Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-01-23
PETROLEUM WELLS.


l
ising Spots.
! Prospectors in selecting promising
| spot to test new territory are often in
huenced by "bclt theory, first add
vanccd by a man named Angoll. In a
| general way his idea has been verified
by experience. II proceeded upon the
| hypothesis that oil lies in belts or pools
| having northeast and q southwest
| trend, sometimes called the "forty-five
1egree line" In districts known to be
oil-bearing the wells are frequently To-
| Gated near the boundary of the owners
property. The object is to drain as
much of his ncighbors oil as possible,
for. there are no partitions in the sub
terrancan chambers corresponding
to the lines of surface ownership. The
driller's motto is "lrst come, first
served hence there is generally a
race to see who shall first tap natures
till.
When the exact spot for the well has
been determined upon, q well-hole is
dug about fifteen feet in depth, and if
solid rock is not reached, wrought
iron pipe eight to twelve inches in
diameter is driven down to It. Above
this is erected the "del1iek'% Va pyramid
al structure of heavy timbers, generally
seventy-two feet in height. At each
side is located a fifteen TO twenty horse
power engine, which operates walk
ing-beam to which is attached heavy
cable and the drilling apparatus
This consists of four parts The up
per one is called the "sinker-bar",
about eighteen feet in length; next
come the Jars, seven feet in length;
then the ''augcr-stem about thirty
feet long, OF three and one-quartcr inch
cold rolled steel; and finally, at the end
of this is a 'bit" three feet in length
Thus equipped, steam is turned on, and
the pdnderous weight of two thousand
to three thousand pounds, alternately
raised and dropped, as in pile-driver,
drives the bit into the rock at the ay-
erage rate of sixty to one hundred feet
daily. After drilling for some time the
tools are hoisted and a fresh Bit is in
serted. Meanwhile "sand pump" or
"bailer'', cylindrical tube with valves
opening inward, is dropped down the
hole to remove detritus or water. A
leasing ~ is fitted snugly to the walls
of the well TO keep out the water and
when 1t is necessary to pump the oil, !
the well is tubed. The tube is about |
two inches in diameter, around which |
a rubber packer is inserted Just above
the oil and gas bearing rock This
cuts of the escape of the gas, forcing |
it up through the tube, and causing the
well to flow. The bore Of the well va
ries from eight to six inches, and its
depth varies with the geological for
matlen' a ayera tsG 9nGG Rqea ffAtFr ftAtri mn hana ehs
times reaching twenty-five hundred.
The cost of well naturally depends
upon its location, depth and character
Of rock. The owner geneEally erects
the derrick, engine and tank, at an
average expense of fifteen hundred dol
lars and then contracts with drillcr
10 furnish the tools and sink well.
This charge will probably average sixty
,ents per foot. 1t is perhaps safe to
'ay that wells in the larger fields aver
lge in cost from twenty-five hundred
o three thousand dollars.
Torpedoes, which were first intro
iuced about 1865, were received with
listrust, bnt are now in general use,
md have become a necessary part of
he equipment of a well. They are
cylindrical tubes, varying in size, but
generally eight inches in length and
our in diameter, containing fluid nitro
sIycerinc These torpedoes are care
ully lowered into the wells and eX-
,lodcd by dropping twenty-pound
weight upon them from above.
The explosion skaters the walls, giving
greater exposure of surface to draw
Ill from. thus stimulating the wells and
Increasing their production. Though
his treatment hastens the exhaustion ,
# n well it is believed by many that
he amount of oil obtained exceeds
What otherwise would be procured. At
rst only five or six quarts of nitro (
.lycerine were introduced, but now it
! no unusual thing to employ one hun
red and twenty to two hundred quarts
+ glycerine, equal to 3,2i0 to 5,40O
ounds of gunpowder - George r. Gib- ;
on, IN Hdrper's Magazine.