The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-07-22
In the Oklahoma Oh Fields
by New Method of
Drilling Wells.

tion OF the mineral resources OF the
Ecountry has just been accomplfshe
] by the United States Bureau Of
Mines in Oklahoma.
A. j. Pollard, or Bakersfield.
CAM, and A. G. Heggen, OF Pitts
burg. Pa. the two oil experts OF the
bureau, acting under the direction
| of DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, have sue
ceeded in stopping the waste OF
more than 10000, 900 cubic feet OF
natural gas daily. The gas Is worth
$3T,5OO for every day 1t 1t Is waste1
and nearly $4,000. 900 in a years
time.
when the bureaus experts en-
tered the fieId It is estimated that
$50, 100000 cubic feet of gas was
being wasted valued at about sea-
500 for every twenty-four hours or
about $i2iS. 100000 a year" said Van
H. Manning. assistant to the director
of Bureau OF Mines, today. "All OF
this will eventually be saved.
THE gas already saved is equiv
to / .S75, 900 tons of the best coal
and before the advent of the sbu=
reau's men Oklahoma was wasting
fuel equal to g, 1925. 900 tons OF coal.
1.-The operators and drillers after
much skepticism have now reached
tho conclusion that the federal ex-
perisW methods of drilling is the
proper one and they are making
preparations to stop the remainder
L Is Tho
necessary apparatus is being rapidly
/ purchased and so enthusiastic have
the operators become they have re-
auested Secretary Lane OF the Inter
Tor Department to retain Mr. Pol
lard, one of the bureaus experts in
Oklahoma until more denominations
can be given.
"The federal oil experts entered
! the oklahoma field several weeks
ago and were met with indifference,
, suspicion and prejudice. Many of
the operators and drillers did not be-
lieve that the method proposed by the
experts was applicable to Oklahoma
and others reared an fncreased cost of
drilling From the dirst there was 4
struggle for the government experts
to get wells on which to make demon
STATIONS. Since that time the fed
eral experts have successfully di-
rected the drilling of two wells in
which there would have been a COM
bined waste of more than 100000
Gu bic feet OF natural gas daily under
the old methods They have sue
ceeded in shutting OF the gas in
these wells and have drilled the
we'll below uae gas strata and into
the oil. Theyehaye also directed the
drilling of a number of other wells
in past the strata and without
waste of any OF the gas.
The system in brief is the pump
ing of mudladen fluid into the
! well IN the past it is declared that
in a great number Of wells drilled in
the Cushing field in the gas zone 1t
has been found impossible to drill
entirely through the gas formation
due to the pressure and volume OF
the gas. In a number of instances 1t
has been necessary to shut down the
well and the money. spent in drilling
has been lost Loss from this
cause in the future will be avoided
by the adoption of the system recon-
mended by the federal experts. 1t IS
further claimed that the method
urged by the government viii cost
the oil men less and that there Will
be lers risk than with the mcthod
which has been in vogue.
when the Bureau of Mines men
reached the oil fields of Oklahoma
they found that through faulty drill
ing water was threatening the flu
ture production of oil. This danger
it is declared will be removed as
soon as the new method is generally
adopted throughout the state
officials of the Bureau of Mines
are considerably elated over the re-
suits as they have not only saved a
very valuable resource to the country
for future use, but they have also
given the oil men of Oklahoma n
better and safer system for drilling
As an evidence of how the operators
feel toward the work of the bureaus
experts the following telegram to
Secretary Lane is given:
Under your Doctor Holmes, ]. A.
Pollard. oil expert in the Cushing
field here. has demonstrated for the
first time within the knowledge OF
Oklahoma produc that gas sands
may without waste be drilled through
to the lower oil strata. This system
If given reasonable demonstration
for some weeks will result in great
elimination OF waste. Please con