Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-07-19
MARvElous on WELLS.
Refined on at Three csats : CAL
Ion.


BRaproRp. Pa. July is.-"The present
production oil the Russian field, - near -
,an ascertain" said Mr.. John Eaton, eho
ms lust re,urned from . six months tour
IN Europe" 10 between 38,0U0 and $4,000
barrels per dAy. Il could probably DO in
cressed to $4,000 barrels from the same
wells, provided they were allowed to produce
al the time"
Mr.. Eaton. Who il the President Of the
Oil Well Supply Company, is one OF the
heaviest and best known operators IN the
oil country. While in Europe be determined
to take q look ut Bakus phene1enAl oil
spoutsrs. What be saw conviSeed him taA
Russia possessed the biggeA ell wells "a The
world.
"Russian flowing wells" he continued,
'are not allowed 10 gush oil the time. Their
production IA controlled by means Of gate
valves. When the Nobel Company, which
is tba Standard Oil Company Of Russia,
what's oil for its nunereus re6neries. IL
turns the valve and torrent Of petroleum
eushes forth. What the field would pro
duce If every well in it was allowed 70 do its
best, is q question that Ihavs not yet dgarec
out. A large cast iron elbow 70 placed
over the top Of the well. and in front o.
it is wooden conductor, perhaps two Zee!
square, through which the oil dow. on to
the ground, and by means OF bitches or
trenches is led into lakes or ponds. These
lakes and ponds, many Of them several hun
dred feet square and from 10 to Is deep
are almost A mum Arous In Russia as 80 900
barrel storage tanks are in portions OF the
oil country. Az there are only few tanks
in the Geld, the quantity Of oil lost BY evspcr.
ton and through settling into the ground
must be enormous.
zone peculiarly Of the Russian gusher is
the mountain Of sand which is thrown out
with the oil. Hillocks Of sand surrourd
every well. One mound that took pains
to measure was 600 feet long, 10 feet high,
and 10 feet wide OF the bottom aud s lection
Top, and there vas enough sAad lying around
loose to make another mountain Of the same
siza 1t oil came out OF one well. Piles Of
sand thirty feet high almost hide some OF
the derricks from nght. Il is no uncommon
thing to raise the floors OF derricks and
engine houses ten or fifteen feet TO keep
clear of the sand. The wells should b.
called ssnd-and-uil wells.
Thorn Creeks big wells capno, hold
candle 10 the Russian geysers. told Mr.
Nobel va, ted to see flowing well On
Nav 8 the valve at Nobels No. IL Was
opened. The we'll flowed stream Of oil
the full size of an eightinch pipe, AND
coursed down the rsvins like river in hood
time. 1t was producing $4,000 pools Of oil
an hour, or more than 40 600 barrels per
cay. A day or two later Issw 9 stream o
I'll twenty two inches wide and lhree ipcbe.
deep. II came from the Nobel No Is. which
was flowing out crude at the rate Of Il 900
barrels per day. During 1884 thi,
same will threw out 10 .000, 900 pools Of oil
an average Of 1900 barrels . day. Mr.
Nobel tells me that his No. . poduced dar-
ing its first twenty tour hours 100000
FOODS, or nearly co 200 barrels Of oil. lts
production during thirty two days Was T.,
500, 600 pools, or an average Of ~ 900 bar
rels per day. So fierce was the 8ow thai
sand was piled up thirty feet around the
derrick. After thutytwe days they we're
enabled 10 shut it in; but even then il 6ow-
ed around the pipes One day in May las,
one o. the Nobel wells poured out 1900
barrels in eish, hours.
1.-THE Nobels own forty +wo OF BAkus bis
eest wells On May their production
from nine wells was Isl, EGO pools or lS,3On
barrels. Their ether wells were either shat
in or not producing. One Of tho most VOC
derfui wells in this field is their No. %,
which is seldom fuzzy opened. Oil 10 thrown
several hundred fee, above the derrick, aad
20 much is lost that !. is difficult TO- estimate
it's prodsciion. II 70 without doubt the
largest we'll in the field From 1879 70 the
opening Of the present year the Nobel wells
produced 10000, 600 pools, or 100000
barrels.
"Whsn / left the Baku Seld IN May about
City wells were drilling 1t takes about six
months to drill well, sns the cost 10 BE-
tween $4,000 and 81, 900, With the pres
emit system Of under roaming, only recently
introduced, wells in the futase will not cost
40 much money Practically speaking, the
Russian oil field 10 barren Of oil rock The
formation, which!sy atan angie of about 80
degrees, and are very Irregular, are three
quarters sand, the remaining qnsrtsr being
composed Of blue clay auckland asphalt and
rochs. The hydraulic system OF drilling has
been introduced with considerable success
ard il fast supersedipg the other system
, enerslly wells are commenced with eigh-
teen inch riyeted pipe, and enough put 10
10 shut off surface water and qoicksand.
After that es much sixteen inch rivstsd
pipe IL used as is possible to get IN By drill
ing, UNDERTAKING. jacks, etc. THIS 10 fol.
lowed by graduated courses Of PIPE, until
The bottom is reached. Eeight inch screw
pipe d as small "a |, is desirable 10 uss 90
accouat Of the large Quantity Of sand
that 10 thrown oct Where dz inch
pipe has been used the wells
have been ehoked up. BY the ssnd.
at has been demonstrsted that ceeper
drilling will ressore the production OF fail
ing wsllA The deeper you drill the better
the quality of the oil. Formerly wells were
onl, sank TO the depth of $50 feet. Nov
the average depth is 600 fact Il 10 psobs.
bic that when 1c7s arc drilled 900 10 ! 900
feet tighter and better quality Of oil VIII
DO obt,i1ed. Welh are pumped With ls,se,
long sand pump. and not With tabing. scek-
er rods and working bssrels, - IN america.
The Sand, which eootinuslly rsns into ~
wells, prevents any other method
"Tbs Ross ian fsH 10 nov, and viii DO ~
some line 10 come, held back through vsut
Of resnipg and transportation facilities, ssd
especially the latter. Only IS sf the 30
re6s<sies at Black Town, BabIs refining
centre, are in operation. These have CO.
pscity Of about lzeoe barrels . dsy. fhers
are ten small pipe xass, which sarJ IL oil
from the field to he rsGoegisA HAs1 q
the reEasries ass s~ned BY PessiAas -
Tarts and are - crude sS the Oh ~
| use. At the best establishuent iron