The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-05-13
EXPLAINS DELAY IN
FALLON OIL WELL

FALLON, May 10.-The local ex-
element following the bringing in of
the Fallon Oil & Gas Company's well
on April 26th has subsidized so far as
the crowds around the brokers' Of
fees are concerned. The drillers
have gone back to their respective
wells and the stock spectators are
now betting as to which company will
bring in the next well. Nearly every
company in the district has advanced
the price Of its stock.
1t cannot be determined for a week
or ten days as to just what the flow
of the Fallon Oil & Gas Company well
will be. So far the one particular
point determined is that oil does exist
ia the Fallon formation. AS to what
quantities, has yet to be developed.
The fact that an oil well exists in
Nevada is sufficient basis on which
to pin ones faith that others will be
brought in and some day a field will
be opened that may rival any other
in the United States.
Work is progressing as fast as pos
sible under conditions at the Fallon
Oil & Gas Company's discovery well.
At first they lacked eight-inch casing.
The Big Four Oil Company came to
their rescue and loaned the casing
and needed tools. This well was
drilled with a rotary and progressed
without casing. The hole was only
six inches in diameter and the first
move was to ream this to admit an
eight-inch casing. This was lone to
a depth of seventy-fve feet. The
eight-inch casing has been landed and
cemented. This job was completed
Wednesday afternoon. One ton of ce-
ment was used in setting the casing.
This will have to stand three or four
days, then six-inch casing will be
lowered and landed at the text water
flow. That will have to be cemented
and time allowed to set.
Even though this be a twenty-five
or fifty barrel we'll. that oil is not
flowing is not surprising under on
ditions. Only those ignorant of OIL
wells would expect it. First the
revolutions of a rotary drill presses
back the oil sand and closes the
pores, materially retarding the oil
flow. Then there is a water pressure
of 500 feet standing in the well. Also
all the dirt loosened in roaming out
the well to enlarge to eight inches
settles to the bottom of the hole.
When the water is bailed out, this
loose dirt and the oil sand
reamed to loosen it up then and not
until then will we know the capacity
of this. the discovery well of Nevada.
1t is also possible that the well will
be shot to develop it to its full flow.
J.. p. Branley arrived Friday with
an additional crew for the Weaver
Oil Company. This well is down $50
feet and drilling suspended while IN
eighty-four-foot derrick Is being put
up. This was found necessary, as
sixteen and one-half-inch casing is
being used. A Columbia rig is on the
ground and while the rig is capable
of going to great depth. the overhead
rig that came with the drill did not
have the carrying capacity required
by a long string of heavy casing, Mr..
Branley will remain here two or more
weeks to see that nothing delays the
work. On occasions he has shipped
in tons OF material by freight. In
fact, over a ton of supplies is now on
the way from Los Angeles by ex-
press.
The Big Four Oil Company is
working sixt, IN hours a day. They
are now down 1896 feet and have
passed through two water stratas and
on Tuesday ran into a quicksand b a
came up in the casing fifty feet be-
fore it could be mudded and driven
back. w. b. Nichols & Sons. the
fiscal agents for the Big Four Oil
Company have secured a government
lease on large acreage of the Indian
reserva' ion, about ten miles north
IN st of here They have Incorporated