Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-08-09
OIL UNDER THE SEA
New and Radical Departure n Z
Great Industry.


Drilling wells in the sea is the latest
and most remarkable, as well as the
most picturesque, feature of the great
crude oil industry. This new and rad
ical departure, most difficult and e0-
pensive unde, taking, to say the least,
has been successfully carried out at
Summerland, CAL. the only place
where it has ever been attempted, and
there the precious brown fluid is now
pumped from beneath the Pacific
ocean at the rate of about 100 car
loads per month, from scores of holes,
while many more wells are being
bored, says the St. Louis Globe Demo
crat.
The development of this remarkable
field was brought about by peculiar
circumstances, and commenced but q
few years ago, when The oil industry
had begun to boom in the east. The
first wells were drilled on the bluff,
where oil had been discovered. 20 years
previously in sinking for water and
where there are still many good pro-
ducers. But Summerland was beau
tifuI place, quiet little colony of spir-
itualists, and they opposed the advent
OF greasy and unsightIy derricks on
the hills Besides. it was observed that
wells were better the nearer they
wore sunk to the ocean. and conse-
quently the operators began to crowd
each other toward the water line.
Finally, S W. Knapp. of Santa Bar
bara, conceived the plan OF getting
ahead OF all his competitor s by build
irg wharf.-the structure along the
beach and drilling out where the Pa
cites breakers roll. The expense was
h avy. but the well proved to be a
"susher." Others followed Knapp's
example, going farther and farther
out until to-day there are dozens of
wrarves extending a thousand feet
in;o the sea, connected by structures
running parallel with the beach. And
OF these wharves. often so near each
OF her as to be almost crowded, are the
dorricks-large ones for drilling and
smaller ones for pumping-snd all in
use. ''- .-'-| ''
Operations are greatly facilitated
by the fact that the oil strata Of
which there are two, lie only from l25
to $50 feet below the surface. Drilling
is carried on in practically the same
manner as on land the only obstacle
encountered. after the extensive pre-
lininary work Of building wharves
and getting machinery out upon
tt EN- is done, being the water Until
tie hole is well begun that obstacle is
great, but it 10 overcome by means of
CT; sing, and operations are carried on
readily in 20 feet. The cost OF drilling
at the present time is about 81 per
foot, though some is done as low as IS
cents. When the shallowness is con-
sdered, it will be seen that on the
whole the total cost Of these wells will
very favorably with those
elsewhere and on land. But in the i'm
probable event Of violent storm,
such as sometimes travels along the
A tlantic coast, all traces of this novel
oil field-wharves, derricks and ma
be swept away in a
minute. and the loss would be enor-
nous.
AS to the extent and productive
ness of this strange ocean oil field. an
idea may be CLEANED from the follow
ing figures: There are nearly 300
wells, and the average output per day
is said to be about Is barrels, or total
of 1900 barrels. The product is Of
high grade and sells for an average
price of 30 cents q barrel, which
means total Of over $4,000 per day, or
about $1SO,0OO a month Much Of the
oil goes under long contracts to the
immense Oxnard beet sugar factory,
while thousands of barrels are
shipped to San Francisco at short in
tervalA
The cost Of pumping we'll is only
about 80 cents per day. To illustrate
how closely the derricks stand, it may
be stated that the Sea Cliff Oil COM
pany, producing 5000 barrels a month,
has wharf 800 feet Long and 10 wells.
The Treadwell company has the long
est wharf, extending 1900 fee from
the. shore, with pumping well at the
extreme end and IS others at inter-
walls. And there are dozen other con-
Germs with numerous wharves. Much
oil is necessarily wasted under the pc
culiar conditions which prevail, and
this, dripping upon the water, has the
effect of making a considerable patch
of old ocean as calm and, smooth as a
land-Locked bay, adding much to the
striking oddity Of the scene. Often
when new wells are opened the gaA
pressure is so strong that streams OF
oil squirt out upon the water until the
surface is black, in strange contrast
with the distant blue.