The herald., 1895-01-01

SIS, 900 600 to $4,000, 900. and the com
paHy cow controls $50 900 acres OF land.
Che com pany runs 81 oil cars OF ca
pacity of l31 barrels each, and oil pipes
run from the wells to Santa Paula and
high water. 1t is estimated that the
total output from their wells will reach
500,0 600 barrels during the year. but the
inadequate railroad facilities in this sec
ton make transportation difficult. The
oil is now being used for fuel on several
of the locomotives of the Santa
Fe railroad, and also at the kilns
in Lincoln, Placer county, where
the pressed brick and terra Gotta are
manufactured that 10 used on the large
buildings in this city. The company
gradually purchased the Stearns rancho
of 1900 acres and 2250 acres of La Habra
rancho in Pusnte hills. The value of
wells will be appreciated when 1t is
known that ons we'll has produced over
$4,000 barrels, and still Yields oil at
depth OF $500 feet.
IN THE PUENTE DISTRICT.
In 1880 Burdette Chandler came from
the Pennsylvania oil fields and started
the first we'll in Puente district on the
south part OF the Puente district. At
depth OF $50 feet he struck oil OF heavy
character and realized from four to five
barrels per day. He then drilled two
other wells, 800 and 425 feet deep, from
which he obtained oil OF lighter gravity
and to the extent OF from five to 10 barrels
per day. In 1883 William Lacy OF this
city bought an interest in that tract.
consisting of about 700 acres, and since
that time the Puente Oil company has
operated the lands. It has now a pipe
line from the wells 10 the Southern Pa
cifc railroad at Puente station, dis
lance OF seven miles, with large storage
tanks OF $4,000 barrels capacity. The
company now controls and owns from
80 to 80 wells with en- aggregate produce
tiou of from 700 to 800 barrels per day.
The deepest we'll ia ll00 feet, and the
most encouraging feature OF the enter
prise is that the deeper the wells are
sunk the larger quantity they produce
and the lighter the oil becomes. All of
tho oil produced in Puente district has
been used in Southern California for
fuel. ] he Puente oil is of heavier
grade than that from the Pico district,
running from II gravity to 30, which
makes it better fuel oil than the light
grade. The specific gravity OF the Pico
oil is from % to AZ degrees and contains
larger percentage of illuminating oil
than the Puente product.
THE EXTENT CT THE OIL BELT.
The oil belt is we'll defined through
the Puente range of hills, and can be
readily traced on the suriace by the
asphsltum beds and seepages OF oil from
point in these hills on section II,
township 8, eouth range 8, west s. b.
M , in a northwestely course through
Bres csflon, through the southern por-
ton of the Puente ranch and across the
northern portion of tho La Habra
rancho, through the Puente hills. north
If Whittier Thence crossing the San
Gabriel river. striking the range of hills
on the south side OF the San Gabriel
river, running thence north OF Ever
green cemetery. passing through Sofa
Heights tract and Florence Terrace
tract, across the Los Angeles river about
the covered bridge on Macy street
and the county court house direct to
Second street park; thence north OF
Seventh street park 10 the Henry Ham
cock ranch, known as the Bres rancho,
eight miles west of the court house and
making O we'll defined oil belt on the
surface of over 40 miles in length.
THE AsPHALTUM BEDS.
The asphsltum beds near the east end
OF the belt, north of Anaheim. are the
largest deposits of asphaltum in Los An
geles county, thousands OF tons having
been mined by Chandler & Maxwell and
shipped to Los Angeles, whore it was
used for paving Main Rtreet. There are
large deposits of asphaltum at or near
Whittier, where three oil wells have
been drilled by Capt. George O. Aims
worth and Burdette Chandler to depth
of 500 to 600 feet. producing five to ten
barrels per day each.
THE OPERATIONS IN THIS CITY.
The operations in this city were COM
menced in 1892 in Second Street park
by Joseph Bayer, who sunk a we'll about
400 or 500 feet deep. from which he OBJ
tanned or barrels per day of oil oil
| heavy gravity. At the present time there
are l55 completed wells in the district
and about 30 in course of construction.
The daily output from the entire dis-
trict ia eliminated st 100 barrels. The
oil here produced contains from 20 to 70
per cent of lubricating oil, about per
cent coal oil and benzine, and. about IL
per cent asphatum. The prices OBJ
tanned for the product ranges from so
cents to $3.50 per barrel.
CALIFORNIA VS.. ASTERN OIL.
The difference betwesn Pennsylvania
and California oil lie that the latter has
an aaphaltum base and the former q
parrifiue baseand that no ssphaltum il
contained in Pennsylvania oil.
The life of eastern oil wells is estim-
ated at Is years. but from the wells in
Southern California it 10 shown that the
latter are OF longer duration.