The Washington herald., 1909-07-04
In 1908
Product 179,572,479 Barrels
Worth S129, ,7O6,258.
OKLAHOMA LEADS ALL STATES
New Commonwealth Sends 45,79s, 765
Barrels 20 Market and Increases
Output 5-23 Per Cent over Previous
Year - Louisiana, Missouri, and
West Virginia show Gains.

On February 3, the Geological Survey
p1blished a statement showing tie gen
eral progress IN petroleum production
during 1S0S. according 70 which the phe-
| nomenal production OF 1907 had been
eclipsed in 1908 by a production OF be-
tween I75.eO0.000 and 100000 barrels.
The Survey is now compiling the fnal
figures for 1905. which viii show that the
total production aggregated l7s.572.4 40
barrels, vauled az SIS. .705. IS. an Increase
In quantity OF &lI per cent over 1917.
Oklahoma led all the States in p-oduc-
ton. with total of s5.7sS. .765 barrels. an
Increase OF 623 Per cent over 1857; Cali
fornia was a close second. with AS4.7S7
barrels. an increase OF I2S5 Per cent. over
1907; but Illinois gained the greatest per-
centage rising from 24.2Sl. .s73 barrels In
1907 to S5.sS5lO6 barrels in 1908. a gain Of
( 3S.72 per cent
Western States show Gains.
Colorado. Louisiana. Michigan. BIissou-
r, Utah, Wyoming. aud West Virginia
also showed gains in production The
declines were in Indiana. where II was
nearly IS per cent: IN Kansas. 25 Per cent;
Ohio, II per cent; Texas. g per cent.
Pennsylvania. nearly 6 per cent: New
York. % per cent; and Kentucky and
Tennessee, Il per cent
The average price OF petroleum FOR the
entire country IN 1908 remained identical
with that OF 1907. but there were consid-
cradle variations OF an important charac-
ter in individual States. The most nota-
bic Of these was the Increase IN price in
California. from 81 cents a barrel IN 1907
20 52i4 cents a barrel IN 1903 The Gulf
States. Louisiana and Texas. showed a
decline In value from a little over 50 cents
70 90 cents The Appalachian oil showed
slight Increase in value. from Sl.75 in
lS05 10 SL79 in 1913. On the whole prices
were remarkably steady considering the
notable increase over the large produc-
ton OF 1907,
Increase in Three Fields.
The increased activity in the three
great ields-Callfornia. Oklahoma. and
.Illinois-was the dominant feature Of the
situation rather than the discovery and
opening Of any considerable new fields.
The principal new field to gain promi-
nence was the Caddo pool, IN northwest
ern Louisiana. The hoped-for increase
in production from the Markham and
Goose Creek fields In Texas did not mate
rialize. and the total from the State
showed a decline IN spite OF the increased
production in the Humble pool In the
Appalachian field Ills new wells were
drilled. OF which 5,292 were producers.
with total initial production Of 5000
barrels; in the Lima-Indiana region I.250
new wells were drilled, OF which Loss
were producers; in the new Illinois
field 8.574 wells were drilled. OF which
SOl9 were producers, with an average
initial production OF twenty-six barrels
a well. In the Mid-COntinent field 3.49O
wells were drilled. OF which 2.5H were
producers OF oil. Al were producers Of
gas, and 4S2 were dry; the initial pro-
duction OF the producing wells averaged
&.7 barrels. In the Gulf field only Si9
new wells were drilled. COS being produ-
GERS and showing an initial production
Of @ barrels. In California 6I7 wells
were drilled, Of which 594 were product
i've, and IN other parts OF the country
forty-fOur wells Wera drilled yielding
twenty-four new producers. From the
total Of 1910 productive wells drilled. the
Initial production was 1919 barrels.