Graham guardian., 1900-11-02
OIL UNDER THE SEA
New and Radical Departure In q
Great Industry.
Development of Submarine Wells
Was Drought About by Peculiar
Cireumstances--straase
Ocean Field.

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 rao-
ical departure, most difficult and eX-
pensive under 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.
erat.
The Development of this remarkable
Held was brought about by pc -Iliar
circumstances, and commenced but q
few years ago, when Ghe 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.
tiful place, 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 to the ocean, and conse.
quently the operators began to GROVE
each other toward the water line
Finally, S. W. Knapp, of Santa Bar.
bara. conceived the plan OF getting
ahead of all his competitors by build
ing wharf.-the structure along the
beach and drilling out where the Pa.
cific's breakers roll. The expense was
heavy, but the well proved to be q
''gusher." Others followed Knapp'c
example, going farther and farther
out until to-day there are dozens o.
wharves extending thousand fee
into the sea, connected by structures
running parallel with the beach. And
on these wharves. often 80 near each
other as to be almost crowded, are the
derricks-large ones for drilling and
smaller ones for pumping-and all in
use.
Operations are greatly facilitated
by the fact that the oil strata, OF
which there are two, lie only from ls;
TO ESQ feet below the surface. Drilling
is carried on in practically the same
manner as on land, the only obstacle
encountered, after the extensive pre-
liminary work of building wharves
and getting machinery out upon
them is done, being the water. Until
the hole is well begun that obstacle is
great, but it is overcome by means OF
casing, 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-
sidered, it will be seen that on the
whole the total cost of these wells will
compare very favorably with those
elsewhere and on land. But in the inn
probable event Of violent storm.
such as sometimes travels along the
Atlantic coast, all traces of this novel
oil iic,d-wharves, derrieks and ma
ehinery- would 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 ths follow
ing figures: There are nearly SOC
wells, and the average output per day
is said to be about G5 barrels, or total
of $500 barrels. The product 10 ot
| high grade and sells for an average
price of 90 cents barrel, which
means total of over $4,000 per day, OF
about $500 month. Much OF the
oil goes under long contracts TO the
immense ONnard beet sugar factory
while thousands of barrels are
shipped to San Francisco az short in
teryals.
The cost OF pumping a well is only
about 30 cents per day, To illustrate
how closely the derricks stand, it may
be stated that the Sea CliR 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 1900 fee: from
the shore, with a 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 o considerable patch
of old ocean as calm and, smooth as a
land-loeked bay, adding much to the
striking oddity of the scene. Often
when new wells are opened the gas
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.