Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-16
OIL FIELDS
Of California / Col, Tim Speelacy Returns
and Expresses His Views.

western HleluSs mas returned 1fOm u
several months stay in the California
1iel1s. to his home in Lima, Ohio. He
speaks very highly of the prospects of
that territory.
THE district that is attracting the
most attention just at present." said
Mr. Spellacy, "is located about six
miles northeast of Bakersfield and
comprises the larger portion of, the
southeast of the San Joaquin valley, a
valley 800 miles long and with an ave-
rage width of so miles. About 80
miles south of this district, the Sierra
Nevada and the coast range unite
orming a complete semi-circular wall
which extends several thousand feet in
height; in other words there is nat
ural dyke, impenetrable to oil, formed
by these mountain ranges. This dis
trct is a basin filled to an unknown
depth with loose material, such as
sand, clay and sh2le, the sand being
saturated with oil and surrounded
above and below with a stratum Of
clay.
"The whole aspect of the country
there is such as to impress every visi
tor that whatever was done by nature
must have been done on a grand scale.
What is known as the Kern river oil
district, which is described above, is
at an elevation of 400 feet above sea
level and scientists have said that the
whole San Joaquin valley was at one
time an arm of the Pacific ocean, an
inland sea of salt and water, the outlet
being the Golden Gate. The deposits
of oil in this immediate vicinity are
known to exist to a thickness of 200
feet. The first well was sunk by
man by the name of Elwood, who with
pick and shovel dug to the depth of 60
feet and at that depth passed through
oil sand, and quite a flow of oil came
into the well to such an extent that the
discovery attracted vice spread atten-
ton. The first derrick was erected in
July of 80 and what is known as the
discovery well' was drilled to a depth
of $50 feet; this well was followed by
hundreds of others which are scattered
over the valley to distance of 20 or
80 miles and operators are still devel-
cping new territory.
There has never been a failure to
find paying well, and it is but reas-
enable to expect that within the proved
district there never will be found dry
hole The stratum in which oil is
found is not sand stone, sand rock nor
oil sand as it is generally called, but is
sand saturated with oil. The oil per-
cClates through it. The percentage of
oil in this sand has been variously es-
tin.ated ranging from 10 to 25 per cent.
II the average percentage of oil is 10
in the sands and the depth of oil is
800 feet, it would make the vast ex-
panse of the Kern river district to
oil to a depth of 45 feet, pro-
viding it were by Itself in a reservoir
and spread equally over an area equal
to the extent of the district. The grav-
ity of this oil is from 10 to II deg. and
the yield of many of the wells range
from % to 200 bbls. per day. The ave-
rage yield, in my opinion, when in full
operation and pumping without any
is not less than 125 bbls.
per day of "a hours. From present in
within IL months the Kern
river oil districts will yield not less
than from 25,OOOto 10000 bbls. per day.
THE yield of oil per acre as estimat-'
ed by the most prominent oil men, is
not less than 100000 bbls. and many
have estimated the total yield per acre
even much greater than this; some
even at double this amount. 1t is most
difficult to place a proper valuation
upon the proved oil lands and various
prices are asked. ranging from $5OO0
to 100000. The Garfield Oil Company
refused an offer of so per cent. royalty
en- a considerable amount of it's hold
ings. This will give you some idea of
the growing demand for land. At
present nearly all the oil is shipped
from the district, at the rate of about
80 carloads per day. The railroad
has not been able to trans
port all of the product and many 3d.
900 Dbl. tanks are being constructed.
"Yhe present freight rate from Bak-
ersfeld to San Francisco, the principal
Gil market of California, is AZ cents a
barrel. The switch charges from the
main track on the Southern Pacific
railroad system to the oil fields IS IS
car, or about 3B cents per barrel
TIE price of oil at present is 81 per
barrel at the wells. The average total
cost of drilling, including pipe, will
not exceed $2,500 per well. AS the
depth increases, likewise does the ex :
pense. But the com oarative expense
of obtaining the oil with that of the
rich productions and important value
OF the oil is certain to give forth good