Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-01-16
WORK At VIRGIN,
UTAH'S OIL FIELD
n. F. Sutton Gives History OF
improvements Done in the
New District.
EIGHT RIGS NOW WORKING.
Confident That lower strata of sand
Nnl Produce some Excellent
Wclls-rools stop Drilling.

Virgin, the oil town OF Utah in wash
ington county situated Ina the heart Of
the southern Utah oil fields. Is 20 be
boosted through the columns Of a news
paper For that reason the Virginia
valley Enterprise. under the manage
ment of Editor n. T. sutton. has made
SIS initial appearance and in II is given
81 interesting history Of the Rio Virgin
Oh fields as follows:
Tho new oil field Ga Southern Utah
and northern Arizona has already been
honored with the use OF some printers
ink. and we presume most Of our read
ers are more or less familiar with the
history OF the field Up 60 the present
time. IN briefly reviewing the mat
ter. however. would say that seepages
and indications OF OH rock that would
burn like coal and rctort petroleum
when heated. have been known OF ln
TIE virgin valley and surrounding
country FOR many years About seven
years ago sylvester Earl, Ormus Nay
ana some other local men located some
sink a mining shaft about a mile from
town and cne-fourth OF a mile north OF
a prominent seep. This was abandoned
at "a depth of As feet ON account Of
water.
HHYOLlrE INTERESTED.
Two years ago some Of these same
parties together with other enterprising
citizens, by turning over block Of
located land. Induced some Rhyolite
New. men 60 undertake 20 put down
a test Well The result was that this
company. known as the Virgin River
OH a Development company, struck
oil In their well on the banks Of North
Greek. two miles north OF Virgin. In
July 1897. at "a depth Of $50 feet This
initial well has been much talked OF
nd variously estimated at from 10 to
100 barrels II is recognized by cOmpe-
tent oil men as "a good we'll Although
having been pumped iTregularly for fuel
for more than a year it shows no sign
OF exhaustion and Is today producing
enough 10 make it a valuable piece OF
property and especially so had we
permanent market established.
EIGHT WELLS IN FIELD.
Striking this well caused some 10 rigs
to be brought TO Virgin last season. but
chiefly on account OF money matters
not more than eight wells have been
completed 10 date and these only TO
the first formation or sand. None OF
them has yet been given a shot" or
put on the pump" but three OF them
have oil and are at least as good as the
initial we'll being estimated by the own
ers and others as better. The balance
have tight sh0wings" OF oil and nat
urad gas.
Enough has been tested la this first
sand 10 prove that we have an oil field.
~. however. we had no other prospect
than the one sand. perhaps the develop
ment would not go with that rush so
pleasing TO oil men, But with thanks
90 Mother Nature we have the pleasure
OF announcing that the strata, which
can be read almost like the leaves Of a
book by going some 10 miles southwest
Of Virgin reveals what is locally known
ns the big sand approximately 200
feet under the first sand and showing
40 20 80 feet imprCgnatcd with residia
OF petroleum al this cropping Ia view
OF the fact that the first sand which Is
producing good wells does not show
more than Co feet of OH saturation
at the cropping this showing of from
40 to 90 feet which is only about 200
feet deeper looks prtty good Go some
people. aud would have been tapped at
more than one place SOME months ago
hod 10 NOT been for that bane Of the
on husiness-the fishing job
THE FISHING JOB
Several parties but two ln partIc-
ular with means. equipment and de-
sire TO test this deeper sand got bad
fishing Jobs which are yet unfinished.
We refer go Mr.. IA a. tBulrog)
clark and Mr Bonnoau Mr CLARK.
who located his well just across the
Arizona line. - miles south of Virgin,
drilled s35 feet which should have put
the wen within "a hundred feet or so
Of the big sand got "a fishing job upon
which he worked most of the summer
without recovering am the tools and
clearing the wpll $50 he could finish b.
MI Bonncau. whose well was located
in Virgin losing his tools nshod some
weeks and then left them iu the wcu.
where they stiu remain Recently he
has been in the Geld aud is having the
rig moved TOW hundred feet north of
its present location whore Doe expects TO
try IL again.
OTHERS OPERATING
Ia the meantime some other good
companies have fallen into line and
are drilling for the big sand Those
an b.. 4 Hastings company. operai
ing near Goulds ranch eisht miIes
southwest of here, Che Virgin VALLEY
Oh company managed hy 3. A. Hat
torman. about one mile northeast ot
Virgin, and tho Grafton Ou CO.,. seven
miles east contemplate drilling either
their first or second Ron to the sec.
ond sand.