Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-08-16

ay.
enacted the scenes which occurred when
the well was broken. or rather brought
in, on the morning Of May IS. Teams
of the Frantz corporation worked to
the point of exhaustion in throwing up
huge dykes to hold the oil that is flow
ing and which some hours ago filled the
last space in the big storage tanks,
overran the reserve created by throw
ing up a dam when the we'll first over
flowed and which was then wholly in
adequate, and ran crafty in number
of directions down the coulee below the
camp.
Makes Worlds Record.
All provisions made to care for the
production from the well are but a bag
atelle compared with the necessity that
has now arisen. In the arroyo a num-
ber of lakes of oil are collecting and
filling the hastily constructed reser-
voirs back of dams that in another "A
hours will also show their inability.
Since the first discovery of oil in Mon
tana nothing 10 parallel the occurrences
of the last "a hours has developed.
News that the we'll had suddenly cata-
pulled itself to a rank at the head Of
all wells in the world with a high grade
and hundreds Of cars are coming in
from all directions Nearly depleted Of
population Winnett at q late hour Sun
day is left with only a handful Of those
who are without cars.
Gusher Not Expected
What took place was entirely unlock
ed for by the Frantz forces. For the
last week a crew has been engaged in
N W gn bn
bottom of the casing TO confine the flow
Of Oil through the aperture afforded by
the pipe and to prevent 1t from coming
up around the outside of the casing
Of about leo feet of cave, through
which the oil was forcing itself. ali bur
eight feet had been cleaned out Pre-
paratory to sinking the casing to this
depth, the baler was run again after
the under roaming aud then was with
drawn
Faster than it was hauled out the oil
and shale came up after II. No sooner
had the baler cleared the top of the cas-
ing than with Il roar that could be heard
hundreds of feet. out of the we'll burst
both oil and shale. Oil welled out of the
casing and flowed steady stream
foot or more above the top of the hole
Flow Is Steady.
Since then there has been no sub
sidence of the flow which is now pouring
through four inch pipe and swedge
connecting placed on the well to direct
the flow of the oil in one direction in
stead OF coming in head as it originally
did, the oil is said to be flowing in
eady stream which comes through Il
four inch pipe and with tremendous
pressure.
Close estimates Of the production we're
made by Superintendent L. s. Lantz who
figured the overflow amounted to hail
a barrel minute. Other oil men, how
ever declared that the four inch pipe
without much pressure to force the
flow through it would carry more than
1000 barrels day
Cannot Cap.
With any provision that might be
be made to care for the oil likely to
prove insufficient and the pipeline to
Winnett probably not half large enough
to carry the oil from the one we'll, the
Frantz has one chance of placing the
well under control. Onto the ten inch
casing, a cap might effectively be placed
to shut the well in. Past efforts. however
to cap the big producer failed when its
production was only one fourth Of its
present volume so that any attempt is
likely to prove futile.
Surprised by the tremendous volume
of oil unexpectedly pouring from the
well. oil men have offered the explain
alton that the production did not attain
its maximum at the outset because of the
shale caving from above which added
weight to the shale that apparently was
still present at the bottom Of the well
and over the top Of the sand. Having
cleaned out the well to within eight feet
Of the bottom the Frantz relieved this
weight, opening the heavier flow Of oil
which came in Saturday.
viii Get Bigger.
Drilled into the sand which it might
not even be touching the we'll may have
developed into a gusher. it is felt. Never
having gotten proof that the sand was
entered and believing that the we'll drill
ed itself in the Frantz is convinced that
the full production has not yet been at
tained.
Face to face with the more vital prob
lem of conserving the oil, the Frantz will |
have a task Of gigantic proportions. The |
two inch pipe line will not carry off the
OIL and tanks sufficient probably could |
not be erected fast enough to handle |
the flow indefinitely. The effort to shut |
in the well fails the only recourse is the
building of tanks sufficient or In coulee |
below the camp hold the oil in q vast |
lake or a number of lakes.