The San Francisco call., 1910-07-20

END OF LAKEVIEW
GUSHER is near
Flow Decreases to 10000 Bar.
rels a Day, With Consider.
able Water Showing

The end Of the Lakeview gusber IS
herslded from the oil fields. Time and
again in the past has the same note
been sounded. but a thing unto itself,
moving by neither precedent nor by
rule, the great geyser has continued
10 hurl scientific theories over the der
rick This time, however. there ap-
pears TO be something beyond mere
mental hazard in the prediction. The
How of the well has fallen by more
than half Since its birth it has poured
/. forth from $4,000 TO $4,000 barrels daily.
During last week there was a notice
able decline. and measurements made
on Friday showed that the flow had
fallen to $4,000 barrels. Saturday the
production was the same. Since then
: il has continued to produce at the same
rate. with a growing percentage of
water.
The increasing amount of water is
an indication that the end of the gusher
10 in sight provided that it is estab-
.nshed that the water is coming from
the lower depths. Opinion is divided
on this point. some holding that the
water is merely seepage from the upper
strata. If this is true. the presence
OF the water is not a matter of moment.
NO ONE SORRY
Operators have been earnestly hop
Z ing that the Lakeview would be
checked. 1t is today the one demoraliz-
ing factor in the industry. 1t has
heaped its enormous output on the
market at a time when production and
.COnSuuntiOn were ba 1snped came
without warning, when neither physical
storage facilities nor financial arrange
ments had been completed for its care.
In itself it has been a source of un-
told expense. To date it has cost in
excess OF $500, 900 to handle In reve-
nue. il has brought in nothing. Every
day ii continues it involves an expense
Of $4,000.
The gusher. Of course, is a natural
wonder II has proved. perhaps, the
richest single square foot of earth the
world has known. In the 127 days OF its
life il has sent forth approximately
100000 barrels of oil, which, under
:. ordinary circumstances. would have
possessed commercial value of
$4,000, 900.
The amazing proportions of the Lake
view have inspired admiration, but
coming down to the question of busi-
ness and dollars and cents for the oil
industry generally, nearly every oper-
ator viii be prepared TO offer a word
Of thanksgiving when the announce
: ment goes forth that the Lakeview has
: quit.
DANGER OF WATER
With the presence of water in the
output at this time a grave danger
appears. Should the LakevieW spend
Itself in q torrent of water it would be
: a dark day for the Midway oil fields
. The antics of the Lakeview are now,
more than ever, engaging the close at
tention of oilmen. Close tab is kept
on this performer by the men in the
field. Speaking of its decline, the Bak-
ersheld Echo says:
The great Lakeview gusher
which has been the marvel of the
oil fields Of the nation and which
has surpassed all records for en-.
durance and amount of oil pro-
duced, Is flowing a certain percent
age Of water with the oil, and it is
the opinion of oihnen here that the
beginning of the end has come
Estimates Of the quantity of
water produced vary from per
cent up. A telephone massage from
sunset 10 L. ii. Corey, superintend-
ent Of the Producers transporta-
ton lion company I:aEXf .9i said at that during
dropped TO $4,000 barrels and that
large quantity Of water was
coming with the oil. Other mes
sages from there were to the ef-
feet that the well was flowing ap-
proximately much oil yesterday
as the day before, and that the
water amounted to about per
cent Of the total flow.
Heretofore there has been no
sign Of water from the WELL and
All the Oilmen interviewed agreed
that the present showing of water
is q most important symptom
Some are of the opinion that ii
comes from the bottom and means
that the great flow of oil has been
due in part TO the pressure of
water. Others maintain that If
this were the case the amount of
water discharged would be much
greater. The opinion of the latter
is that breaks in the casing permit
the surface water to enter the
well. This would not be nearly so
serious as far the field is con-
cerned as though a great pressure
Of water were developed from be-
low. but in either case it is agreed
that the end of the Lakeview
gusher is probably not far distant.
Recent strikes in the vicinity of the
Lakeview, especially those of the Con-
solidated Midway and the Midway oil
company, have taken much of the flow.