Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-05
SEES FUTURE IN
NEW OIL FIELD
|. |. HURST ENTHUSIASTIC
OVER NEWPORT BAY
OUTLINES HISTORY OF RESULTS
OBTAINED TO DATE
Says Third Well Promises to Give
Final Proof That Valuable
Fluid Is There in Pay
ina Quantities

L. Hurst, who is interested extern
sively in the Newport bay oil district
in discussing prospects in that legion
Yesterday, declared that the outlook
is exceedingly bright and that with a
little more development work the "eils
will be producing freely ,,-z,..-,.
"Various companies and individuals
have been sinking oil wells IN TINS
district for the last two years. salu
MIR Hurst. zone Of t.ose wells mas
avidsntIv been pus down outside of the
oil strata. The Newport Bay corr
pany is now drilling its third Wen:
The first we'll was sunk to depth o.
2761 feet. Oil was struck In this Wei
and for two Or three days was on the
pump. While the pumping was not
kept up long enough to deterieile tIs
amount of oil that the well Wouid
produce, it was, in the judgment OIL
experienced oil men, good Tor from
100 to 200 barrels day.
oIn this well old secondhand casing
of an inferior weight had been USED,
and when the water was punspeo out
and the oil was pumped down to WIN
in about 500 feet of the bottom the
casing collapsed. Newport bay Wen
No. q was sunk to a depth OF 545O
feet. but no oil was found, the well
being south of the oil strata. New
port Bay well No. 8 was sunk 10
depth of 1900 feet, and the water was
cenented off, since which several nun
dred feet have been made through oil
bearing shale and considerable
amount of oil sand.
At Work Nineteen Months
1.-THE Balboa Oil company COM
menced work on it's first well about
nineteen months ago. 1t drilled to
faaF ND
water sand at a depth of 17OO feet.
Now it has in it's well total of more
than 200 feet of oil sand and more
than 1000 feet of shale showing oil.
"For the first 216 feet the shale pene-
trated resembled the material com
posing the quaternary formation
From that on to a depth of 100 feet
the shales. which are almost continu-
GUS. we're characteristic of the San
Fernando formation, below which
point the shales evidently belong TO
the Monterey formation.
During the past week this WELL
which was cemented off a month ago,
has shown by drilling out the bridge
that the water was successfully smut
off. and that it is a flowing well.
ION the shore line of Newport bay.
Immediately south of these wells, the
shale formation is exposed, which pc
longs either to the top of the Monterey
or the bottom of the San Fernando
series, while on the east SIDE OF the
bay is a Monterey formation. Near
the north end of the bay soft sands
stone. probably of the quaternary age
is exposed This quaternary forma-
ton is the bedrock through great
portion of the mesa land and forms
bluffs on the east side of the Santa
Ana river The formations referred to
have been penetrated by all the wells
companies.
What the Formation Shows
1.-THE record of Newport bay well
No. / shows little that looks like
uuaternary formation. Dark brown
colored shale, encountered to depth
of 1866 feet, resembles the San Fer
nando formation rather than the Mon
terey. From that depth to the bot
tom of the we'll, 2761 feet, light
brown shale and chalk rock (prob-
ably diatomaceous strata) indicate the
Monterey shales rather than the San
Fernando. Between 1770 and 1891 feet
four thin strata of oil sand were pene-
trated, which aggregate a thickness of
forty-four feet. At a depth of 1860
feet a twenty foot strata of oil sand
was struck, which yielded an oil hav-
ing a specific gravity of about 20
degrees.
10 SUN up lillS lGII4lOlSs tllG OHly
rocks exposed on or near this terri
tory are on the shore line of Newport
bay and along the course of the Santa
Ana river. On the shore line of New
port bay the shale formation exposed
belongs to what is known as the
Monterey shale. The Monterey shales
are of middle neocene age. At one or
two places there is a browner shale
resting upon the Monterey which may
possibly belong to the San Fernando
formation. The San Fernando forma-
ton is the next youngest in geological
formation to the Monterey.
"Around Newport bay the San Fer
nando appears for the most part TO
have been removed by erosion prior to
the deposition Of a highly fossiliferous
formation, which is found resting nom
conformably on the Monterey shales.
Tt Is the Monterey formation which
has proved so remunerative in Santa
Barbara county.
Compared with Other Wells
"The oil measures of Los Angeles
and the Puente hills belong to the San
Fernando series. Along the shores Of
Newport bay, about two miles south
of the Balboa territory the forma-
tions named show evidences of con-
tanning petroleum with a few beds of
brea The shipping facilities for this
locality are exceedingly good, being
only three and one-half miles from
commercial wharf and on the line of
the Southern Pacific railroad. The
formation is one in which large guam
titles of oil have been found in other
parts of California.
"Oil has been struck in the New
port bay and Balboa territory in four
wells out of five that have been
drilled. This includes what has been
known as the Kellerman well. The
formation is easy to drill, but there
has been heretofore great trouble from
water. which can be overcome by
shutting each strata Of water off as
soon as passed, if necessary, by
cementing it off. The custom of finish
ing a we'll and attempting to shut
the water off afterward, which has so
long prevailed in California, is an un-
necessarily expensive and dangerous
one.
Hoped for the Best
A country minister in the course of
his dining out on the circuit came to a
house where roast chicken was served