Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-27
j. S. MAKES REPORT
ON VENEZUELA OIL
Consul Says Conditions Are Fav-
orabIe, but Statement Shows
Very Low Gravity Fluid

The department of commerce and
labor in letter to The Herald says;
Consul Ralph j. Totten of Mara
caibo submits the following report on
petroleum deposits in Venezuela, the
development of which will have great
influence on the import trade:
There are five known petroleum de-
posits in this consular district Ooz
ings of petroleum, covering consider
able territory, are found in the district
of Mara, near the river Limon asphalt
lake. Oil has been located at Bella
Vista, near the city of Maracaibo, and
wells are to be sunk by the owners in
the near future. Their object is to
refine the product and to supply the
local demand for illuminating and
lubricating oils. Evidence of the eX-
istence of petroleum deposits is found
over a large area in the district of
Sucre in conjunction with considerable
asphalt deposits. An oil field ON the
river Sardinate in Colombia, near the
Venezuelan frontier, is being worked
at the present time. The oil is re-
fined at the wells and is sold in the
nearby Colombian cities. The fifth
field, and the one that seems to be the
largest and most conveniently sit
uated, is south of Lake Maracaibo. in
the district of Colon, state of Zulia.
A company of Maracaibo business
men, who have control of these fields,
is preparing to make an active cam
paign to interest foreign or domestic
capital in the exploitation of its prop
erty. 1t has an advantageous con-
tract with the Venezuelan government,
which grants it free entrance for its
drills. machinery and supplies.
These oil fields can be reached by
light-draft lake and river steamers.
Passing up the Catumba river to its
junction with the Tara river, about
thirty miles beyond Encontrados. the
capital of the district, then about fifty
miles through the latter river, brings
one to the village of La Paloma. The
oil bearing land commences at this
point and continues nearly to the Co
lombian frontier, including an i'm
mense area.
EVIDENCE OF PETROLEUM
Abundant evidence of the presence
of petroleum is to be found close at
hand on some rugged hills forty to
fifty meters above the level of the
river. From sources on these hills
run some twenty small streams, the
waters of which are constantly COW
cred with a thick coating of petroleum.
Some of the oil comes from the springs
with the water, and some from assures
along the banks of the streams. In
one of these assures an excavation was
made three feet deep by two feet
square, which in about six hours filled
with crude oil. In this locality were
found places where the surface of the
earth was covered with a deposit of
tar from oil that had been evaporated
by the heat of the sun, sufficiently
thick to destroy vegetation of all
kinds.
Crude oil of two classes is found.
One kind is thin enough to flow read
lily, having a specific gravity of 15
degrees. The other is very thick and
of the color and consistency of coal
tar Both varieties show an asphaltic
base. in this resembling the Texas
crude oils as distinguished from oils
having a paraffin base.
WOOD FOR DERRICKs
The forests in this region contain
great quantities of construction wood
of all kinds, and, although the con-
tract with the government permits the
free introduction of all materials and
machinery for the exploitation of the
property, they would be of great utility
in the construction of buildings der
ricks, tanks and casks. The land is
sufficiently sloping for the laying of
pipe lines to the river port, La Paloma,
where it is intended to place the re-
finery and tanks. Abundant wood
can be had for fuel, and there are coal
deposits close at hand.
Venezuela alone consumes annually
about 1,000.0 900 gallons of kerosene. The
price here is seldom lower than AZ
cents a gallon, and often reaches so
cents.
The location of these fields is espe-
cially favorable, having all-Water con-
nection with the city of Maracaibo and
the other lake ports, as well as with
the city Of Encontrados, on the Catum-
ba river. Encontrados is a city of
25, 900 inhabitants, and is the terminus
of the Tachira railway, which con-
meets it with the province of Santan-
der of the republic of Colombia. Oil
could thus be shipped to all of the
Venezuelan and Colomian seaports and
TO the interior of both republics by
rail and water combined.