The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-05
OIL UNDER THE SEA
New and Radical Departure in q
Great Industry.
DrveIopnent Of Submarine Wells
Was Brought About by Peculiar
Cireumstances-stran
ocean Field.

D-illing wells in the sea is the latesl
and most remarkable, as well as tb'
most picturesque, feature of the grea
crude oil industry. This new and rad
icai departure, a most difficult and ex
pensive under taking, to say the least
has been successfully carried. out Al
Summerland. Cal, the only pike.
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 a
few years ago, when The oil industry
had begun 10 boom in the east. The
first wells were drilled on the blum,
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
tiful place, a quiet little colony of spir-
itualists, and they opposed the advent
of greasy and unsightly derricks on
the hills Besides. it was observed that
wells were better the nearer they
were sunk 10 the ocean, and conee-
quently the operators began TO crowd
each other toward the water line.
Finally, 8. w. Knapp, Of Santa Bar
bars. conceived the plan OF getting
ahead of all his competitors by build
ing q wharf.-the structure along the
beach and drilling out where the Pa
eifc's breakers roll. The expense was
heavy, but the well proved 10 be a
"gusher." Others followed Knapp'e
example, going farther and farther
out until to-day there are doeens of
wharyes extending thousand feet
into the sea, connected by structures
running parallel with the beach. And
ON these whsrves. often so near each
other as 10 be almost crowded, are the
derricks-large ones for drilling and
smaller ones for pumping-and AL in
use.
Operations are greatly facilitatcd
by the fact that the Oil strata, of
which there are two, lie only from 12S
to 2s0 feet below the surface. Drilling
10 carried on in practically the same
manner as ON land, the only obstacle
encountered, after the extensive pre-
liminary work Of building wharTes
and getting machinery out upon
Them is done, being tho water. Until
The hole is web begun that obstacle is
great, but it 10 overcome by means Of
easing, and operations are carried on
readily in 20 feet. The cost Of drilling
at the present time il about 81 per
foot, though some is done as low as e5
cents. When the shalbowness is con
il will be seen that on the
whole the total cost OF these wells will
compare very fayorably with those
elsewhere and on land. Butt in the i'm
probable event of a violent storm,
such as sometimes travels along the
Atlantic coast, all traces OF this novel
oil field-wharves, derricks and ma
chipery-would be swept away in
and the loss would be enor-
nous.
AS 10 the extent and productive
ness of this strange ocean oil field, an
idea may be CLEANED from the follow
ing figures: There are nearly 800
wells, and the average output per Gay
is said to be about 25 barrels, or total
Of 1900 barrels. The product is of
high grade and sells for an average
price Of 30 cents a barrel, which
means total Of over SO, 600 per day, OF
about $1sO,00o a month. Much of the
oil goes under long contracts TO the
immense Oxnsrd beet sugar factory,
while thousands of barrels are
shipped to San Francisco at short in
tervals.
The COST or pumping a well Is only
about 30 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 500 feet Long and 10 wells.
The Treadwell company has the long
est wharf, extending 200 fee. from
the shore, with pumping well a t the
extreme end and 1s others at inter
Vals. And there are a dozen other con
eerns with numerous wharves. Much
oil is necessarily wasted under the pc
culiar conditions which prevail, and
Ihis. dripping upon the water, has the
Effect Of making considerable patch
Of old ocean as calm and smooth as 0
land-locked bay, adding much TO the
oddity of the scene. Often
when new wells arc opened the gae
pressure is so strong that streams Of
all squirt out upon the water until the
surface is black, in strange contrast
with the distant blue.
Dun't Forget,
rhe Bazaar aud Doll Fair Thurs