Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-06
BLAMES LAKE VIEW FOR
Weakness IN MARKET
Tremendous Production and Poor
Transportation Cause Oil
Men to Complain

With a total production of between
100000 and 100000 barrels of oil since
it's spectacular career began, the Lake
view gusher is still flowing at the rate
of $4,000 barrels day, with or Z
per cent water. The water manifestly
comes from near the surface, and it is
not believed that the casing is cut to
any very great depth.
The amount of oil sent to market via
the Producers Transportation COM
pany's pipe line is estimated at less
than 10 per cent of the whole of the
gusher's output. The remainder Is
stored in the great earthen reservoirs
on the Maricopa fiat or in steel tanks,
the latter constituting a very small
part.
Besides helping to demoralize the
market, and causing its owners no end
of trouble in their futile efforts to con-
troll il, the great gusher has proved less
profitable generally than a smaller well
under control would have been. The
loss in the sumps and earthen reser-
voirs through seepage and evaporation
has been enormous, and there remains
the danger of break in the reservoirs
that might send million or more bar
rels of oil down into Buena Vista lake.
This contingency certainly would re-
suit in a bill from Miller & Lux and
the Kern county Land company for a
fabulous sum for damages in addition
to the loss of the oil. The Lakeview
has been a wonderfully effective ad-
Yertisement for the West Side oil fields
and has made rich men of its owners,
but for everyday work the 500 barrel
pumping we'll is in better favor with
the oil men,
The price received for agency oil in
July was a small fraction above 80
cents per barrel, and deliveries
amounted to 666.000 barrels. The price
was the lowest yet received since the
new marketing arrangement with the
union went into effect. For June the
price was almost 43 cents. The total
production of agency members for July
was $4,000 barrels.
Reports from Coalinga indicating
that the congestion Of oil on the hands
of agency members in that field is
greater than in the Kern county fields.
The Producers Transportation COM
panys pipe line is unable to handle
nearly all the product Many producers
have filed up their storage and have
shut down some or all of their wells.
The Associated and Southern Pacific,
on the other hand, are taking all the
oil they can get from Coalinga.
Fhe St. Lawrence we'll No. l, on sec
ton 5, 1928, is pumping about $50 bar
rels per day, and No. 2 has been ce-
mented and is ready to be put down
into the sand.
The Associated has come to the con-
clusion that it's land in section IL,
1921, at the northwest end of the pres
ent development at McI<ittrick, is bar
rem and has abandoned it's operations
there. 1t is believed that there is
break in the productive strata at this
point.
The Redlands OIL company has pur-
chased section 80, 1923, in the Elk
hills from Bakersfield men and will
start drilling at once. L. c.. Ayles-
worth will superintend operations for
the company, which is composed chiefly
of Redlands people. Percey L.. Harvey
is president; o. T. Higgins is vice pres
ident, and r. D. Mulholland IS secre-
tary and treasurer.
The Midway Northern has contracted
its production from the south half Of
the northwest quarter of section 81,
1928, to the New Center and Anaconda
Oil companies for a price said to net
471h cents.