El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-02

nous Casiano well. in September. 1910
of the Mexico Petroleum company
! This well since then, is estimated tC
have been flowing at an average rate
Of more than 10000 barrels per day
! This well in 1917 is said to have pro-
| duced nearly 5000, 900 barrels, putting
/ its total output since IL was drilled
up to nearly 100000 barrels. On the
hill top, a mile and a half away, and
high above the surrounding country,
blaes day and night IL gigantic gas
| flames relieving the pressure Of this
famous well, which has a pressure OF
! 265 pounds per squire inch and an es-
barrels day, but which is shut in to
10000 to 10000 barrels day. Twenty
! miles south of this well is probably
the greatest oil well IN the world to-
day. the Cerro AzuL meaning blue
hills" The Cerro Azul well was
drilled in on Feb. 9, 1915, and began
to gush with roar, and before II
was brought under control. reached
an estimated production Of 100000
barrels day and spouted 1.400. 900
barrels of oil into the air.
Great OH Wei In Jungle.
When you have travelled about so
miles south of Tampico to reach this
Cerro Azul, the greatest oil well in
the world, you see in the jungle only
clear field which in the center is
mound OF earth not 20 feet high, set
against mountains of blue and the
only evidence of human interest is an
ordinary pressure gage imbedded near
the top of this earth mound. But you
stand on the top of this little mound
and feel the pu1sation Of something
almost human beneath your feet-a
crater Of energy that taxed the in
genuity Of man for days to harness II
and cap down a gas and oil pressure
measuring above 1000 pounds per
square inch and flowing oil at a rate
equaling about one-quarter of the
oil production of the whole world.
since the day that 1t came in this well
has been producing 10000 to $4,000
barrels per day with the valve that
governs its flow opened only slightly.
In this same district, but some Is
miles south is the great Potrero del
can Eagle, English, company the en-
tire 10000 barrels OF oil per day that
this company exports This is the
company owned by lord Cowdray and
associates Lord Cowdray since the
beginning of the wa is giving his
entire time to HIS country at the head
OF the British aviation department.
and his pipe lines and refineries work
automatically on this coast A few .
miles to the north and east Of the |
Potrero wei and near the terminus
OF the Mexican Petroleum companies l
railroad at san Geronimo. on the Dor |
ders OF the Tamiahua Lagoon, still /
rises cloud Of steam from the ruins |
Of the famous oil well Dos Bocas. |
Here in 1909, came in Unexpectedly |
the worlds greatest oil gusher. |
an eight inch pipe shot a col |
umn into the air 1900 feet high by ac- |
tual theodolite measurement; then the /
earth heaved and belched 300, OOO, 900 |
barrels of liquid per day. how much |
Of IL was oil nobody could say. The
torrential flood reached the boiler |
fires and soon in place Of that eight |
inch pipe was a heaving, seething
mass, 100 acres in extent Soldiers as
well as civilians fought the flow and
flames to restrict the area Of damage, I
but Tor many nights Dos Bocas light /
ed up sea and shore for $50 miles |
around.
No OIL Sands in Mexico.
Very few people in the world know
the geological structure of these oil
fields. No one in the world today
knows 1t perfectly, nothing yet IN
covered in the United States resembles
the underground formation in Mexico. !
In California you pump from well de- |
fined areas of oil sand 1000 to 5000
feet deep. And whose porosity is very
good If it runs Il percent II a Cali |
fornia well pumps 200 barrels a day |
it is an exception, yet there are no /
oil sands in Mexico, but about 1000 !
feet below the sea level the oil drills /
strike bed OF an ancient ocean and |
from coral reefs with so percent of /
porosity squirt the greatest oil wells /
in the world No pipe line yet con- !
has been able to receive the /
full measure Of one of these gushers. /
Al though the oil deposits were /
known TO exist as early as the time /
Of the Spanish occupation. nothing /
was done toward their development |
until 1868, when a DR.. Autray located I
the oil springs Of Cugas and convert /
ed their yield into Illuminating oil by 4
means Of small still. Limited cap 4
ltal and the absence Of a demand for /
the product finally resulted in the /
project being abandoned.
It was not until about IS years ago /
that British interests decided to make /
an effort to develop the Mexican oil /
reserves. With the cooperation Of /
engineers, and capitalists. |
drilling operations were started on /
small scale. The American engineers, /
however, did not appear to be well \
toward British activity. The i
result was that the British capitalists |
became disguised with the lack OF |
progress being made and finally with
Drew from the project. It was Just /
< hat the American engineers had been
working for. They went to the Amerf- /
ian financIers who had been interest
I'd in the plan, explained the situation l
and sought further support The drill
ers, however, were doomed to disap-
pointment for the Americans con-
5trued the suggestion as an excuse
Tor wasting additional money. They
could not see why they should make 4
an additional outlay when the other
money that they had invested along
With that of the British associates
lad brought no returns.
Lord Conway starts DEVELOPMENT.
Lord Weetman Pearson. now lord
Conway, was engaged in the early Sos