The herald., 1896-05-07
Meeting of the Board Of Directors
Yesterday Afternoon
OIL YIELDING FORMATION
Presentation Of Two Geological Maps and
Accompanying Report
Oil Yielding Body UnderIies .
Portion Of the City

The board of directors of the chamber
of commerce met yesterday afternoon
at S:15 with the following gentlemen
present: Messrs. Davisson, Forman,
Francis. Croft, Jacoby, Klokke, Munson,
Newberry Slausor. Story. vetter, Wa.
ters. Vice-president Forman occupied
An invitation was issued to the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Engineers to hold
their next annual convention in Los An
geles. A communication containing a
vote of thanks of the hotel men who re-
Gently visited the city was received.
In response to the request from the
board Mr.. Watts, who represents the
state board Of mineralogy and Is now
at work among the oil fields of South
ern California, presented the chamber
with two geological maps of the oil for
nation Of Los Angeles city and ten
dered the following report on that topic:
In response to request by your board
that the state mineralogist direct an as
sistant to pay special attention to the
oil fields of Los Angeles wasdetailed
by Mr.. J. J. Crawford, chief of Our de-
partment, to investigate the oil-yielding
formations in Southern California. The
work is still in progress. In view of the
decrease in the yield of the oil wells at
Second street park the question as to
the extension of that field becomes Il
very important one. In order to facil-
itate the work of prospecting, I have, in
accordance with the directions of the
state mineralogist, prepared a geo.
logical sketch map of that portion of
West Los Angeles through which the
oil-yieiding formation extends. AS in
dicated by the arrows in the map re-
ferred to. the prevailing dip of the for
nation as seen at the surface is about
S. 10 W., although there are numerous
alterations.
The strike and dip of the oil sand as
indicated by the depth at which the oil
sand was struck in different wells. leads
to the conclusion that. in the main, the
strike and dip of the oil sand is nearly
similar to that of the rocks exposed OH
the surface.
The general direction of the oil line as
indicated by the productive wells is
practically east and west. Disregarding
any faults there may be in the rocky for
nation, which for the most part is COW
cred by alluvium, an inspection of this
sketch map leads to the following con-
clusion: If the oil line on which the Sec
ond street park oil fields is situated be
extended westward it would pass be-
tween the Rhuland wells and a short
distance west of Westlake park and the
Baptist university. A short distance
southwest of the university grounds a
formation is exposed which corresponds
very closely to that found at Second
street park This formation rests on a
series of sandstones, several strata of
which are oil bearing. On the Mailman
tract these sandstones, which show
thickness of several hundred feet. are
penetrated by nine wells ranging from
140 to 2S5 feet in depth. Each of these
wells can be made to yield something
less than two barrels of heavy oil day.
In all the deeper wells water was en-
countered.
1t is evident, therefore. that the oil
yielding formations extend westward
from the oil fields at Second street park
The only attempts that have been made
to prospect the territory between the
Second street park oil fields and the
Baptist university are as follows:
The Fudicker' well, which'is situated
south of Firss street and near what
would be Reno street if it was graded.
The Union Oil company's well. situated
south of First street and west of AL
varado street A we'll known as the old
Dryden well, which is about 1000 feet
northwest of the Union Oil company's
we'll, and a we'll sunk by Mr.. Doheny
near the corner of First street and New
hall street AL of these wells proved
unsuccessful and have been abandoned.
The cause assigned for the failure of the
first two was quick sand and water.
Farther southwark, near Westlake
park, is the Wiltshire well, which was
unsuccessful, and further westward
there are a few very shallow wells,
the Rhuland wells. which have yielded
small quantities of heavy oil.
From the record of these pros
pect wells the outlook to the west
ward does not seem very encouraging.
A careful inspection of the sketch map
however, leads to the conclusion that
the Doheny we'll and the we'll of the
Union Oil company are the only pros
hot -.
similar strata to those which yield the
oil at Second street park; that the Do
heny we'll must be nearly on the outcrop
of. the oil sand and that probably the
we'll of the Union Oil company is not
very far south of it.
There does not appear to be any rea-
son why the oil yielding format tions
should not be followed eastward from
Second street park, but between the oil