Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-01-10

ductlon, a decrease of only 5S9 bar
rels from the previous years record.
| That the Illinois producers can be
| proud of the size OF their wells is
proven by the 355 dry holes which
appear in the competitions, which
with 32 gassers, leave only 1,l96 pro
ductive 70 make up the output. Ac-
/ tive wildcatting the first half of tho
year was responsible for many of the
| failures.
The Lima producers drilled SCI
wells in their old fields, and obtained
new production Of 9,3lS barrels, the
decrease from the 1913 figures being
| III wells and 1,946 barrels new pro-
duction, SiXty-nine dry holes and 10
gassers are included in the complies
| tions.
Indiana came out Of its depression
of many years in 1914, and Is credited
with 744 competitions and S477 bar
rels of new production, a gain over
1913 Of 436 and l,l01 barrels respec-
| lively. The little pool of Sullivan was
responsible for the change, but the
| efforts to extend the pool and find
| others resulted in 259 failures, or over
| thirty-three per cent Of the total COM
pleted.
Kentucky Fell Down.
Kentucky promised to add new
fields to the oil region at the begin
ming of the year. but all efforts failed
TO find any, and I'm the latter part OF
the year work came almost TO a
standstill. The hope of a deep sand
! field in western Kentucky, following
the trend of the Illinois development,
proved a bitter disappointment to the
4 operators. Nothing TO indicate a pay
| ing well has been found.
More work was done in 1914 in the
gas fields Of Ohio than in 1913, as
| 76S wells were completed, an Increase
Of 296. or these 46 were small oil
wells with an initial production Of
| 1,745 barrels, and 500 were gas wells,
an increase of 290, with 32 dry holes.
| The discovery OF the gas field OF
Cleveland was the principal feature
Of this development for the year.
The Pennsylvania grade fell off in
work throughout the year until at
the close only few wells were being
drilled in any section. Southwest
| Pennsylvania, West Virginia and
southeastern Ohio completed 1850
wells or sos fewer than in 1918, and
the new production amounted TO &c.
442 barrels, a decline of 1926. or
the completions S4S were dry and 554
gas wells, or nearly forty per cent.
In the counties of northwestern Penn
| sylVania and New York, 2,249 wells
were completed with a new produc-
! tion of AGA barrels, a decrease from
the figures for 1913 Of 1893 and
$500 respectively. Among the COM
pletiOns were POS dry holes and III
gas wells.
Cut in Prices Hurt.
New work showed an increase in
| 40 ho n
| the low prices of crude oil and the
increasing production Of Oklahoma
! began to have an effect upon opera
tions, and the monthly figures have
shown a steady decline since, until at
the close Of 1914 there was a smaller
amount than at any time since Sep
tember, 1912.
The Gushing pool dominated field
conditions for the whole year. 1t
proved to be the most productive field
ever discovered. Within a year from
the drilling in of the first WELL its
production had reached to over two
hundred and siXty-three thousand bar
rels a day This was about the mid
die of December and since then there
has been a rapid decline until the
estimate for the end of the year was
| 220, 600 barrels. All other divisions
show a decreased output. The Texas
Panhandle. which had 5000 barrels
a day year ago, Is now about 1900
a day. North Louisiana has fallen
off 1000 barrels in its daily output
of year ago. Gulf coast shows a
small decline. Illinois has dropped
off about six thousand barrels a day
The eastern fields show a smaller loss
because the average production OF
each well is so small that very little
| n m
eral output.
War Cloud BAD.
The European war threatened to
| denoraliZe business In August but al
the end Of GO days the marketing
companies were able TO take care of
the oil, and since October l the pros
ducer has not known that a war ex-
listed, so far as selling his product is
concerned. The overproduction at
! Gushing has proven greater menace
/ to prosperous times thgn the Euro
pean situation.
At the beginning of 1914 Pennsyl-
vania oil was quoted at $3.50 a barrel
and Continent oil on February
was S1.05. In April the overproduc-
| ton OF the west began to have its
effect on prices and by August 20
! Pennsylvania oil had been cut to
| Al.4Ot Mlu-1uHuHtUl was 20 CENTS
| with further reduction to 90 cents,
and other grades were reduced in
| proportion.
The sensational features Of the in
| dustry for the year were the at
| tempts of the corporation commission
| of Oklahoma to regulate the business
| in that state, and its failure; the
shutdown movement in the Mid-Conti-
nent field, and the stopping Of all
! runs by the Prairie Oil & Gas Co. for
| five days.
New Pools.
The new pools found during the
year are limited to the Plymouth pool
| of Illinois; the Rosedale development
! I'm West Virginia; the Red River dis
trict In Louisiana; the Cleveland gas
section, and the development of the
, Gushing field.
Death was busy in the ranks of the
oil men during the year, and among
those who passed away and who were
prominent in the various branches of
the industry were owen A. Evans, l.,
A. Brenneman. Captain Peter Grace,
John NJ. Arters, w. c. Guffey Benz
Franklin Warren, J. II. Windsor, j.
r. Andrews, II. ID. Fletcher, Theo-
dore f. Tack Herman Frasch s. f.
Showalter, Henry Suhr and Charles
| w. Archbold
The oil industry never looked
brighter than IL did at the beginning
of 1914, and never was it so demoral-
ized. At the dawn of 1915 the pros.
/ r.