New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-04-18

company stopped further explora
ton later selling the rig to w. H
Andrews.
But the California people looked
around and later went to drilling
about eleven miles northwest oi
Carlsbad. The first hole. sunk to the
1900 foot level, in search for shallow
oil, was dry. A contract for the
drilling of a deep hole was ready to
sign in August 1914. when orders to
discontinue came from headquarters
because of the war in Europe.
In the mean time w. H. Andrews
had interested New Mexico, Okla
homa, and Pennsylvania people III
leases he had obta; med around Carls-
bad. The big rig. purchased from
the Dayton Petroleum Company was
set up eight miles east of Carlsbad
Their geologist held that the oil run
to the southeast against the east
anticline and picked the location east
of the Pecos RIVER. This we'll was
down over twenty-eight hundred
feet when drilling stopped late in
the year 1914.
An immense salt bed was penetrat
ed. At about twenty-four hundred
feet a small but promising oil sand
was struck. A hundred feet deeper
salt water was found. This cased off,
the drilling continued until very
hard rock was encountered The
drilling stopped at this point. Mr.,
Andrews, an old hand at the oil game
from Pennsylvania. was so fully con-
vinced that oil would be found that
after the war was over, he was ready
to continue work on the old hole. He
went to Carlsbad, but fell a victim
to the "elu".
In other parts Of the Pecos VAL
ley various attempts were made to
develop oil. Near Roswell c. c.
Tannahill and associates sunk well
two thousand feet deep. The hole
was dry and work was discontinued.
But the Roswell business men were
not discouraged and at the present
time are preparing to explore further.
A Connecticut concern brought in
a Fight rig and drilled at a point
southwest from Carlsbad. But as
the capital was limited and the rig
too light for deep drilling, this COM
pany was unable to test out the loca-
tion. Another company worked about
two years some distance west Of
Lakewood without satisfactory re-
suits. About three miles west OF
Lake Arthur a tea hole looked so
promising at eleven hundred feet
that it was shot" But no oil in
paying quantities developed.
Around the Pecos and Toyah. Tex
as test holes have been sunk from
time to time. One we'll is reported
TO be thrty-seven hundred feet deep.
The drillers in this section have
never given out any information
But as work is being planned on a
large scale at present. the oil indica-
tons must be promising.
San Juan Basin.
The oldest known oil indications
in New Mexico. however. are in the
San Juan basin in the northwest
part Of the state More than forty
years ago geologists discovered fine
prospects there. Oil springs and
seeps were in evidence in several
localities. The biologists, however.
are convinced that the real oil les
deep.
No serious attempts at developing
this field were made in the early
days. In the early nineties gas was
found in a shallow we'll near Farm
ington. In 1907 another we'll was
sunk at this point to a depth Of
hundred feet and
small amount of oil developed. Salt
water was found and the flow was
Of artesian character rising to the
surface. In 1912 several shallow wells
at Seven Lakes in Mckinley county
nrod'r-ed oil in limited quantit; es.
IN 1910 work was begun on the
Mattox we'll This had reached
depth Of IT'S feet when the tools
were lost and the we'll caved in. A
fair flow of oil had Just been found.
IN 1914 the San Tran Basin OIL Com
pany sunk we'll near to the Mat
fox well and found a limited amount
Of oil at twenty-five hundred feet But
the companv discontinued work at
'his point. The great war had start
I'd and conditions were not favorable
for further evnlora-ion. The next
effort to find oil in San Ivan county
was near Aztec OF was found in
small quantities at S5n feet and drill
ling was continued until oil was agai,
found at l15O feet. The first oil was
light with paraffin base while the
second was darker and heavier
Trorh'e with the casing sticking and
in obtaining further snip
pies resulted in stopping work last
year on this hole.
The San Juan field extends over
a large district. beinr about fifty
miles long and from five to fifteen
miles wide. 1t reaches across the
Colorado 1;ne where some prospect
ing has also been done. To the west
the fields extends into Arizona. Part
Of the field lies in the Navajo Indian
Lack Of transportation
has prevented development of this
very promising field. The Farming