The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-22
HAVE PROBLEMS
IN FAR NORTH OIL
Newly Discovered Arctic Cir
Gle Well Is 1900 Miles From
Nearest Railroad.
rs IN KLONDIKE LATITUDE
Drilling Being Pushed as Fast
as Weather Conditions
Will Permit.

Although the Imperial OIL Company. a
subsidiary of the Standard OIL Company.
has discovered oil in considerable guam
tity in the Canadian Northwest and has
brought in the first producing well on
the edge of the Arctic Circle. there are
at least two problems to be worked
out before the discovery becomes of
any great commercial value, according
to Q. 0. Stillman. president Of the COM
pany, who was In New York yester-
day. The first of those problems Mr.
Stillman said, Is to determine II the de-
posts of petroleum in the far North are
sufficiently large to Justify intensive
drilling. and the second Is to overcome
the unusual difficulties presented by
distance and weather to the movement
of oil to the refineries. Mr.. Stillman
estimated the cost of putting into OPP
GRAFTON a pipe line to bring the oil to
the market at approximately $50 Co.,
000
The discovery well is In the same
latitude as the Klondlke and the rivers
Of that section are open to navigation
for only about two months of a year.
Work can be carried on by the men
at the we'll for about six months Of
year. The well is at the farthest point
north at which oil has ever been dis
covered. AS to the quantity Of the oil
to be found there. Mr.. Stillman said
that many months must elapse before
other test wells could be sunk to prove
or disprove the territory.
Fort Norman" Mr.. Stillman said, re-
ferring to the district in which the oil
was discovered. "is In the Arctic Circle,
about 1900 miles north Of Edmonton
and about 1900 miles from the nearest
railroad. which reaches MacMurray on
the Athabasca. We started a party Of
drillers for that locality early In July,
1919. and 1t was with the greatest diff
Guilty that they got the necessary skele-
ton equipment and supplies into the dis
trict by the following September The
drilling crew remained in camp through
out the long winter In order to be on
hand to begin work in the spring of the
present year. Since then drilling opera
tons have been pushed as rapidly as
possible.
1--WE found little oil at a depth Of
eighty feet and again at 200 feet but at
the latter stage the production was only
about eight barrels a day. On August
25, at q depth of 1888 feet, oil in some
quantity was found and began flowing
out of the six inch pipe. After thirty
minutes it was shut OFF and there were
no facilities for accurately measuring
the flow. 1t Is the opinion Of the drill
ers that the well ought to prove good
for something between 1000 and 1900
barrels a day. Fortunately. the oil is
OF light gravity, about 81 degrees
Baume.
This is the farthest north at which
oil has been located and 1t Is, of course.
too early to speculate on the probable
value of the discovery. Many months
must elapse before other test wells can
ha l. IN fha
that petroleum exists in this district in
sufficient quantities to Justify the
enormous expenditures which will be
required before any return on the initial
outlay may be expected.
Fort Norman Is in the same latitude
as the Klondike, and navigation on the
Mackenzie River. on which 1t Is located,
is open only two months of the year. In
January and February it is not unusual
to have n temperature there Of 60 de-
grees below zero. Fahrenheit.
1--WE consider this an important strike |
and scientifically of much value. From |
commercial point of view. however, i
is not of immediate value. on account of
It's remoteness from any refinery out
let The only means Of access to the To-
cation at the present time Is down the |
northern rivers. which will float boats
of only four to five foot draught. and
several rapids necessitate unloading and |
transportation OF cargoes overland and |
reioading on barges again. This pre-
cludes bringing oil up the river In any |
quantities until more adequate trans |
portation facilities are provided"
II early reports are borne out the well /
at Port Norman is the largest ever OBJ |
tained in Canada. The Imperial Oil
Company has been conducting sys-
tematic search for pools for many years |
and Aas expended millions of dollars
testing out localities selected by geolo-
gists. At present there are only two
men at the well. and no further infor-
nation Is expected until the reopening |
of navigation next spring.