this and other fields, a seepage of oil is the best; This evidence has been found in a'considerable number of the Coastal Plain fields. It may,'however, 

be confused, as it frequently has been, with another phenomenon which bears no relation to 

oil the appearance of an iridescent scum of iron oxide on stagnant water in regions where 

the soil is strongly colored with limonite. This phenomenon is very common in the red soil 

'districts of eastern Texas. Closely related to a seepage of oil is the asphaltic substance 

sometimes found impregnating the soil at shallow depths. This evidence is not so widespread as are the oil seepages in the Coastal Plain. It is well illustrated at Anse la Butte, 

Sour Lake, and the " Tar Springs " of Jasper County, Tex. The " sea wax " of the Gulf coast 

belongs to the same class of phenomena (see p.' 77). By far the most common of all evidences 

is the escape of gases. Indeed, this phenomenon is so widespread that it is entirely unsatisfactory as an indication of the place where drilling should begin. In this, again, the phenomena of importance are frequently confused with those which have no significance whatever. To the latter class belongs the escape of marsh gas from recently buried sediments. 

A very simple distinction, having some significance, is that based on the leaving of an oily 

film on .the water after the breaking of a bubble. The leaving of such a film may be regarded 

as evidence that the gas contains petroleum vapor and may therefore suggest the presence 

of oil at the place from which the gas came. It must,.however, be remembered that on the 

one hand there is much " dry gas " even in the oil fields, and on the other hand the quantity of 

oil whose presence is .thus indicated may be very small.

INDICATIONS BASED ON LOCAL CONDITIONS.

Some significance is attached to a number of phenomena on observational grounds alone, 

their relation to oil not being satisfactorily explained. Of this class of surface indications 

the escape of hydrogen sulphide probably deserves the most consideration. At places the 

bubbling .up of the gas itself through stagnant water is all that is to be seen. At other places 

the waters have become more or less strongly sulphureted. In some districts, around the 

mouths of shallow wells, an incrustation of pure sulphur is continuously forming. Closely 

related to the escape of this compound of sulphur are the so-called "sour waters." These 

are best known at Sour Lake, but are by no means uncommon. Their salts are largely sulphates, and their significance may be similar to that of sulphureted hydrogen, all being members of a group of substances which are related in origin.

A phenomenon which has carried far more weight than justly belongs to it is found in the 

so-called "gas mounds." These are low, rounded mounds, averaging perhaps 2 feet in 

height and several rods in diameter. In view of their vast numbers on the flat Coastal 

Plain, they show remarkable uniformity in size and shape. They are popularly supposed to 

be connected with the escape of gases from the soil. Whatever be their origin, there is as 

yet no evidence that they are in any way related to oil bodies. Even were such a relation 

assumed, these mounds are so widely distributed over the flat Coastal Plain, that as guides 

to drilling they are of no value whatever.

On the uneroded parts of the Coastal Plain, by far the largest significance has very justly 

been attached to low. mounds of the Spindletop type. No oil has been found in the higher 

mounds. Since the surficial elevation must be regarded as merely incidental to the geologic 

structure, and since the most abundantly oil bearing of all (Spindletop) is but 10 feet high, it 

is highly probable that the characteristic structure and materials exist at many spots not 

marked by an elevation. The chance of finding these materials under elevated spots is 

however, vastly greater than elsewhere.

There is some reason for thinking that such structures are ranged along lines of slight 

crustal deformation or disturbance. If such lines exist, they probably trend northeast and 

southwest. This-probability may well be recognized in prospecting for new fields.
OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN. 125

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE TEXASLOUISIANA OIL.a

PHYSICAL PROPEKTIES.o

COLOR AND ODOR.

When flowing from the well or first received into the tank, the Beaumont petroleum is a dark reddishbrown fluid, carrying a large quantity of hydrogen sulphide in solution. It has a very strong, disagreeably pungent, sulphurous odor, attacking the mucous membranes of the nose and causing the eyes to 

'smart. The Saratoga and Jemiings oils are somewhat darker and heavier, and, owing to the smaller 

quantity of gas which they contain, have a less disagreeable odor. TJie small quantity of oil flowing 

from the Equitable Mining Company's well at Columbia is also of a very dark color [and is, in its natural 

state, a good lubricant].

Upon exposure to the air these oils gradually lose a large proportion of their contained gases and 

become somewhat thicker and darker. They do not, however, lose their peculiar odor. Kast and 

Lagai attribute the odor of petroleum to the presence of unsaturated.hydrocarbons, while Mabery and 

Smith appear to think it is due to a mixture of bad-smelling compounds, but do not say what may bo the 

cause, although they found unsaturated hydrocarbons in their experiments with the Ohio oils.6 Richardson c also found considerable quantities of unsaturated hydrocarbons in the Beaumont oils.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY.

The specific gravity of the Beaumont petroleum ranges from 0.904 to 0.925, or 25.4° B. to 21.5° B. [The 

early tests of the Sour Lake oil gave it specific gravities of 0.945, 0.958, and 0.963, or 18° B. to 15° B., but 

the oils found later are lighter, and the average gravity of oil from this field is about equal to that of 

the Spindlctop oils. The Saratoga oil has a specific gravity of 0.945, or 18° B. The deeper Batson oil 

has a gravity of 27° or even 28° B. That from shallow wells is heavy.]

A comparison of the specific gravities of the petroleum from various districts of the Coastal Plain with 

those of other well-known fields shows the former to be much heavier than any of the petroleums which 

contain a notable proportion of illuminants. They are, however, in this respect similar to the Calfornia 

oils.' Some of the Mexican oils are also heavier.

Specific gravity of petroleum from various fields.

Pennsylvania <*............................................................................. 0.801-0.817

Ohio (Lima field)d.......................................................................... .810- .860

Kansas ....................................................................^................ .835-1.000

West Virginia^............................................................................. . 841- . 873

Canada (Petrolia field)rf.......................................:..........'.................. .858

Russia (Baku field)d........................................................................ . 859- . 871

Mexico rf..................................................................................... . 874- . 970

Beaumont /................................................................................. . 904- . 925

Wyoming d. ................................................................................ . 912- . 945

California 9....... ........................................................................ .920- .983.

Saratoga (Hooks No. 1) ft................................................................... .937

Sour Lake f................................................................................. .945- .963

Brazoria County, Tex. ft.. .................................................................... .965

Borneo<*.................................................................................... .965

FLASH AND BURNING POINT.

A roughly approximate ratio exists between the specific gravity of any petroleum and its flashing 

point, and as a general rule a low specific gravity accompanies a low flashing point, and while the 

burning point of an oil is usually from 10° to 15° higher than the flashing point, this is not always the 

case. An oil- having a high flashing point always has a high burning point, but, -on the other hand, a 

.high burning point may be accompanied by a low flashing point.'

The flashing test of an oil is made for the purpose of determining the lowest temperature at which it 

gives oft an inflammable vapor, and is the most important test which can be applied to any petroleum, 

since it is to the inflammable vapor evolved at ordinary temperatures that most of the accidents are due.

a Reprinted with slight revision from Bull. U. S:.Geol. Survey No. 212. 

b Am. Chem. Jour., Vol. 16, p. 88. 

0 c Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, vol. 20, p. 693. 

d Redwood, Petroleum and its Products, 1886, vol. 1, p. 178. 

< Hay worth, Mineral Resources of Kansas, 1897, p. 51. 

' /Jour. Soc.'Chem. Industry, vol. 20,.p. 691 et seq. 

. ff Watts, Oil and gas: Bull. Cal. State Mining Bureau No. 19, p. 204.

ft Worrell, analyst, Texas Mineral Survey. 

' < Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, vol. 19, p. 122.
126 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

This point is quite independent of the burning point and depends altogether upon the character and 

amount of the volatile constituents, while the burning point depends upon the character and composition of the oil as a whole.

The presence of the lighter hydrocarbons lowers the Gashing point, since these volatilize more readily 

tL'an the heavier hydrocarbons. The effect of benzine in varying proportions in lowering the flashing 

point, as determined by Wilson," is shown in the following table:

Effect of mixture of benzine on flashing point.

,

Mixed with 

Flashing 

point.

°F. 

 118

112

103

96

83

107

70

Burning 

point.

°F. 

135

129

123

116

102

133

105

Very few tests of the Coastal Plain oils have been made with the view of determining either their flashing point or their burning point, and the few made show very discordant results. The differences are 

probably due, in part at least, to the different length of time during which the various samples had been 

exposed to the air, with consequent evaporation of the more volatile constituents.

Flashing point and burning point of Beaumont oil.

Determined by 

Oliphantd. ............ ............... .... . ..... ...

Flashing 

point.

°F. 

165

110

110

142

180

Burning 

point.

F.

180

181

 200

"Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 31, p. 370. 

t Jour. Soc..Chem. Industry, vol. 20, p. 691.

c Report to Export Oil and Pipe Line Co. 

d Mineral Resources U. S. 1890, p. 580.

It appears from the above that in the use of this oil in its crude state no danger need be apprehended 

from fire due to the generation of inflammable gases if its temperature is kept below 110° F., and that by 

the gradual escape of the lighter hydrocarbons the temperature at which dangerous gases are given off 

rises in a comparatively short time to 180°, or even higher. This conclusion is amply confirmed by a 

series of experiments made by Professor Denton to determine this point.

The physical character of petroleum is more or less affected by low temperatures. Some experiments 

made with the Saratoga oil show that prolonged cold has but a slight effect upon it. A test tube filled 

with the crude oil was submerged in the freezing tank of the Austin Ice Factory for sixteen hours. The 

temperature of the tank at the time of immersion was 22° F., and at the close of the experiment the temperature had risen to 26° F. Another test tube was surrounded by a freezing mixture so as to reduce the 

temperature of the oil to 10° F., and it was kept at this for half an hour. In both cases the oil showed 

only a slight thickening and did not run as freely as at ordinary temperatures. Other experiments 

made by Ledoux, Emery, and Denton have shown that the Beaumont oil remains liquid at 10° F.

The viscosity of the Beaumont oil, according to the Pennsylvania Railroad standard, is 77 seconds 

as compared with 42 seconds for the Pennsylvania and 37 seconds for the Noble, Ohio, oils.

CHEMICAL, PROPERTIES.

Our information regarding the chemical properties of the Texas-Louisiana oils is derived chiefly from 

the work of Messrs. Thiele, Mabery, and Richardson, whose results and conclusions are given below.

oCrewe, PracticaJ Treatise on Petroleum, 1887, p, 359,
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PKOPERTIES. 127

The properties investigated include ultimate composition, volatility, products of fractional distillation, 

viscosity of residues, specific gravity, and refractive index of distillates. For the purpose of comparison, determinations of the same properties in oils from other fields are also inserted.

COMPOSITION.

The ultimate chemical composition of the Beaumont and Sour Lake oils as compared with oils from 

other fields is given below.

Ultimate composition of various oils.

[Percent.]

c... ......................................

11.............:..........................

S.. ......................................

0, N. ....................................

Loss on treatment with excess of HaSC>4 .

Beaumont.

a 85. 03 

12.30 

1.75 

.92 

39

C84.60 

10.90 

1.63 

2.87

 Sour 

Lake.o

85.96 

13.97

Pennsylvania."

86.10 

13.90 

.06

21

Ohio.a

85 

13.80 

.60 

.60 

30

California.''

84 

12.70 

.40 

2.09

a Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, vol. 20, pp. 161 et seq.

6 Salathe. Bull. Cal. State Mining Bureau No. 19, p. 207.

c Kept. Liquid Fuel Board, U. S. Navy, 1902, p. 69.

The sulphur content of the Beaumont petroleum is high and it also carries a large amount of hydrogensulphide gas in solution. This gas largely escapes on standing, and is more completely expelled if air 

or steam is blown through the oil. After such.treatment Richardson found the oil to contain 1.75 per 

cent of sulphur. Mabery found 2.16 per cent; Denton found 1.63 per cent; 0. H. Palm found the Higgins oil to contain 2.4 per cent of sulphur, and A. M. Smoot found the oil from the Lucas well to contain 

2.04 per cent. '.

According to Mabery,a the Ohio oils have 0.50 per cent of sulphur, while the Canadian oils contain, 

according to the'same authority, 0.98 per cent. Orton and Lord* found 0.553 per cent in the Trenton 

limestone oils.

The condition in which this sulphur exists in the petroleum is an important question from the technological standpoint, since it will determine the methods to be adopted for its removal. Considerable 

light is thrown on the question by experiments in the fractional filtration of this oil, carried on by 

Dr. D. T. Day, and described at the Petroleum Congress in Paris in 1900.

The oil from which the hydrogen sulphide had been removed by a current of air was passed through 

a filter made by packing kaolin in a glass tube 19 inches in length. The oil entered the bottom of the 

tube under a head of 56 inches and passed through very slowly, only 5 cubic centimeters having passed 

in the first twenty-four hours.

The color, odor, specific gravity, and sulphur content of the several fractions obtained in this, manner 

are given below.

Filtration products from Beaumont oil. a

Amount 

in c. c.

5

. 21

8

22

10

22

13

20

Color.

.....do............'....

.....do................

.....do................

Specific 

gravity at 

25° C.

0.914

.8755

.8986

. 9038

.9068

.9104

.9115

.9115

Sulphur.

Per cent. 

1.75

.80

.91

1.04

Remarks.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

a Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, vol. 21, p. 317.

On standing for a month of more the denser fractions, and especially the second, deposited beautifully 

regular crystals of sulphur. These could only have been derived either from the decomposition of sulphur compounds while passing through the filter or from sulphur existing as such dissolved in the oil. 

The latter appears the more probable, although further investigation is required to settle the question 

definitely. <*> 

a Am. Chem. Jour. 1891, vol. 13, p. 234.

6 Eighth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2,1889, p. 625.

Bull. 282 06 9
128 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

VOLATILITY.

The volatility of the Beaumont petroleum as compared with oils from Noble County, Ohio, and the 

Pennsylvania pipe lines is shown by Richardson to be as follows:

Relative volatility of Beaumont oil.

110° C. (230° F.), 7 hours...................

162° C. (325° F.), 7hours...................

205° C. (400° F.), 7 hours.. ..................

To constant weight.

162° C. (325° F.) , 70 hours ..................

205° C. (400° F.), 49 hours....... ...........

Sour 

Lake.

Per cent.

35

Beaumont 

No. 1.

Per cent. 

19.19

31:31

57.57

48

a 64

74

Beaumont 

No. 2.

Per cent. ' 20

27

49

48

57

74

Noble 

County, 

Ohio.

Per cent. 

41.2

43

59

48.7

 61

75

Pennsylvania pipe 

lines.

Per cent. 

47.3

58

68

58

671.8

84

« Forty-nine hours. b Forty-two hours.

The distillation as carried on in Engler's flasks gave the following results: 

Distillation of Beaumont oil.

Below 150° C... '.................... per cent.. 

150°-300°C............ ............. '...do....

300°-350° C ............................. .do ....

350°-400° C...... ...................... .do....

150°-300° C. fraction: ' 

150°-260° C ........................ .do ....

Sour 

Lake.

f G.G 

| 6 12. 7 

2.6

Beaumont.

110 

2.5

| 40

20 

25 

10

30

8

7

Ohio.

85 

23

21

21

27 

5

2.5

Pennsylvania.

80 

21

41

14 

23 

1.8

2

California.**

........ 7. 6

14. 2 33. 8 

5.2 6

 a Bull. Cal. State Mining Bureau No. 19, p. 203.

6 Cracking begins. Residue in Sour Lake oil, 78.1 per cent. o 

The percentage, specific gravity, and refractive index of the fractional distillates from the Beaumont 

oil, as determined by Richardson, are as follows:

Fractional distillates.

Do..............................'.....

Do...................................

Do...................................

Do.................'..................

Do...................................

Do...................................

Do...................................

Fractions.

°F.

300-401 

401-441 

441-480 

480-520 

520-559 

'559-002 

392-464 

464-536 

 536-608

°C.

149-245 

205-227 

227-249 

249-271 

271-293. 

293-317 

200-240 

240-280 

280-320

Distilled.

Per cent. 

1 

8.4 

4.4 

10.8 

10.8 

13.1 

13 

8.8 

10.6

 Specific 

gravity at 

26° C.

0.8114 

. . 8408 

. 8569 

. 8705 

.8863 

.9009 

. 9184 

.9349 

.9429

Refractive 

index at 

26° C.

1.459 

1.461 

1.467 

1. 476 

1.485 

 1. 492 

1.505 

1.514 

1.521

Residue, slc>w flow at 70° F.
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PKOPEKTIES. 129

The viscosity of the residues from the open-dish evaporation of the Beaumont oil is as follows:

Viscosity of residues of Beaumont oil. 

7 hours at 205° C. (400° F.) --- --- --.- --- ------ ----- ------" ------ - -- ----- - - - Quick flow.

49 hours at 205° C. (400° F.)........................................................................Solid.

Penetration, 8°-10°.

A similar but softer pitch made by boiling the crude oil for twenty hours iii an open dish hud the 

following properties compared with a D grade residue or paving asphalt from Los Angeles oil:

Cliaractcr of residues of Beaumont and California oils.

..................... ...do.. 

.........................do..

Beaumont.

78°

0. 9943

78.3

84.3

8.7

California.

78°

0. 9964

74.4

81.6

15

Richardson has called attention to the peculiar conditions under which the sulphur exists in the 

Beaumont petroleums and the probability of the presence of free sulphur which might account for the 

variability in character of the product obtained on varying the conditions under which the oil is heated, 

'the amount of hard residue reaching in some cases to no more than 10 per cent and under other conditions to as much as 35 per cent.

Distilled in vacuo at a point where boiling ceased to go on without cracking, one of the samples from 

Beaumont gave distillates better suited for examinations as to the character of the hydrocarbons which 

make up the oil than those from the Engler flasks. Comparisons of the distillates from Corsicana, 

Sour Lake, and California oils show that the Beaumont petroleum is more closely related, as would be 

expected, to the Sour Lake than to the other oils.

 Specific gravity of fractions boiling between 100° and 175° C.

100°-150°.

0. 8037

.8093

.7932

. 9195

150°-] 75°.

0. 8803

.9050

.8187

.9547

The specific gravity and refractive index of the Beaumont distillates as compared with those from 

the Ohio and Pennsylvania oils are shown as follows:

Character of distillates.

Below 150°C. .......................

350° to 400° C .......................

After acid treatment: 

150° to 300° C ...................

Beaumont.

Specific 

gravity.

(a) 

0. 8749 

.9089 

.9182

.8704

Refractive index.

(«) 

1. 473 

1. 501 

1.508

1.473

Ohio.

Specific 

gravity.

0. 7297 

.8014 

1. 8404 

.8043

.8006

Refractive index.

1.412 

1.442 

1.408 

1. 481

1.443

Pennsylvania.

Specific 

gravity.

0. 7188 

.7984 

.8338 

Paraffin.

. 7791

Rjfractive index.

1.415 

1.437 

1.402 

1.470

1.438

a Amount too small.
130 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

The residue after distillation of the Beaumont oil amounting to 9.9 per cent of the original oil, was 

evaporated in an open dish to 6 per cent. It was then a brittle pitch which had the following properties:

Properties of residue after distillation of Beaumont oil. 

Specific gravity................................................................................. 1.0454

Color............................................. ' . ............................................. Black.

Luster. ................................................................. ^-....................... Shiny.

Structure..............................I....................................................... Massive.

Fracture............................................................................. ............................................................................ Conchoidal.

Hardness penetration..........................................................................

Soluble in CS2........................................................................per cent.

Organic insoluble......................................................................... do...

Mineral matter...........................................................................do...

15°

.1 

.1

100.0

Soluble in 88° naphtha...................................................................do.... GO

Proportion of total bitumen...................................................'..:...do.... 60.1

Soluble in 62° naphtha...................................:...............................do.... 64.8

Proportion of total bitumen...................................................... ..."do.... 64.9

Bitumen yields on ignition 

Fixed carbon.......................................................................... do.... 21.13

Volatile hydrocarbon................................................................ do.... 78.

CONSTITUTION.

The chemical constitution of the Texas petroleum has not yet been thoroughly investigated, but 

Richardson and Wallace in the article quoted aboveo reach the conclusion that it contains a large 

proportion of unsaturated hydrocarbons, which are removed by treatment with an excess of strong 

sulphuric acid and washing soda. It also contains members of a hydrocarbon series CnHsn-2, which, 

although saturated, are readily attacked by cold nitric acid. Similar compounds are found in Russian 

and Californian oils and in Trinidad asphalt.

Mabery and Buck 6 have also investigated the constitution of the Beaumont oil and conclude that 

fractions distilling between 150° C. and 300° C. contain hydrocarbons of the series CnH2n-2andCnH'2.n-4.

RESULTS OF REFINEMENT.

The proportions of the several products and by-products obtained by different refineries differ. The 

proportions also differ from one time to another as the processes are gradually improved- and 

adapted to the treatment of the Coastal Plain oils. The following table shows the results obtained 

by the United Oil and Refining Company in 1904:

Products obtained by refinement of Coastal Plain oil.

Product.

Spindletop 

and Sour. 

Lake crude.

Per cent. 

1.8

17.1

15.4

52.2

7.5

Batson 

crude.

Per cent.

6

C

20.4

14.4

46.7

6.0

ASSOCIATED HYDROCARBONS.

NATURAL GAS.

Throughout the whole of the Gulf Coastal Plain, wherever any oil has been found, it is always accompanied by considerable quantities of natural gas; indeed, this form of hydrocarbon is more widely 

distributed than the oil, and at several localities it has been found unaccompanied by oil. Among the 

most remarkable of these gas wells was that at Bryan Heights, Brazoria County. At Big Hill, Matagorda County, gas was also found in enormous quantities and oil was found later a short distance away. 

The gas horizon was struck at 900 to 1,000 feet and the initial pressure was sufficient to blow out tools 

and casing and wreck the derrick. The flow from each of these wells was estimated at from 5,000,000 

to 6,000,000 cubic feet per day. All efforts to control the flow of gas proved unsuccessful and they were

a Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, vol. 20, 1901, p. 693. 

& Jour. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 22, 1900, pp. 553-556.
UTILIZATION OF COASTAL PLAIN OIL. 131

abandoned. The flow at Bryan Heights subsequently stopped and that at Matagorda was greatly 

reduced.

The composition of the gas has not been carefully investigated, but it is known to contain, in addition 

to the light hydrocarbons of ordinary natural gas, a large proportion of sulphureted hydrogen. Hence 

while the gas is inflammable and may be used with advantage under boilers standing in the open, and 

was so used extensively on Spindlctop, it is not suitable for domestic use or where the products of 

combustion would be objectionable. The poisonous properties of the gas from the Spindlctop gushers 

are due in part to the constitution of the gas itself and in part to an admixture of petroleum vapor. 

It is customary among drillers to distinguish between the "poisonous gas" and the "dry gas" which 

is not associated with the oil.

UTILIZATION OF THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN PETROLEUM.

 \

ILLUMINATING OIL.

For several years after the opening up of the oil fields of the Gulf Coastal Plain, it was 

believed that the oil could not profitably be refined and used for illuminating purposes. 

Suitable refining processes were devised later. Before the close of 1904, $8,000,000 had 

been invested in refineries for the treatment of the Coastal Plain oil exclusively. The 

following refineries are in operation:

Refineries treating Coastal Plain oil.

Name of company.

G ulf Reflning Co .....................................

The Texas Co. ......................:................

United Oil and Refining Co. .........................

Location.

Daily 

capacity 

(barrels 

of crude 

oil).

8,000

. 4,500

i nnn

400

inn

The proportions of various products obtained by refining have been given under the 

heading "Physical and chemical properties of the oil." A published statement shows that 

ih 1904 the Gulf Refining Company shipped from Port Arthur refined products as follows:

Oil products shipped by Gulf Refining Company in 1904-

Gasoline.

Barrels. 

10,993

Refined oil...................................................................,......'........... 433,878

Solar oil.'..................................................................................... 1,029,898

Lubricants............................................. r.................................:.... 129,339

Asphaltum oil. 

Asphalt.......

44,990 

22,C60

Total................................................................................... 1,671,758

FUEL. «

THEORETICAL VALUE.

The value of any fuel depends upon several considerations: Commercially, upon its location and 

capability of successfully competing with the other fuels that may be brought into the same market, 

These conditions are largely governed by the cost of production, length of haul, and cost.of transportation and handling. Under certain conditions it may be possible for an inferior fuel to successfully 

compete and even supplant a much higher grade fuel. Thus wood has been enabled in many localities 

to compete successfully with coal. Under similar conditions coal has been enabled to meet the inroads 

of gaseous or liquid fuel in its various forms.

Technically, fuels are graded by the work they will perform. This is determined either theoretically 

from 'the chemical composition or by practical tests, arid the results .obtained by these two methods 

often vary widely. It is a well-known fact that many, if not all, coals have a calculated theoretical 

calorific value much greater than they really possess, as shown in their ordinary use or even as measured 

by a calorimeter.

Reprinted from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.
132 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

In the testing of fuels the heat value as determined by their chemical composition is the best method 

yet devised, at least for comparison of new and untried fuels. By this means their relative value as compared with other well-known fuels may be determined and some idea be gained as to their approximate 

commercial values. By calculating the theoretical heating power various uncertain quantities are 

eliminated, such as style.of and condition of grates, method of setting and form of boiler, draft, and 

a number of other conditions which can not be rendered uniform. In the testing of liquid fuel there are 

the questions of the size and style of burner, quantity of steam or air, or both, admitted to fire box, 

and a number of other practical conditions, all of which have a direct effect on the result and greatly 

complicate the problem.

The theoretical value of any fuel depends upon its constituents and upon their mode of arrangement. 

Carbon and hydrogen are considered the essential heat producers. The other constituents being generally present in small quantities are usually disregarded, with the exception of sulphur and ash. 

Sulphur is generally considered as a deleterious constituent of any fuel, not only on account of its low 

heat power, but also on account of the readiness with which it combines with the metals in the furnace. 

Where fuel is intended for metallurgical purposes it is required to be as free from sulphur and sulphurous 

compounds as possible. «

The ultimate calorific value of Beaumont petroleum as determined by Redwood is 19,388 B. T. U., 

and.as determined by Professor Denton with oxygen calorimeter is 19,000 B. T. U., giving a mean of 

19,224 B. T. U. The calorific value of Pennsylvania and Ohio crude petroleum is about 20,200 B. T. U., 

and that of Baku, Russia, crude about 19,500. It will thus be seen that the calorific value of the Beaumont petroleum compares favorably with that of the best liquid fuels in use.

Liquid fuel, however, requires other qualifications than merely high-heating values. It must be 

safe for transportation, handling, and for storage. Very few petroleums as they come from the well 

have these qualifications. All contain a greater or less percentage of naphtha or some of the lighter 

hydrocarbons which have a tendency to reduce the flash point and make the oil easily inflammable. 

Consequently a liquid fuel to be safe should not contain any of these light inflammable oils, nor should 

it contain naphtha. According to Oliphant, fuel oils should have a gravity of between 20° and 25° B. 

(specific gravity 0.9333 to 0.9032) and a flash test of from 240° to 270° F. The Astatka, or fuel, oils of the 

Russian fields, have a specific gravity of 21° B. (0.928) and a flash point of about 284° F., while those of 

the Eastern Archipelago have a specific gravity of 0.970 and a high flash point.

The effect of a mixture of the lighter oils with the petroleums is the tendency to create an inflammable 

vapor in connection with their storage, which, mixed with air, becomes highly explosive. It has been 

found that a mixture of only 2 per cent of air with this vapor makes an explosive mixture, and that 

upon dilution to 4 per cent or over the mixture is harmless, although still inflammable. .

The few tests of the Beaumont oils have shown them to contain a small quantity of light oil, and to 

have a flash point correspondingly low. The flash point as determined ranges between 110° to 180° F. 

for Beaumont and 244° F. for the oils from the Sour Lake shallow wells.

These oils, however, appear to be very slow in the generation of inflammable gases. Two tanks in 

the Beaumont fields have already been struck by lightning without any explosion or even serious fire 

taking place, and Professor Denton, in a series of experiments, shows that the Beaumont oil does not 

give rise to an inflammable vapor until heated to above 142° F. For complete safety, however, these 

oils should be distilled so as to remove enough of the lighter constituents to bring the flash point up to 

about 240°, although they have been and are now being utilized with apparently perfect safety for fuel 

purposes in their crude condition.

The introduction of earthen and practically open tanks, allowing the lighter products to escape by a 

process of natural distillation, may be expected to'bring them within the safety limits as to flash point 

without further treatment.

PRACTICAL TESTS IN STEAM RAISING.

The most thorough practical experiments, with the view of testing the full value of the Beaumont 

petroleum, have been made by Prof. James E. Denton, of'the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken 

N. J. These tests were made irf the plant of the West Side Hygeia Ice Company, of New York. From 

the data thus obtained it appears that this petroleum has an evaporative power of 15.29 to 15.55 pounds 

of water per pound of oil used. Of the steam generated 3.1 to 4.8 per cent was used by the burner in 

spraying the oil. There was thus left available for use the steam from 14.74 to 15.10 pounds of water 

per pound of oil used. Buckwheat anthracite coal used under the same boilers evaporated from 8.75 

to 9.17 pounds of water per pound of fuel. In other words, Professor Denton has demonstrated that 

in boilers.well proportioned and carefully handled 78.5 per cent of the entire calorific value of the oil was 

made effective. In ordinary practice, without the use of special precautions to guard against waste, 

13 pounds of water should be evaporated by 1 pound of Beaumont petroleum, as compared with G to 6.5 

pounds of water evaporated by the bituminous coals of Indian Territory, 8.7 pounds by Pittsburg 

coal, and 9 by Pennsylvania anthracite.
UTILIZATION OF COASTAL PLAIN OIL. 133

COMPAKATIVE FUEL VALUE OF COAL AND BEAUMONT PETROLEUM.

The relative fuel value of petroleum and various standard coals, may be obtained by comparing the 

amount of water evaporated by 1 pound of the various fuels. Taking 13 pounds as the amount 

evaporated by 1 pound of Beaumont petroleum under ordinary conditions, and 6.5 pounds as the amount

evaporated by southwestern bituminous coal under similar conditions, the ratio g-g is 2! If a better 

grade of coal is used, the ratio will bo smaller. Thus with Pittsburg coal,.which evaporates 8.7 pounds 

of water, the ratio 5-7 would be 1.5. . ....

O- '

The average specific gravity of Beaumont petroleum is about 0.921; so that it weighs 7.C8 pounds to 

the gallon, or about 322 pounds to the barrel of 42 gallons.

Taking the first ratio, 2, obtained above from the comparison of the evaporation by Beaumont 

petroleum and southwestern bituminous coal, it will be seen that 1,000 pounds of petroleum are required 

to do the work of 1 ton of coal of 2,000 pounds; or, since 1,000 pounds are equivalent to 3.1 barrels, 1 ton 

of southwestern bituminous coal may be regarded as having the same fuel value as 3.1 barrels of petroleum. The following table gives the value of Beaumont petroleum for steam-raising purposes compared with two standard grades of coal at prices varying from SI to S7 per ton:

Comparative fuel value of coal and Beaumont petroleum.

Price of southwestern 

coal per 

toil of 2,000 

pounds.

SI. 00

1.25

1.50

1, 75

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

0.00

7.00

Number of 

barrels of 

Beaumont 

petroleum 

to equal 

1 ton of 

coal.

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

3.1

Price ol 

Beaumont 

petroleum 

per' barrel 

to equal 

cost of 1 

ton of southwestern 

coal.

$0. 32

.40

 .49

.57

.65

.80

.97

1.13

1.29

1.45

1.61

1.94

2.22

"Price of 

ordinary 

Pittsburg 

coal per 

ton of 2,000 

pounds.

$1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.25

4.00

4.50

5.00

6.00

7.00

Number of 

barrels of 

Beaumont 

petroleum 

to equal 

l ton of 

Pittsburg 

coal.

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31

4.31.

, 4.31

4.31

4.31

Price of 

Beaumont 

petroleum 

per barrel 

to equal 

cost of 1 

ton of 

Pittsburg 

coal.

SO. 23 '

.30

o .35

.41

.47.

.58

.70

.83

.93

1.05

1.16

1.39

1.62

It should be noted, however, that the conditions under which coal and petroleum are used in ordinary 

practice favor the obtaining of a larger per cent of the theoretical fuel value in the petroleum than in 

the coal. Also a deduction of at least 10 per cent should ordinarily be made from the fuel cost of petro-- 

leum on account of economy in handling the liquid fuel as compared with coal.. Additional benefits 

connected with the use of petroleum are cleanliness, healthfulness, and absence of smoke, which, however, can .not easily be estimated in a money equivalent.

It has been urged that the extremely disagreeable odor of the Beaumont oil will militate against its' 

use as a fuel and that in densely settled districts its use will not be permissible. It may be positively 

stated, however, that when the burners are in good, clean working order no odor whatever can be 

detected from the burning oil, and when it is used in locomotives the absence of dirt and cinders is the 

only noticeable feature.

LOCOMOTIVE TESTS.

As a locomotive fuel, petroleum has many additional advantages over coal. Among the more impor-. 

tant of these are the perfect control under which it is held and its quick response to the great variations 

in demand made upon the boiler. Also in the narrow limits of a locomotive firebox the combustion ie 

much more complete with petroleum than with coal, and a correspondingly larger proportion of ths 

theoretical fuel value is utilized. This may amount to as much as 30 per cent added to the efficiency 

of the boiler. A further great advantage in locomotive use is.that it weighs only 67 per cent as much as 

coal having the same heating capacity.
134 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

Practical tests of Beaumont petroleum have been made by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the 

Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. Both of these roads had already had experience with'California petroleum, and were therefore in a position to carry out their experiments in a practical way. 

According to Mr. Stillman, of the Southern Pacific road, the specific gravity of the oil used was 0.9594 

(16° B.). It had a flash point of 240° F. and fire test of 290° F. The results of the test on this road, as 

compared with coal, are shown in the following table:

Comparative test of petroleum and coal for locomotive fuel.

................. .do....

Petroleum.

224

133

6/C09

755

6,040

74.14

 o3.1

Coal.

224

130

5,980

8,043

55.72

61

a Barrels of 42 gallons. b Ton of 2,000 pounds.

From this test it appears that with petroleum at 30 cents per barrel, which is somewhat above the 

market price prevailing at the time the test was made, coal should be worth only 93 cents per ton; or 

stated in another form, with coal at $3 per ton, petroleum should be worth 97 cents per barrel.

METHODS OF BURNING THE OIL."

Of the numerous styles of. oil burners on the market, practically all consist of various modifications 

of the sprayer. Some of the earlier styles were of a different pattern, but these have been abandoned, 

The burners now in use all work on the principal of spraying or, as some claim, vaporizing the oil by 

the use of steam or air under considerable pressure, working somewhat on the style of a Bunsen burner 

When steam is used it should be taken from the highest part of the boiler and should be dry. It need 

not be superheated as was at one time considered necessary.

When working properly the flame is a clear white with an intense heat, and as the fuel is completely 

consumed no smoke issues from the chimney. When perfect combustion is interrupted by a too rapid 

feed of oil or an insufficient supply of air, an intensely black smoke pours from the stack in great volumes, covering everything it touches with a black greasy soot. Under these conditions the flame 

becomes a dull red, the oil is not consumed, and, although more fuel is used, less work is performed. 

When steam is used in excess the smoke is white and watery owing to the condensation of the steam. 

Under these conditions the fire usually goes out.

In making his experiment Professor Denton used the Williams burner. His arrangements for burning the oil probably represent the best practice yet devised, and, with his modifications of the boiler 

furnace, are shown in figs. 13 and 14.

Four ducts of hollow tile (F, fig. 14) 30 by 6 inches were laid in the ash pit, extending nearly to the 

bridge wall, and the ash-pit door openings closed by brickwork around the outer ends of the tile.

The forward bearer of the grate bars (N, fig. 14) was dropped,.about half of the forward set of bars 

removed, and a course of fire brick (0, fig. 14) laid with fire clay over the whole upper surface of the 

grates, so that air entering through the tile could flow back along the outside of the latter, and then 

around and up between the front end of the grate bars through an area a little greater than that of 

the aggregate cross section of the tiles.

A checkerwork (P, fig. 14) of about 50 loose fire brick was built over the grates, the space back of 

the bridge was filled with ashes (R, fig. 14) flush with, the top of the bridge wall, and a single-course 

floor (Q, fig. 14) of fire brick laid over the ashes.

An iron bar (a, fig. 13) was bridged across the middle of the fire-door opening, and the remainder of 

the latter closed with fire brick (V, figs. 13 and 14) flared on the inside, a small opening (L, fig. 13) 

being left for applying the torch to the burners. Into the iron bar across each door was screwed the 

burner (K, fig. 14).

Oil enters the burner vertically through the opening (b, PI. IX) under control of the cock (c, PI. IX), 

regulated by the handle (d, PI. IX, A and B).

Steam enters the opening (e, PI. IX, A and B) and flows through the conical opening (f), regulated 

by the hand wheel (g), to meet the oil as the latter falls between the vertical flanges (h, B~).

A third opening (i, A and B) in the burner draws air from the back of the furnace through a firebrick duct built on top of the grate and connecting with the bottom side of the latter at its rear, while 

the front end communicates with the iron pipe (M, fig. 13) connected to both burners.

a Reprinted from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL. IX

VERTICAL SECTION THROUGH 

CENTER OF BURNER.

HORIZONTAL SECTION THROUGH 

CENTER OF BURNER.

WILLIAMS BURNER.
UTILIZATION OF COASTAL PLAIN OIL.

A mixture of steam, oil, and heated air is therefore blown out cf the burner, and this is joined by 

the main current of air flowing up around the front end of the grate bars, somewhat heated by its 

passage along the underside of the grate.

OIL TO BURNERS

FIG. 13. Boiler furnace with oil-burning equipment.

FIG. 14. Boiler furnace arranged for burning oil.

The oil was stored in an iron tank (A, fig. 13), 7 feet in diameter by 5 feet deep, sunk in the ground, 

into which the oil is emptied through the pipe (C, fig. 13). The top of the tank was closed, ventilation 

being afforded by the pipe (Y, fig. 13).
136 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

A steam pump (B, fig. 13) drew oil from the tank through the strainer (U, fig. 13) to the burners 

under a head of about 10 feet.

The pump was run constantly and delivered a surplus, which flowed back to the tank through the 

pipe (T, fig. 13).

The oil was prepared with a device o (D, fig. 13) having a piston connecting by a chain with a cock 

(S, fig. 13), which automatically opened when the boiler was not under steam pressure, so that the 

standpipe would be emptied of oil by the latter flowing to the storage tank.

The steam exhaust of the pump passed through the tank by the pipe (Z', fig. 13) and thence to 

the atmosphere. Thereby high cold test oil is kept sufficiently fluid in cold weather to flow freely into 

the strainer, but is not sensibly heated to the touch when it arrives at the burner.

The air entered the ash-pit tile's under the natural draft of the chimney, 70 feet high by 42 inches 

square, connecting to the boiler tested by a 40-inch flue about 30 feet long.

STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATIOIST. >>

During the earlier'days of the Beaumont field the companies owning wells were seriously handicapped 

by the want of means of taking care of the oil or sending it to market. The immense quantity produced was unexpected and no one was prepared to handle it. The companies had no tankage, and 

consequently, although drilling was carried on, and'even stimulated beyond all reason, the wells, as 

soon as determined to be flowing wells, were closed until-such tunes as the owners could make arrangements to dispose of the oil.

The railroad companies were not in a position to furnish cars, and for months looked upon the fields 

as a sort of freak that would soon die, and they considered themselves hardly justified in the purchase 

of new cars to supply the demand. These roads delayed action until several of the larger and wealthier 

companies commenced purchasing individual cars and shipping in that way. These companies own 

over 1,000 cars, and the railroads are now supplying enough additional cars to meet the demand.

[Pipe lines were laid to the coast at Port Arthur and Sabine Pass, and shipments by water were made 

from these ports. At the close of 1904 there were four pipe lines from Spindletop to Port Arthur, three 

to Sabine Pass, and not less than five to-Sour Lake. There were also four lines from Saratoga to Sour 

Lake, two from Batson to Sour Lake, and not less than four between Batson and Saratoga, besides 

several pipe lines connecting'the fields with the railroads at different points. After the opening of the 

Humble field various pipe lines were built connecting it with Houston on the south and Batson on the 

east. The Dayton field is reached by the lines between Humble and Batson. The oil from Jennings, 

La., is conveyed by-three pipe lines to as many different points on the Southern Pacific Railroad or 

by other lines to the bayous, where it is loaded on barges to be taken to the rice-farm irrigating plants 

to be used as fuel for pumping. A fourth pipe line connects the Jennings and Ause la Butte fields with 

a port on Atchafalaya River. The water shipments are mostly coastwise to New Orleans, Baltimore, 

New York, and other coast harbors. Considerable quantities are also shipped to European ports by 

the Shell Transport and Trading Company, which has two steam tank ships of 60,000 barrels capacity 

in the trade regularly.

The tankage in the field to the close of 1904 amounted to about 30,000,000 barrels. The larger 

part of this is in earthen reservoirs which have been found fairly satisfactory and much cheaper than 

steel tanks.] * * * Some of these earthen tanks have nothing done to them beyond excavating to 

the required depth; others are lined with timber, and while some of them are open, others are covered 

with a light board roof.

The capacity of the steel tanks ranges from 10,000 to 55,000 barrels, while the earthen tanks range 

from 25,000 to 350,000 barrels.

For fire protection the steel tanks are surrounded by a moat and embankment, giving a storage 

capacity equal to the full content of the tank. '..

METHODS AND COST OF WELL DRILLING.?)"

ROTARY METHOD.

The rotary method of drilling is the one used almost exclusively hi/the Gulf Coastal Plain oil fields. 

This appears to be a modification of the Fauvelle system, invented in 1845, and used for some tune in 

several of the European oil fields. It is unquestionably the most rapid and economical method where 

the formations to be penetrated are for the most part unconsolidated. The vast amount of drilling 

done in this field since the spring of 1901 and the keen competition among the drillers has brought the 

method and machinery to a high state of efficiency.

The rotary is so entirely different from the old-fashioned cable rig and churn drill that it has been 

thought desirable to insert a brief account of the machinery and method.

o There is a safety device required by western insurance rules.

6 Reprinted with slight revision from Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL. X

A. CHAPMAN ROTARY DRILL.

B. HOISTING AND OPERATING MACHINERY.
METHODS AND COST OF WELL DRILLING. 137

MACIIINEKY AND OPERATION.

There are three styles ol rotary drill in the field, differing slightly in details, but all working on the 

same principle. The fonn in most common use, the Chapman patent, has been taken for illustration. 

A general view of the derrick with machinery in place is shown in fig. 15, the 

rotary in PI. X, A, and the hoisting and 

operating machinery in PI. X, B.

The method consists essentially in rotating a vertical drill rod, through which 

a continuous stream of water is forced 

downward. The drill rod is supported 

by a cable passing from a hoisting drum 

over a pulley at the top- of the derrick 

and thence by block and fall to a swivel 

attached to the top of the drill rod, the 

descent of the latter being controlled by 

the driller by means of a feeding device. 

The lower end of the drill rod is supplied 

with one of several forms of bit, adapted 

to the kind of material being drilled. 

The material loosened by the rotating 

bit is carried upward to the surface by 

the water ascending on the outside. 

This ascending current of water keeps 

the hole clean and allows the drill rod 

to turn freely. It is essential that the 

flow of water should be continuous, and 

a drilling outfit is always supplied with 

two force pumps in order to avoid any 

danger of stopping the flow. If the well 

has passed through a pervious stratum, 

such as a bed of loose sand, the ascending water is liable to pass into that stratum instead of returning to the surface. 

This quickly results in theclogging of the 

hole, and in order to prevent it the water 

which is pumped in is mixed with a largo 

amount of fine clay. By this means the 

outlets through porous beds are sealed 

up, the unconsolidated material forming 

the walls of the hole is prevented from 

caving, and the water returns unimpeded 

to the surface. [The occasional failure to 

obtain a return current is discussed on 

page 122.]

The forms of bits most commonly used 

are shown in PI. XI, A, B, C. The fishtail bit (A~) is adapted to soft materials, 

such as sand and clay. The core-barrel 

bit (B) is better adapted for harder materials, such as very compact clay, indurated sand, etc. Where rock is encountered the ordinary bits make very slow 

progress, and the drilling is greatly facilitated by the use of the adamantine, or 

shot, drill, the cutting being done by a 

quantity of steel shot which revolve under 

the rim of the tube ( C). Some drillers, 

in passing through hard rock, rig up a 

regular churn drill, the cable passing over 

a pulley at the top of the derrick and 

thence down to the engine fly wheel, 

where a turn around the crank pin

gives the required lifting-and-dropping riG_ ls._Derrick with machinery in place, 

motion to the drill.

When everything is ready to begin operations a length of rod with the bit attached is made fast to 

the water swivel and lifted into the derrick. The bit and lower end of the rod are passed through the
138 . OIL FIELDS OF TE^AS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN.

rotary far enough to allow the jaws to be brought together and clamped so as to hold the drill rod 

and rotate it. The driller starts the engine and sets the pump in motion. As soon as the water flows 

freely he slackens the friction and allows the drill to descend.

The force of water, which varies from 40 pounds to 75 or 80 pounds, passing through the rod finds 

its way as jets through two holes, one on either side of the fishtail bit, and washes the freshly loosened 

sa^d'up to the surface through the space between the drill rod and the wall of the well. As the work 

progresses the driller lowers the rod slowly, holding it stationary or letting it descend, according to 

the character of the material through which the bit is working. From this time on the whole responsibility rests upon the judgment of the driller. The drilling crew generally consists of four men the 

driller, two derrick men, and the fireman with a corresponding night shift, as the work proceeds 

night and day.

The work progresses rapidly at first, but becomes slower as the drill goes downward. Great care 

is required to keep the drill in motion and a sufficient supply of water passing through, as a stoppage 

for a short time often '' sticks'' the work, and considerable tune is lost, as the rods and often the casing 

already in place have to be withdrawn from the well.

In starting a well arrangements are generally made for the insertion of a 12-inch casing to begin with, 

and in boring for this size the drill rods are generally made of 6-inch casing with a ISJ-inch bit. This 

sized bit is used to allow the collars at the joints of the 12-inch casing to slide past without damaging 

the wall of the well. The length of 12-inch casing used varies from 500 to 800 feet, depending largely 

upon the nature of the ground and the skill of the driller. The hole is generally left open until the 

whole depth calculated for one string of casing has been drilled. This generally extends until a hard 

stratum is met with, upon which the casing to this depth may stand. When the depth has been 

reached, the drill is withdrawn and the casing set.

Following the 12-inch casing the hole is next drilled for an 8-inch or 9-inch casing. In either case a 

10i-inch bit is used. This 9-inch casing has in several of the Spindletop wells been placed in the oil 

sand. After setting the 9-inch casing the drilling proceeds downward with a 6-irich casing. Occasionally a still further reduction to a 4-inch or even 2-inch becomes necessary.

COST OF DKLLMNG.

The drilling of the well is usually carried on by contract. Some few of the companies own their own 

outfits and drill on the company's account. During the earlier period of the history of the field several 

of the companies bought drilling outfits and erected the derricks. When new companies were rapidly 

springing up, it was usual to find the companies investing money .in drilling machinery, and the alluring sentence that the work had actually been begun on the company's holdings "by the erection of a 

derrick" appears in many of the prospectuses issued at that time. This was chiefly for the purpose of 

inducing people to buy stock. At that time it was also the rule of the company to provide the casing, 

the contractor finding the tools and doing the work. Later the contractor was generally required to 

furnish everything and turn over the well to the company upon its completion. The contract in 

proved territory usually calls for a specified depth, or a good flowing well if found at a less depth.

Prices vary in accordance with the conditions of the contract, but from $4 to $4.50 per foot may be 

considered as a fair average of prices at Beaumont after the early excitement had-subsided, the contractor furnishing all machinery, tools, labor, etc., necessary to drill the well. The company usually 

reserved the right to accept or reject the work upon completion.

The average tune required to drill a well in any of the oil fields when no accident occurs is about two 

months. Several wells on Spindletop have been drilled in less than one month, but the greater number 

of them have occupied between two and three months. The work is often kept up night and day, 

though most of the contractors are content to keep the pumps at -work all night without attempting 

to drill.

FINISHING THE WELL.

. When the well approaches completion, the drill rods are withdrawn and a gate valve fitted to the 

casing in such a way as to permit a rapid closing of the well if desired. When the valve is in position, 

the bit is again lowered and the work proceeds until the oil sands have been reached and penetrated 

to a sufficient depth to insure a flow in the well. The drilling tools are then withdrawn, the water 

bailed, and the well allowed to flow. When a sufficient time has elapsed to allow of the well cleaning 

itself of all loose pieces of rock or gravel, the valve is closed and the well shut in. None of these wells 

has been torpedoed. This method of inducing a flow was tried in one case on Spindletop and the only 

result was a ruined well.

NOTE. In November, 1905, the Mound Oil Company completed a successful well not far from the 

drillings described under " Hoskins Mound" on page 86. By unusual precautions this success was 

secreted for five months, the well being capped and allowed to flow only enough oil to supply fue' 

for drilling other wells. On the basis of these short-time flows it has been reported that the well 

would produce 2,500 barrels daily. The well is 582 feet deep and is said to be finished in " rock" which 

it penetrated a few feet but did not pass through. As no strainer was used it is not improbable that 

the oil comes from a porous limestone. The oil is said to be of a green color and exceptionally low in 

sulphur. Its gravity is 21.5. It is hoped that since the entire mound is in the hands of one company 

composed of experienced oil men the new field will not be " Spindletopped," or wastefully exploited.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 282 PL. XI

A. FISH-TAIL BIT.

B. CORE-BARREL BIT.

C. ADAMANTINE OR SHORT DRILL.

Bull. 282 06 10
INDEX.

A. Page.

Acadla Parish, wells in, rocks in........... 98

Acknowledgments to those aiding.......... 9-10

Alert-well, blow-out in..................... 55

Alum Creek, sour dirt on................... 93

Alvin, Tex., wells near..................... 86

American Mineral Company's well, record of 93-94 

American Oil and Refining Company, wells

of, pressure in.................. 123

Amsterdam, Tex., mound at............... 80

wells at................................. 80

Andrews, Benjamin, well of, rock in....... 35

Anse la Buttc field, Louisiana, description

of./........................... 105-106

development of....................... 105-100

location of.............................. 105

mound in............................... 105

oil of, occurrence of................... 108-100

rocks of .............................. IS, 107

salt in................................ 109-110

structure in............. f.............. 109

surface indications in................. 105,124

wells of. list of.......................... 108

records of........ J............... 106-107

Anse la Butte Oil Company's well, record

of............................. 107,109

Appalachian field, oil of.................... 118

Area transversa, occurrence of............. 14

sp., occurrence of....................... 14

Asphalt, occurrence of.............. 38,77,86,106

Avery Island, Louisiana, structure of...... 16

B.

B. B. B. and C. tract, wells of...........

Balanus, occurrence of...................

Barbers Hill, location of................

mound at...........................

....... 62

....... 14

....... 83

.......' 83

rocks at................................ 17,83

wells at.............'..'.................. 83

record of........................... 83-84

Barrett, C. E., development by ............ 07

Bass & Beckerstein well, salt water in....... 100

yield of........-..-......-.:.......-.... 95

Bates well, rocks in........................ ' 53

Batson, Tex., rocks at..................... 17

well at, fossils from.................:.. 14

Batson field, development of, history of... 48

gas in.................................. 55-56

gypsum in...............:.............. 53

hot water in............................ 120

limestone in............................ 52

limestone, porous, in................... 52-54

limits of................................ 49

location of.............................. 48

Page. 

Batson field, map of....................... 48

mound in, lack of....................... 48

oil-bearing horizons at, rocks cf and

below........................... 52-53

oil of, character of....................... 50-57

occurrence of....................... 55

production of................... 48,56-57

specific gravity of.................. 125

. pyrite in........'....................... 53

rocks of.......I......................... 49-53

' salt water in.......................... 48,120

sand in.:1.............................. 52

structure of............................. 53-54

surface indications in.................. 48

topography of................."......... 48

wells in, list of......................... 52

records of.......................... 49-52

Batson Oil Company's wells,'salt water in.. 55 

Batson Prairie, description of.......:...... 48

Bayou Bouillon, mouth of, gas at...'....... 112

mouth of, wells at, records of......... 112-113

Bayou Mermentau, location and character

of............................... 12

Bayou Vermilion, location and character of 12 

Beaumont clays, character of.............. 15

Beaumont district. See Spindletop field. 

Benzine, effect of on flashing point......... 120

Berthelot, investigations of................ 114

Big Four, well of, record of............. 80,82-83

Big Hill, Jefferson County, Tex., gas at..... 79

limestone at ........................... 79

wells at................................. 78-79

Big Hill, Matagorda County, Tex., area of.. 63 

elevation of............................ 12,63

gas at.................................. 130

location of.............................. 63

rocks at................................ 17^18

See also Matagorda field. 

Big Mound Oil and Gas Company's well,

record of....................... 103

Bits, drilling, views of..................... 138

Black, , on occurrence of pyrite........ 43

B razos River, inouth of, oil at............. 11

Blow-outs, effects of..........:.....,.. 36-37,130

occurrence of.... 30-37,55,60,66,85,88,101,105

source of............................... 31,36

Blue Ridge, Tex., rocks at................. 86

Brice & Bradley well, rocks in............. 53-54

salt water in........................... 55

Brooks well, oil of, character of............ 56

rocks in................................ 53

yield of................................. 48

Bryan Heights, Tex., gas at............... 130

location of.............................. 80

139.
140 INDEX.

ljage. 

Bryan Heights, oil near.................... 11

rocks at................................ 17,87

sea wax near............................ 80

well at, record of....................... 87

fossils from......................... 14

Bryozoan, occurrence of.................... 14

Buck, D. M., on Texas-Louisiana oil....... 130

Buffalo well, rocks in....................... 43

Bullard & Wilson well, rock in............. 85

Burning point of Texas oil, data on....... 125-120

C.

Calcasieu Parish, La., oil in................ 11

Calcasieu River, location and character of.. . 12 

California oil, chemical properties of...... 127-129

Cannon tract, wells on, rock in............. 42,45

wells on, salt water in.................. 47

Cap jock, analysis of....................... 27

thickness and character of............. 20

Carroll well, record of...................... 82

Cartwright wells, rocks in............... 28,35-30

Cavities, occurrence of.........: 27,04-65,122-123

Chapman rotary bit,-view of............... 130

Chemical properties of Texas-Louisiana

oils........................... 127-131

Chicago Crude well, rock in................. 30

Chicago-.Tennings well, record of........ 95,97-98

Choate wells, rocks in...................... 52-54

Church Point, well at,rocks in............. 98

Cibolo River, sulphur spring on............ 93

Clay beds, occurrence of.......:............ 25,

32,42,52,58,98,105,107,110,120,121 

Coal, comparison of fuel value of Texas oil

and........................... 133-134

Coast clays, occurrence and description of.. 10 

Coast prairies, character of................ 10

Columbia sands, character of.............. 15

occurrence of..................... 10,42,52,57

Confederated well, rocks in................. 28

Cooks Mountain beds, character of........ 16

Corbula galvestonensis, occurrence of...... 14

sp., occurrence of....................... 14

Correlation, difficulties of..................... 13,

26,43-44,52-53,65-60,99,109,118 

Coscinodiscus, occurrence of............... 76

Crassatelites alabamiensis, occurrence of... 14

antestriata, occurrence of.............. 14

trapaquara, occurrence of.............. 14

Crassinella galvestonensis, occurrence of.'.. 14 

Crowley Oil and Mineral Company's wells,

records of...................... 96-98

Cypress, occurrence of...................... 12

D.

Damon Mound, Texas, description of......

elevation of............................ 12,89

limestone, porous, at ................... 120

location of.............................. 89

map of................................. 90

materials of............................ 10

rocks at................................ 17-18

sour dirt at............................ 89

structure of............................ 16

wells at, records of..................... 89-91

Damon Mound Oil and Pipe Company's well,

record of....................... 90-91

Page. 

Day, David T., distillation by............. 127

Dayton Hill, Tex, description of........... 85

gas and oil at........................... 85

location of.............................. 12

production of.......................... 85

rocks at................................ 17-18

salt at................................... 85

Dean well, rocks in......................... 65

Denton, J. D., on Texas-Louisiana oil. 126-127,132 

Denver-Beaumont Oil, Tank, and Pipe Line

Company's well, rocks in. 22-25,34-36 

Diatom wax, manufacture of..............' 70

Diatoms, oil from...................... 75-77,114

Dosiuia, occurrence of...................... 14

Drainage, character and age of............. 12

Drilling. Sec Wells, drilling of.

Drills, view of.............................. 138

Dullnig, George, wells of................... 92

E.

Echols Ridge, location of.................. 67

Elevations in Gulf Coastal Plain........... 12

Sec also Topography. 

Emery, on Texas oil....................... 126

Eocene deposits, character of....'.......... 14-10

fossils of................................ 14

occurrence of........................... 69

Equitable Mining Company, oil of, character of......................... 125

Erosion, evidence of................. 39,57,94,105

Eustis, Allan, analyses by................. 112

Export Oil and Pirjo Line Company, wells

of, salt water in.......:.......-. 37

F.

Fannett, Tex., wells near.................. 79

Fayettc sands, character of................ 15-10

Filtration products of Texas oil........... 127

Flashing point of Texas oil, data on...... 125-126

Formations, grouping of, in zones.......... 13,18

See also individual fields. 

Fossils, occurrence of...................... 13-10

Frio clays, character of.................... 15

Fuel, theoretical values of................ 131-132

use of oil as................... 95,105,131-134

G.

Galveston well, fossils from ............... 13-14

record of ............................... 13-14

water of................................ 120

Gas, character of.................. 37,101,121,130

escape of........ 18-19, 36, 47, 55, 57, 60, 00-07,

09, 85,82,93,101,100,110-111,123-124 

effect of.......... 30-37,55,60,66,85,88,101,105

'expansion of, flow of oil due to........ 117

pressure due to..................... 123

occurrence of................ 36-37,47,55-56,00,

60-67,78-79,85-87,92,101,130-131

relations of oil and salt water and. 110-117,121

figure showing^.................... 117

sources of........................... 36-37,60

utilization of........................... 66

Gas expansion theory of oil flows.......... 117

Gas mounds. See Pimpled-plains.

Gassed eyes, occurrence of................. 37
INDEX. 141

Page. 

Geology of region, study of.............. 11,13-18

See also individual fields.

German-American Oil Company, well of... 78 

Geyser-Kaltenbach well, materials in...... 24,25

Gilbert well, opening of.................... 39

rocks in................................ 43-44

salt water in........................... 47

yieldof. ." _: ^ :. - ,_ - ......... _45

Gladys City, wells in, rocks in....... 28-29,33-34

Gladys we'iis, rocks in..".............. 2S-29,33,35

Grand Chejiier. La-, elevation of........... 12

Gravels, _>ccurrence of.'. 24-25,42,52,58,98,107,110

Great Western Company, well of, drilling of. 38

hot water in............................. 47

rocks in................................ 43

Greer wells, yield of... .a.................... 62

Griffith well, blow-out in. ^-................ 66

gas of....-..--.--..-.-....--.------...- 66

rocks in.......... .. .................... 65

yield of.......... .^.. ................... 66

Guarantee well, hotxwater in............... 100

record of ....;........... ................ 96

Guffey (J. M. ) Petroleum Company's wells,

drilling by...................... 39,57

records of..................... 41, 49-51,89-90

rocks in............................. 44,53,82

Gulf Coast Refining Company, refinery built

by.............................. 38

Gulf Coastal Plain, artesian wells in....... 123

counties and parishes in................ 11

description of.......................... 10

drainage of............................. 12

elevations on........................... 12,67

geology of.............................. 13-18

study of............................ 11

location of.............................. 10,11

map of, showing location of oil fields... 14 

mounds of.............................. 12

origin of................................ 10-11

section of............................... 15-16

sediments of............................. 13

stratigraphy of......................... 13-16

timber of............................. 9,12-13

topography of............................ 11-13

Gulf of Mexico, mud of, oil from........... 74-77

"oil" ponds in.......................... 74-75

location of, map showing........... 74

Gulf Refining Company, oil shipments of.... 131

Gumbo, definition of........'............... 25

See also Clay beds. 

Gypsum, occurrence of.................... 10-17,

30-32,43,53,82-83,85,87-91,110-111,120 

origin of................................ 121

' H.

Hackberry Island (Louisiana), elevation

of.............................. 12,111

gas at.................................. Ill

rocks of................................ 17,111

structure of............................ 16

well at, record of... ................... 112

Hager, Lee, map by........................ 15

on oil fields............................ 30,120

Hamil, A. W., on oil-bearing limestone..... 28

Hamil, James, well of, rock in.............. 42

Hamilton-Prince well, rock in.............. 35-36

' Page. 

Hampshire, Tex., well at. .................. 79

Harper well, -rock in......... . ......'... 65

Harris, G. D., section by. ........-.----- 13

Hart, George, drilling by ..........----- --- ~^7~

Hayes, C. W., on Texas-Louisiana oil

fields.....-.....--.-.--.------ 9,30,37

sections by. .......----------- ------- - 1*

Hebert tract, wells of, rocks in .............. 35

Herndon we!!, record_pf . . __ ............... 90-91

Heywood wells, records of. .........".: .-. ^^,^ 1^

rocks in.. ........................ 24,29%30,lll9

yield of .......... 7. .................... 37, 106

Higgins, Pattillo, development by.. ........ S3

location of oil by ....................... 19

Higgins Oil and Fuel Company, development by. .......... ........:.-^.. 67, S3

wells of, hot water in................. .. 47

oil from, composition of. .... - .". - - - 127

_ records of. .............. 19-22, 40, 49,83-84

" rocks in. . 19-22, 2<P25, 2S-4U , 33-33, 49, 53, 65 

salt water in ............. i ......... 37, -55-

Higgins-Parafine well, drilling of ------ i - - - 85

High Island, Tex., elevations of. '-,_...---.. 12 

location c*. ............................. 79

map of. ............................ - - 81

mineral water at ................

analyses of ..................

mound at .......................

rocks of. .........................

sulphur at. ......................

wells at ..........................

records of. ...................

Hilgard, E. W., on Gulf Coastal Plain 

Hill, R. T., on occurrence of oil. .....

on origin of coast prairies......;

Hogg-Swayne tract, wells of, rocks in. ..... 34-35

wells of, salt water in .................. 37

Hooks well, pressure in ..................... 123

Hopkins, F. V., on Gulf Coastal Plain.. .... 11

theories of ..............................

Hoskins Mound, Texas, description of. ....

gas and oil at ..........................

Houston, Tex., wells near. ..................

Hughes well, salt water in. .................

Humble field, blow-outs in. ................

development of, history of ............. 67-68

elevation of ............................ 67

gas in.................................. 67-68

limestone, porous, in ................... 68

location of .............................. 67

oil-bearing horizon in, depth to ........ 68

oil in, production of .................... 67-68

rocks of. ................................ 68-69

salt water in. ........................... 67

surface indications of .................. 67

.wells of, records of ..................... 68

Hunt, Sterry, theory of .................... 114

Hydrocarbons, associated, character of. . 130-131 

Hydrogen, sulphureted, escape of ...... 18-19, 124

occurrence of .......................... 37, 121

Hydrostatic theory of oil flows. ............ 117

I.

Impervious cover, lack of continuity of. ... 118

necessity for. ........................... lie

See also Strata.

115

86

86

86

55

67
142 INDEX.

Indications of oil, character of..........

occui-ence of............... IS, 38,48,57,67,69,

72-73,78,92,94-95,105,110,118,123-124 

Io«~..-Beaumoiit wells, rocks in......... 28-,30,31

Iron oxide, misleading evidence from...... 124

j.

Jasper County, Tex., oil-indications in..... 72-73

saline in.-. '.''.... .... .,--r-.-.:-..."..... 72-73

Jennjngs f.o'nl, Louisiana, access to......... 95

clay .in.................................. 98

development of, history of............. 94-95

gas in................................. 94,101

gravel, in............................... 98

limestgne in............................. 98

hot water in............................ 120

limfts of.....-.......---..,.-.....-....,. 101

location of.............................. 94

map of................................... 94

oil of, charapter ot.............. I.. 95,100,125

depth to........................... 99-100

0(Vurrence of...................... 99-100.

production of.......................... 95

pyrite in._...................... J........ 98

rocks^if................................. 95-99

^saJf^ater in.......................... 100-101

sand in................................. 98

surface indications in.............'..... 94-95

topography of.......................... 94

wells of, depth of....................... 130

list of............................. 101-102

records of........................... 96-97

Jennings Oil Company, development by.... 94-95

wells of, rocks in....................... 98

Johnson well, rocks in...................... 65

Jones, H. H., record by.................... Ill

Jumbo well, rock in........................ 31

K.

Kast and Lagai, on Texas-Louisiana oils.... 125

Kennedy,'William, map of .............. 42,52,57

on Texas-Louisiana oil fields...... 9,30,37,79

sections by............................. 14-16

work of.........................^....... 11

Kiser Hill, location of...................... 88

oil at................................... 88.

rocks at................................ 17

wells at, records of..................... 88-89

Kraemer and Spilker, on origin of petro-

. . leum............................. 75-76

L.

Lafayette sands, character of.............. 15

occurrence of....................:...... 10

Lagai and Kast, on Texas-Louisiana oils. . 125

Laguna de la Madre, filling up of........... 11

Lake well, depth of......................... 106

Landrum, J. P., well of.................... 79

Landry wells, salt water in ................ 47

Lane well, rocks in......................... 65

Larumpe River. See Bayou Bouillon.

Ledoux, on Texas oil....................... . 126

Leona River, oil wells on................... 92

Libby Oil Company, well of................ 48

Lignite, occurrence of ...................... HI

Lignitic formation, character of........... 16

Page. 

Limestone, character of.................... '16,25

occurrence of .. 13,16-17,25,32,42,52,58,64,107 

Limestone, porous, analysis of............. 27

cavities in........................... 27,64-65

character of............. 26-29,44-45,53-54,65

depth to.................... 27,34-35,53-54,66

occurrence of..............'....... 26,32-33,

__ ,. *>-** ^ fi4-t?s8 rc§.'6,L'ct91,98,119-120 

oil from....._^26-28,31,"33,42-43. 45,55,66,68

origin of..........:.:~............. \.... 121

porosity of.......__............ (..... 27

reservoirs in.........................--- 119

Locomotive tests of oil, results of........ 133-134

Lone Acre well, rocks in.................... 35-36

Lord, N". W., on oils......................... 127

Louisiana, oil fields of, review of.......... 94-113

oil production of.,...................... 94-95

streams in, character of................ 12

Louisiana-Texas Oil Company, wells of.... Ill

wells of, record of...." \................ 112

Lubricating Oil Company, de^ek>pment by. 69 

Lucas, development by...... - x ......... 19

well of, materials in..................... 24-25

oil of, composition of............... 127

M:

Mabery, C. F., on Texas-Louisiana oils... 125-130 

McFadden well, -blow-out in/............... 37

rocks in.................... 28,30-31,33,35-36

salt water in........................... 37

yield of.............................. 37,105

Mactra sp., occurrence of................... 14

McGee, W J, on coast clays ..... .......... 10

McGowan, T. R., development by.......... 85

Magnolia grandiflora, occurrence of........ 12-13

Map of Anse la Butte field................. 108

of Batson field......................... 48

of Coastal Plain........................ 14

of Damon Mound....................... 90

of High Island ......................... 81

of Jennings field ......................... 94

of Matagorda field...................... 63

of Nacogdoches County................ 70

of Sabine Pass......................... 74

of Saratoga field....................... 59

of Sour Lake field...................... 38

of Spindletop field...................... 22

of Welsh field.......................... 104

Marshall wells, salt water and gas in....... 56

Mary Ellen well, rocks in................... 54

Mast Creek, wells on....................... 70

Matagorda field, blow-outs in.............. ' 66

development of, history of-............. 63

dome in, height of.......;.............: 66

gas in ...............- .---..-..--.-...-- 66

hot water in'............................ 120

limestone in..'.......................... 64

limestone, porous, in............... 64-65,120

location of............................. 63

map of................................. 63

mound in..............-....:...:....... 63,65

oil-bearing horizons in, rocks at....... 64-65

rocks below........................ 65

oil of, production of..................... 67

pyrite in. ............................... 64

rocks of............................. 17,64-65
INDEX. 143

Page. 

Matagorda field, salt water in.............. CO-67

sand in.................................. 64

structure in............................ 65-66

sulphur in.............................. 65

wells of................................. 63

list of............................... 67

records of.......................... 64

See also Big Hill (Matagorda County). 

Maxwell & Sherwood well, record of...... 112-113

Melosira, oil from.......................... 76

McndeljefE, D., investigations of............ 114

Metropolitan well, blow-out in............. 105

Metz, A. L., analyses by.................... 112

Milhome tract, development of............. 49

Miocene deposits, character of.............. 14-15

fossils of..........'...................... 14

Montegut, La., well at, fossils from........ 14

Moonshine Company's wells, salt water in. 55 

Moresi well, record of.................... 107,109

Morning Star well, blow-out in............. 85

Mounds, absence of........................ 39,48

evidence of............................. 124

materials of............................ 16-17'

occurrence of. 12,18,63,65,79,83,86,89,102,105 

origin of................................ 10-11

relation of oil pools and............. 18-19,53

rocks of............................. 16-17,53

water in, movement of................ 120-121

Mount Selinan beds, character of.......... -16

Mud volcanoes, occurrence of........... 72-73,91

Mulcahy well, rocks in..................... 90

Mulinia, occurrence of...................... 14

lateralis, occurrence of................. 14

Myers well, rocks in...................... 108-109

N. 

Nacogdoches County, Tex., map of ."....... 70

oil in................................... 69-71

Nacogdoches field, development of......... 69

location of................:..........». 69

map of.................:............... 70

rocks of................................ 69

similarity of Saratoga field and........ 57

similarity of Sour Lake field and....... 38

surface indications in.................. 69

well in, record of....................... 71

Nassa acuta, occurrence of..............'... 14

beaumontensis, occurrence of.......... 14

Natica tuomeyi, occurrence of............. 14

National Oil and Pipe Line Company well,

rocks in............... 24,28-29,33-34

Navicula, oil from..................."....... 75-76

Newton County, Tex., oil in............... 11

0.

Odor of Texas-Louisiana oil, cause of...... 125

Ohio oil, chemical properties of........... 127-129

Oil, Texas-Louisiana, accumulation of.. 115-116,

118-120 

burning of, methods of............... 134-136

character of............ 38,48,62-63,69,125-131

comparison of fuel value of coal and..... 133

cost of................... A ........... 133-134

distillation of........................ 128-130

filtration products of................... 127

flash and burning point of ....... 125-126,132

Page 

Oil, Texas-Louisiana, flow of, cause of..... 117

fuel value of.......................... 132-133

geologic relations of............... 31,117-124

indications ,of................. 18,38,48,57,67,

69,72-73,78,92,94-95,110,118,123-124 

movements of........................ 118-119

occurrence of, conditions of, in TexasLouisiana field............... 117-124

conditions of, in Appalachian field .. 118 

odor of, cause of........................ 125

origin of.............................. 114-115

production of........... 37-38,47-48,56-57,67

properties of......................... 125-131

refinement of........................... 130

relations of gas and salt water and.. 116-117,

121, 122 

figure showing..................... 117

reservoirs of....................'...... 119-120

safety of......'......................... 132

seepage of, evidence of.................. 123

shipments of....:...................... 131

specific gravity of..'.................... 125

specimen yields of... 37,45,48,62,67,88,95,105 

storage and transportation of......... 136

utilization of............:......... 95,131-136

viscosity of........................... 126,129

volatility of............................ 128

See also Petroleum. 

Oil, illuminating, manufacture of.......... 131

Oil, lubricating, occurrence of...... 69,92,100,110

Oil-bearing rock. See Limestone, porous.

Oil fields, previous knowledge of........... 10-11

recent work in.......................... 9

Oil furnace, figures showing................ 135

" Oil" ponds, character of.................. 74-75

location of, map showing.............. 74

origin of................................ 74-77

Oil Spring, oil in........................... C9

wells near............................. 70

Oliphant, F. H., oil statistics of........... 47.

on oils as fuel.......................... 132

Olivella mutica, occurrence of.............. 14

Orange, Tex., development near........... 77-78

sand near...........:.................. 78

Orange County, Tex,, oil in................ 11

Organic matter, decay of, oil from......... 74-75

Orton, Edward, on petroleum............. 127

theory of............................... 114

Ostrea virginica, occurrence of............. 14

sp., occurrence of....................... 14-15

Ottine, Tex., gas and oil near. .............. 92

location and description of............. 91

mud volcanoes near.................... 91

wells near.............................. 92

Ottine Oil Company,drilling by............ '92

Otto, J. A., wells of........................ 92

Ozocerite, manufacture of.................. 76

P.

Palm, 0. H., on Texas oil...... ,........... 127

Parafline Oil Company, wells of L ........... 48

wells of, oil of.......................... 56

rocks in............................ 53-54

Peckham, S. F., on Texas oil.............. 11

theories of............................... 114

Pecten, occurrence of............ '............ 14
144 INDEX.

Page.

Pennsylvania oil, chemical properties of.. 127-129 

Petroleum, existence of, knowledge of..... 11

origin of................................. 75-76

See also Oil, Texas-Louisiana. 

Petroleum Prospecting Company, development by........................ 69

Phillips, W. B., on Sabine Pass oil ponds.. 74-75 

Pierce Junction, wells near................. 85

Pimpled plains, description of............ 12,124

evidence from............. .' :. .......... 124

location of.............................. 18

Pine, occurrence of......................... 13

Pipe lines, construction of................. 136

Pipkin well, record of...................... 93-94

Pleistocene deposits, character of.......... 15

Pleurosigma, oil from...................... 75-76

Pliocene deposits, character of............. 14-15

fossils of............................... 14

Porosity of limestone, estimate of......... 27

Port Arthur, Tex., oil near.......;........ 11

well near................................ 78

Port Arthur Oil Company, well of......... 78

Port Hudson formation, occurrence of.... 94,107

Post-Pliocene deposits, character of....... 14

fossils of................................ 14

Prather well, salt water in................. 55

Pressures in oil wells....................... 123

Producers Oil Company, development by.. 57

wells of................................. 95

Production in various fields................ 27,

37-38,47-48,56-57,67 

Putnam well, depth of..................... 92

Pyrite, ir.on, occurrence of................. 31,

43,53,64,69,85,87,98-99 

R. 

Ralph well, data on........................ 73

Rangia cuneata, occurrence of............. 14-15

Recent deposits, character of.............. 15

Redwood, Boverton, on Texas oil.......... 132

Reed well, record of......................:. 87

Refineries, location of............'.......... 131

Relief of Gulf Coastal Plain................ 12

See also Elevations. 

Reservoirs, oil, occurrence of.............. 119

See also Limestone, porous; Sands. 

Rhoicosigma, occurrence of................ 76

Richardson, Clifford, on Texas-Louisiana

oils........................... 125-130

Rio Bravo Oil Company, development by.. 86

well of, blow-out in.................... 60

Rodgers tract, wells on, sand in........... 42

Ross, O. C. D.1 , theories of................. 115

S. 

Sabine, Tex., oil at, origin of............... 75

Sabine Bank, materials of.................. 11

origin of............................... 10

Sabine Pass, oil ponds near................ 74-77

oil ponds near, location of, map showing 74

wells near.............................. 77-78

Saline, occurrence of....................... 72-73

Salt rock, occurrence of ................... 16-18,

31-32, 43,53,85-86,109

origin of................................ 121

Salt Islands, rocks at... .^................ 18

Salt water. See Water, salt.

Page. 

San Antonio, Tex., wells near.............. 92

San Augustine County, Tex., wells of, records of......................... 72

San Jacinto well, pressure in............. . 123

Sand gusher, view of....................... 104

Sands, distribution of, figure showing..... 67-119

occurrence of.......................... 11,

24,32,42-43,52,58-60,64,91,98,107 

oil from.......................... 31,36,38-39,

45-46,55,68,85,95,99,105,108-109,119 

Santa Fe wells, records of.................. 72

wells in.............................. 52,58,65

Saratoga field, area of...................... 62

blow-outs in............................ 60

development of, history of............. 57

gas in.................................. 60

hot water in............................ 120

limestone in............................ 58

location of.............................. 57

map of................................. 59

mound at, lack of...................... 57

oil of, character of.................. 62-63,125

chemical properties of...........: 127-130

depth to............................ 60

occurrence of....................... 60-62

production of................... 57,62-63

specific gravity of.................. 125

pyrite in................................

rocks of................................ 57-60

salt water in........................... 62

sand in................................. 58

distribution of, figure showing..... 61

similarity of Nacogdoches field and..... 57

surface indications in.................. 57

 topography of.......................... 57

water in................................ 62

wells in, list of......................... 58

records of..........................

Savage Brothers, oil found by............. 38,57

Sea floor, slope and character of........... 11

Sea slime, oil from .......................... 76

Sea wax, evidence from.................... . 124

occurrence of........................... 77,86

Searle well, record of........;.............. 73

Seeschlick, oil from......................... 76

Sharp, W. B., well of, opening of........... 39

yield of................................. 45

Shelbourne well, record of.................. 113

Shell beds, occurrence of................ 25,64,99

Shoestring district, oil in................... 46

Skillern well, record of ........'........>.... 71

Smith, A. W., on Texas-Louisiana oils..... 125

Smith, George E., springs of............... 79

Smoot, A. M., on Texas oil................. 127

Solen sp., occurrence of...................... 14

Sour dirt, occurrence of.................... 89,93

Sour Lake field, Texas, access to .......... 38

development of, history of............. 38-39

gas in.................................. .47

gypsum in.............................. 43

hot water in........................... 47,120

limestone in............................ 42

limestone, porous, in .................... 42-43

locatioirof.............................. 38

map of................................. 38

mound at. absence of................... 39
INDEX. 145

Page. 

Sour Lake field, oil-bearing horizons of,

depth to........................ 44

oil-bearing horizons of, rocks at and

below........................... 42-43

oil of, character of...................... 48

chemical properties of............ 127-130

depth to............................ 44

flash and burning point of......... 132

geologic position of................. 45

production of.................... 39,45,47

sources of.......................... 45--4C

specific gravity of.................. 125

pyrite in................................ 43

rocks of.......................... 17-18,40-43

salt water in....................... 40-47,120

sand in................................. 42-43

similarity of Nacogdoches field and..... 38

structure of............................ 43-45

surface indications in..................38,124

topography of ........................... 39

wells of.............................. 40-42,47

list of..........................'..... 41

records of.......................... 40,42

yield of............................. 45,47

Sour Lake Oil Company, well of, rocks in... 43 

Sour waters, evidence from................ 124

' occurrence of......... 19,38,57,09,72,79-80,93

Southern Oil and Drill Company, wells of,

records of................... 22,24,25

wells of, rock in........................ 35

Southern Oil Company, development by... 95 

Southern Pacific well, yield of.............. 105

Specific gravity of Texas-Louisiana oils.... 125

Spilker and Kraemer, on origin of petroleum 75-70 

Spindletop field, area of.................... 18

clay beds in............................ 25

development of, history of............. 18

fire in, view of.............:............ 30

gas in............................ 18-19,30-37

dome of, dimensions of................. 35

structure of........................ 34-35

gravel in............................... 24-25

gypsum in.............................. 30-31

limestone in............................ 25

limestone, porous, in.................. 20,120

map of................................. 22

oil-bearing horizons at, depth to....... 33

occurrence of....................... 28,33

rocks above........................ 24-20

rocks at............................ 20-32

rocks between ..................... 28

rocksninder........................ 28-29

oil of, accumulation of.................. 119

1 character of................... 38,125-130

depth to............................. 24

flash and burning point of....... 120,132

geologic position of................. 31

production of................... 27,37-38

specific gravity of.................. 125

pyrite in................................ 31

rocks of............................. 14,24-32

age of.............................. 20

salt water in........................... 37

sand in................................\ 24

section of............................... 32

figure showing..................... 32

Page. 

Spindletop field, shell beds at.............. 25

structure at........................ 33-30,119

sulphur at.............................. 29-30

surface indications in.................. 18

topography of.......................... 18

wells at, fossils from................... 14

views of................................ 30,30

wells of................................. 19

list of............................... 23

records of.......................... 19-23

rocks of............................ 24-32

Spindletop mound, area of................. 18

elevation of............................' 18

location of.............................. 18

origin of............................... 18,119

rocks at................................ 16-18

structure of ........................ 16,33-30

State Land well, rocks in.................. 53

Steam-raising tests of Texas oil.......... 132-133

Still well Company, development by........ 77-78

Strata, irregularity of, effect of......... 118-119

irregularity of, effect of, figure showing. 119 

See also Impervious cover. 

Stratigraphy of region, description of...... 13-16

Streams of Gulf Coastal Plain, age of...... 1.2

Structure, geologic, in difFerent fields, accounts of. 10,33-36,53-54,65-00,109,119 

Sulphur, evidence from..................... 124

geologic position of..................... 17,30

occurrence of.........................'. 10-17,

19,29-30,38,53,05,80,87-91,110-110 

origin of................................ 121

Sulphur, La., mines at, rocks at............ 17

sulphur at, mode of occurrence of...... 30

Sulphureted hydrogen. See Hydrogen, sulphurated. 

Sun well, blow-out in...................... 85

Superior well, salt water in................ 100

Surface indications of oil. See Indications

of oil.

Sutherland Springs, Tex., oil and gas near. 92-93 

wells near, record of.................... 93-94

T.

Tankage, amount of....................... 130

.Tar springs, location of.................... 73

oil indications at....................... 124

Taylor, N. A., on Texas oil................. 11

Taylor-Dayton well, rocks in.............. 85

Texas, coast of. character of............... 10-11

oil fields of, review of......'............. 18-94

streams in, character of................ 12

Texas Company, wells of............... 39,78,102

wells of, pressure in.................... 123

rocks in............................ 43-44

Thiele, F. C., log by ........................ 73

on porous limestone.................... ' 20

on Texas-Louisiana oil................. 120

Timber, occurrence of...................... 12-13

Topography of region................... 12,18,39

Tornatina canaliculata, occurrence of...... 14

Torpedoes, effect of........................ 138

Trans-Mississippi well, pressure in......... 123

Trembly wells, rock in..................... 35

Turbonilla sp., occurrence of............... 14

Turner, H. J., on Gulf of Mexico mud...... 75-77
146 INDEX.

U. Page. 

Utriculus canaliculatus, occurrence of..... 14

V.

Vinton Mound, description of.............. 110

, location of.............................. 110

rocks of............................ 17,110-111

surface indications at.................. 110

wells of................................. 110

Vinton Oil and Sulphur Company's well,

flow of.......................... 110

Viscosity of Texas oil...................... 126

Wallace, E. C., on Texas oil................ 130

Water, fresh, occurrence of................. 62

Water, ground, movements of ........... 120-121

salinity of.............................. 120

Sec also Water, salt, 

temperature of......................... 120

Water, hot, occurrence of. 47,56,62,66,100,113,120 

Water, mineral, occurrence of........... 38,79-80

Water, salt, freaks of............ 37,46-47,68,100

invasion of.........................:... 37,

40-48,55-56J 62,G6-68,100-101,105 

occurrence of................. 109, 111, 113,120

relations of oil and gas and .. 116-117,121,122 

figure showing/.................... 117

replacement of......................... 120

Water, sulphur, occurrence of........... 66,85,93

Watz, A. L., on sea wax................... 77

Wax, diatom, manufacture of.............. 76

Wells, air lift in............................ 123

blow-outs in..... 36-37,55,60,66,85,88,101,105

dropping of tools in.................. 122-123

drilling of, cost of........... . .......... 138

machinery for.................... 137-138

figures showing.......... 136,137,138

methods of....................... 136-138

independence of.........;.............. 122

lists of................ 23,52,58,67,101-102,108

loss of water in......................... 122

pressures in............................ 123

records of....................... 13-1.4,19-32,

40-41, 49, 51, 64,67-68,71-73,78,80,82-84,

87-89,91,93-94,96-97,101-103,107,112-113

records of, collection and study of..... 9,11

Page. 

Wells, rocks in.......................... 24-31,52

specimen yields of...................... 37,

39,45,47-48,62,66-67,88,95,105 

Welsh field, Louisiana, blow-outs in....... 105

description of.................'........- 102

gas of.................. .............. 105

limits of................................. 102

location of.............................. 102

map of................................. 104

mound in............................... 102

oil of, depth of......................... 105

salt water in.......................:... 105

sand in................................. 105

sand gusher at....'..................... 104

surface indications in.................. 105

wells in, depth of....................... 102

list of............................... 103

records of........................... 103

Welsh Oil and Land Development Company, well of, blow-out of...... 105

well of, record of....................... 103

yield of............................. '105

Westheimer well, record of................. 68

Wilkins well, yield of....................... . 95

Williams burner, description of.......... 134-136

figures showing........................ 134

Wills Point clays, character of............. 16

Wing wells, rocks in........................ 52,54

salt water and gas in................... 56

Winnie, Tex., well at....................... 79

Wirt Davis tract, wells on, rocks in........ 43-44

wells on, salt water in.................. 46-47

yield of............................. 39

Wohlfahrt, R., wells on land of............ 92

Worrell, S. H., analysis by................. 27

Y.

Yegua clays, character of.................. 16

Yellow Pine wells, pressure in.............. 123

rocks in.......................... 28-29,33-34

salt water in........................... 37

z.

Zones, division of formations into ... 13,18,58-60 

relative succession of................... 18
CLASSIFICATION OF THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL

SURVEY.

[Bulletin No. 282.]

The serial publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual 

Reports, (2) Monographs, (3) Professional Papers, (4) Bulletins, (5) Mineral 

Resources, (6) Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers, (7) Topographic Atlas of 

United States folios and separate sheets thereof, (8) Geologic Atlas of the United 

States folios thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 are sold at cost of publication; the others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists may be had on 

application.

Most of the above publications may be obtained or consulted in the following ways:

1. A. limited number are delivered to the Director of the Survey, from whom they 

may be obtained, free of charge (except classes 2, 7, and 8), on application.

2. A certain number are delivered to Senators and Representatives in Congress, for 

distribution.

3. Other copies are deposited with the Superintendent,of Documents, AVashington, 

D. C., from whom they may be had at practically cost.

4. Copies of all Government publications are furnished to the principal public 

libraries in the large cities throughout the United States, where they may be consulted by those interested.

The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of 

subjects, and the total number issued is large. They have therefore been classified 

into the following series: A, Economic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, Systematic geology and paleontology; D, Petrography and mineralogy; E, Chemistry and 

physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; H, Forestry; I, Irrigation; J, Water storage; K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General hydrographic investigations; N, Water power; 0, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic progress reports. 

This paper is the sixty-ninth in Series A, and the eighty-fifth in Series B, the 

complete list of which follow (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS=WaterSupply Paper):

SERIES A, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.

B 21. Lignites of Great Sioux Reservation: Report on region between Grand and Moreau rivers,

Dakota, by Bailey Willis. 1885. 16 pp., 5 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 46. Nature and origin of deposits of phosphate of lime, by R. A. F. Penrose, jr., with introduction

by N. S. Shaler. 1888. 143pp.' (Out of stock.) 

B 65. Stratigraphy of the bituminous coal field of Pennsylvania; Ohio, and West Virginia, by I. C.

White. 1891. 212 pp. >vll pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 111. Geology of Big Stone Gap coal field of Virginia and Kentucky, by M. R. Campbell. 1893. 306

pp., 6 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 132. The disseminated lead ores of southeastern Missouri, by Arthur Winslow. 1896. 31 pp. (Out

of stock.) 

B 138. Artesian-well prospects in Atlantic Coastal Plain region, by N. H. Darton. 1896. 228 pp.-, 19

pis. 

B 139. Geology of Castle Mountain mining district,'Montana, by W. H. Weed and L. V. Pirsson. 1896.

164 pp., 17 pis.

B 143. Bibliography of clays and the ceramic arts, by J. C. Branner. 1896. 114 pp. 

B 164. Reconnaissance on the Rio Grandc coal fields of Texas, by T. W. Vaughan, including a report

on igneous rocks from the San Carlos coal field, by E. C. E. Lord. 1900. 100 pp., 11 pis. (Out

of stock.) 

B 178. El Paso tin deposits, by W. H. Weed. 1901. 15 pp., 1 pi.
IT SEEIES LIST.

B 180. Occurrence and distribution of corundumin United States, by J.H.Pratt. 1901. 98pp., 14pis.

(Out of stock; see No. 269.) 

B 182. A report on the economic geology of the Silverton quadrangle, Colorado, by F. L. Ransome.

 1901. 266pp., 16 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 184. Oil and gas fields of the western interior and northern Texas Coal Measures and of the Upper

Cretaceous and Tertiary of the western Gulf coast, by G. I. Adams. 1901. 64 pp., 10 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

B 193. The geological relations and distribution of platinum and associated metals, by J. F. Kemp.

1902. 95 pp., 6 pis. 

B 198. The Berea grit oil sand in the Cadiz quadrangle, Ohio, by W. T. Griswold. 1902. 43 pp., 1 pi.

(Out of stock.) 

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of

the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120 pp., 2 pis. 

B 200. Reconnaissance of the borax deposits of Death Valley and Mohave Desert, by M. R. Campbell.

1902. 23 pp., 1 pi. (Out of stock.) 

B 202. Tests for gold and silver in shales from western Kansas, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1902. 21 pp.

(Out of stock.) ' 

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier.

1902. 70 pp., 11 pis. 

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Dall, Kanuti, Alien,

and Kowak rivers, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis.

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. «1903. 298 pp., 9 pis. 

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis. 

B 212. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by C. W. Hayes and William Kennedy.

1903. 174 pp., 11 pis. (Out of stock.)' 

B 213. Contributions to economic geology, 1902; S. F. Emmons and C. W. Hayes, geologists in charge.

1903. 449pp. (Out of stock.) 

PP 15. The mineral resources of the Mount Wrangell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and F.

C. Schrader. 1903. 71 pV, 10 pis.

B 218. Coal resources of the Yukon, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1903. 71 pp., 6 pis. 

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi.

(Out of stock.)

PP20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 36 pis. 

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904.

168 pp., 29 pis.

B 223. Gypsum deposits in the United States, by G. I. Adams and others. 1904. 129 pp., 21 pis. 

PP24. Zinc and lead deposits of northern Arkansas, by G. I. Adams. 1904. ' 118 pp., 27 pis. 

PP 25. Copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp., 2 pis. 

B 225. Contributions to economic geology, 1903, by S. F. Emmons and C. W. Hayes, geologists in charge.

1904. 527pp.,lpl. (Out of stock.)

PP 26. Economic resources of the northern Black Hills, by J. D. I.rving, with contributions by S. 

F. Emmons and T. A. Jaggar, jr. 1904. 222 pp., 20 pis.

PP27. A geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and Clear water'Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by Waldemar Lindgten. 1904. 123 pp., 15 pis.

B 229. Tin deposits of the York region, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1904. 61 pp.', 7 pis.

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis.

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and 

W. R. Crane. 1904. 83 pp., 11 pis.

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. 395 pp., 15 pis.

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northwestern Illinois, by H. Foster Bain. 1904. 56 pp., 5 pis.

B 247. The Fairhaven gold placers Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Mofflt. 1905. 85 pp., 14 pis.

B 249. Limestones of southeastern Pennsylvania, by F. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp., 7 pis.

B 250. The petroleum fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the .Bering River coal 

deposits, by G. C. Martin. 1905. 65pp., 7 pis.

B 251. The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle.

1905. 89 pp., 16 pis.

WS117. Thelignitepf North Dakota and its relation to irrigation, by F. A. Wilder. 1905. 59pp.,8pls. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. T. Smith.

 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 38. Economic geology of the Bingham mining district, Utah, by J. M. Boutwell, with a chapter

 on areal geology, by Arthur .Keith, and an introduction on general geology, by S. F. Emmons. 1905. 413 pp., 49 pis. . v 

PP41. Geology of the central Copper River region, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 133 pp.,

20 pis.

B 254. Report of progress in the geological resurvey of the Cripple Creep district, Colorado, by Waldemar Lindgren and F. L. Ransome. 1904. 36 pp.

B 255. The fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois, by H. Foster Bain. 1905. 75 pp., 6 pis. 

B 256. Mineral resources of the Elders Ridge quadrangle, Pennsylvania, by R. W. Stone. 1905. 

86pp., 12 pis.
SERIES LIST. Ill

B 259. Report on progress of investigations of mineral resources of Alaska in 1904, by A. H. Brooks

and others. 1905. 196 pp., 3 pis. 

B 260. Contributions to economic geology, 1904; S. F. Emmons and C. W. Hayes, geologists in charge.

1905. 620 pp.,4 pis. 

B 261. Preliminary report on the operations of the coal-testing plant of the United States Geological

Survey at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., 1904; E. W. Parker, J. A.

Holmes, and M. R. Campbell, committee in charge. 1905. 172 pp. (Out of stock.) 

B 263. Methods and cost of gravel and placer mining in Alaska, by C. W. Purington. 1905. 273 pp.,

42 pis.

PP 42. Geology, of the Tonopah mining district, Nevada, by J. E. Spurr. 1905. 295 pp., 24 pis. 

PP 43. The copper deposits of Clifton-Morenci, Arizona, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1905. 375 pp.,

25 pis. 

B 264/Record of deep-well drilling for 1904, by M. L. Fuller, E. F. Lines, and A. C. Veatch. 1905.

100 pis.

B 265. Geology of the Boulder district,-Colorado, by N. M. Fcnneman. 1905. 101pp., 5 pis. 

B 267. The copper deposits of Missouri, by H. Foster Bain and E. 0. Ulrich. 1905. 52 pp., 1 pi. 

B 269. Corundum and its occurrence and distribution in the United States (a revised and enlarged

edition of Bulletin No. 180), by J. H. Pratt. 1906. 175pp., 18,pis. -

PP"48. Report on the operations of the coal-testing plant of the United States Geological Survey at 

the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., 1904; E. W. Parker, J. A. Holmes, M. .R. 

.._ Campbell, committee in charge. 1906. (In 3 parts.) 1492 pp., 13 pis. 

B 275. Slate deposits and slate industry of the United States, by T. N. Dale, with sections by E. C.

Eckel, W. F. Hillebrand, and A. T. Coons, 1906.' . 

PP 49. Geology and mineral resources of part of the Cumberland Gap coal field, Kentucky, by G. H.

Ashley and L. C. Glenn.in cooperation with the State Geological Department of Kentucky, 

_ C. J. Norwood, curator. 1906. 239pp., 40 pis. 

B 277. Mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Gold fields of the Turnagain Ann region, by

F. H. Moflit; Coal fields of the Kachemak Bay region, by R. W. Stone. 1906. 

B 278. Geology and coal resources of the Cape Lisburne region, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1906. 

JJ279. Mineral resources of the Kittanning and Rural Valley quadrangles, Pennsylvania, by Charles

Butts. 1906.

B 280. The Rampart gold placer region, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle and F. L. Hess. 1906. 54 pp., 7 pis. 

B 282. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by N. M. Fenneman. 1906. 146 pp., 11 pis.

SERIES B, DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY.

B 23. Observations on the junction between the Eastern sandstone and the Keweenaw series on

Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior, by R. D. Irving and T. C. Chamberlin. 1885. 124 pp.,

17 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 33. Notes on geology of northern California, by J. S. Diller. 1886. 23 pp. (Out of stock.) 

B 39. The upper beaches and deltas of Glacial Lake Agassiz, by Warren Upham. 3887. 84 pp., 1 pi.

(Out of stock.) 

B 40. Changes in river courses in Washington Territory due to glaciation, by Bailey Willis. 1887.

10 pp.,4 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 45. The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas, by R. T. Hill. 1887. 94 pp. (Out

of stock.)

B 53. The geology of Nantucket, by N. S. Shaler. 1889. 55pp.. 10 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 57. A geological reconnaissance in southwestern Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1890. 49 pp., 2 pis. (Out

of stock.) 

B 58. The glacial boundary in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, by G. F.

Wright, with introduction by T. C. Chamberlin. 1890. 112 pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.) 

.B 67. The relations of the traps of the Newark system in the New Jersey region, by N. H. Darton.

1890. 82pp. (Out of stock.) 

B 104. Glaciation of the Yellowstone Valley north of the Park, by W. H. Weed. 1893. 41 pp., 4 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

B 108. A geological reconnaissance in central Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1893. 108 pp., 12 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

B 119! A geological reconnaissance in northwest Wyoming, by G. H. Eldridge. 1894. 72 pp., 4 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

B 137. The geology of the Tort Riley Military Reservation and vicinity, Kansas, by Robert Hay.

1896. 35 pp., 8 pis. 

B 144. The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1896. 71

pp., 21 pis. 

B 158. The moraines of southeastern South Dakota and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd.

1899. 171 pp., 27 pis. 

B 159. The geology of eastern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, by B. K. Emerson. 1899. 139 pp.,

9 pis. 

B 165. Contributions to the geology of Maine, by H. S. Williams and H. E. Gregory. 1900. 212 pp.,

14 pis.
IV SEKIES LIST.

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Gosnen Hole quadrangles in eastern 

Wyoming and western Nebraska, by G. I. Adams. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis.

B.199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192 

pp., 25 pis. . i

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of 

the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120 pp., 2 pis.

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 

1902. 70 pp., 11 pis.

PP 3. Geology and petrography of Crater Lake National Park, by J. S. Diller and H. B. Patton. 

1902. 167 pp., 19 pis.

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Dall, Kanuti, Alien, 

and Kowak rivers, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis. ,

PP !!. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis. 

,PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis.

PIJ 13. Drainage modifications in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, by W. G. Tight. 1903. Ill pp., 17 pis.

B 208. Descriptive geology of Nevada south of the fortieth parallel and adjacent portions of California, by J. E. Spurr.' 1903. 229pp., 8 pis. N

B 209. Geology of Ascutney Mountain, Vermont, by R. A. Daly. 1903. 122 pp., 7 pis.

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by 

I. C. Russell. 1903. 51 pp., 2 pis.

PP--15. Mineral resources of the Mou-nt Wrangell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and F. C. 

Schrader. 1903. 71 pp., 10 pis.

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred 

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. C9 pp., 43 pis.

B 217. Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903. 

83pp.,18pls. (Out of stock.)

B 219. The ore deposits of Tpnopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi. 

(Out of stock.) . .

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern-Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 16 pis.

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 

168 pp., 29 pis.

WS 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by J. E.' 

Todd and C. M. Hall. 1904. 47 pp., 23 pis.

PP25. The copper depositsof theEncarnpmentdistrict,'Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107pp.,2pls.

PP 26. Economic resources of northern Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with chapters by S. F. Em'mons

' and T. A. Jaggar, jr. 1904. 222 pp., 20 pis.

PP 27. Geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and the. ClearwaterMountains in Montana and Idaho, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1904. 122 pp., 15 pis.

PP 31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, by J. A. Taff, with an appendix on reported ore deposits" in the-Wichita 

Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp., 8 pis.

B 235. A geological reconnaissance across the Cascade Range near the forty-ninth parallel, by G. 0. 

Smith and F. C. Calkins. 1904. 103 pp., 4 pis.

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis.

B 237. Igneous rocks of the Highwood Mountains, Montana, by L. V. Pirsson. 1904. 208 pp., 7 pis.

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and 

W. R. Crane. 1904. S3 pp., 1 pi.

PP 32. Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton. 1905. 

433 pp., 72 pis. (Out of stock.)

WS 110. Contributions to hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. G. Fuller, geologist in charge. 

1905. 211 pp., 5 pis.

B 242. Geology of .the Hudson Valley between the Hoosic and the Kinderhook, by T. Nelson Dale. 

1904. 63 pp., 3 pis.

PP 34. The Delavan lobe of the Lake Michigan glacier of the Wisconsin stage of glaciation and 

associated phenomena, by W. C. Alden. 1904. 106 pp., 15 pis.

PP 35. Geology of the Perry Basin in southeastern Maine, by G. 0. Smith and David White. 1905. 

107 pp., 6 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. 395 pp., 15 pis.

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northwestern Illinois, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 56 pp.,5 pis.

B 247. The Fairhaven gold, placers of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Moffit. 1905. 85 pp., 14 pis.

B 249. Limestones of southwestern Pennsylvania, by F. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp.; 7 pis.

B 250. The petroleum fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal 

deposit, by G. C. Martin. 1905. 64 pp., 7 pis.

B 251. The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M. 

Prindle. 1905. 89 pp., 16 pis.

WS 118. Geology and water resources of a portion of east-central Washington, by F. C. Calkins. 1905. 

96 pp., 4 pis. .
SBEIES LIST. V

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell.

1905. 138 pp., 24 pis. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. 0. Ulrich and W. S. Tangier

Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 38. Economic geology of the Bingham mining district, Utah, by J. M. Boutwell, with a chapter

on area! geology, by Arthur Keith, and an introduction on general geology, by S. F. Emmons.

1905. 413 pp., 49 pis. 

PP41. Geology of the central Copper River region, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 133 pp.,

20 pis. 

B 254. Report of-progress in the geological resurvey of the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, by Waldemar Lindgren and F. L. Ransome. 1904. 36 pp.

B 255. The fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois, by H. Foster Bain. 1905. 75pp., 6 pis. 

B 256. Mineral resources of the Elders Ridge quadrangle, Pennsylvania, by R. W. Stone. 3905. 86

pp., 12 pis. ' . . B 257. Geology and paleontology of the Judith River beds, by T. W. Stanlon and J. B. Hatcher, with

a chapter on fossil plants, by F. H. Knowlton. 1905. 174 pp., 19 pis.

PP 42. Geology of the Tonopah mining district, Nevada, by J. E. Spnrr. ]905. 295 pp., 23 pis. 

WS 123. Geology and underground water conditions of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, by

C. R. Keyes. 1905. 42 pp., 9 pis.

WS 130. Underground waters of Salt River Valley, Arizona, by W. T. Lee. 1905. 194 pp., 24 pis. 

PP43. The copper deposits of the Clifton-Morenci district, Arizona, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1905.

375 pp., 25 pis.

B 265. Geology of the Boulder district, Colorado, by N. M. Fenneman. 1905. 101 pp., 5 pis. 

B 267. The copper deposits of Missouri, by H! F. Bain and E. 0. Ulrich. 1905. 52 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 44. Underground water resources of Long Island, New York, by A. C. Veatch, C. S. Slichter, Isaiah

Bowman, W. 0. Crosby, and R. E. Horton. 1906. 394 pp., 34 pis..

WS 148. Geology and water resources of Oklahoma, by C. N. Gould.' 1905. 178 pp., 22 pis. 

B 270. The configuration of the rock floor of Greater New York, by W. H. Hobbs. 1905. 96 pp., 5 pis. 

B 272. Taconic physiography, by T. N. Dale. 1905. 52 pp., 14 pis. . (Out of stock.) 

. PP 45. The geography and geology of Alaska, a summary of existing knowledge, by A. H. Brooks,

with a section on climate, by Cleveland Abbe, jr., and a topographic map and description

thereof, by R. U. Goode. 1906. 327 pp., 34 pis. 

B 273. The drumlins of southeastern Wisconsin (preliminary paper), by W. C. Alden. 1905. 46 pp.,

9 pis. 

PP 46. Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, by

A. C. Veatch. 1906. 

PP 49. Geology and mineral resources of part of the Cumberland Gap coal field, Kentucky, by G. H.

Ashley and L. C. Glenn, in cooperation with the State Geological Department of Kentucky,

C. J. Norwood, curator. 1906. 239 pp., 40 pis.

PP 50. The Montana lobe of the Keewatin ice sheet, by F. H. H. Calhoun. 1906. 

B'277. Mineral resources of Keuai Peninsula, Alaska: Gold fields of the Tur.nagain Arm,region, by

F. H. Moflit; Coal fields of the Kachemak Bay region, by R. W. Stone. 1906. 

WS 154. Geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1906. 

B 278. Geology and coal resources of the Cape Lisburne region, Alaska, by A. ,T. Collier. 1906.

B 279. Mineral resources of the Kittanning and Rural Valley quadrangles, Pennsylvania, by Charles .

Butts. :1906.

B 280. The Rampart gold placer region, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle and F. L. Hess. 1906. 54 pp., 7 pis. 

B 282. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by N. M. Fenneman. 1906. 146 pp., 11 pis.

Correspondence should be addressed to

THE DIRECTOR,

UNITEJ> STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,' 

JUNE, 1906. ^ WASHINGTON, D. C.

o .