New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1921-02-05
By Richard B. Thacker
Civil Engineer, Houston, Texas.

+. If the Highland Salt Domes
Of Texas could be submerged
Ms is much of the Territory OF
South Louisiana, | am reason
ably sure that evidence of their
presence would at some time
appear about the domes in the
form of permanently bub-
bling gas pools" ripple bub-
bles," and oil seepagcs. These
so-calIcd permanently bubbling
pas pools, as recorded on maps
Of the lake and swamp waters
of South Louisiana, are due
to continuously escaping gas
cs. which cause the waters over
areas of a few feet to 100 1T.
i'm diameter To bubble con-
stantly. The ripple bubbles. as
recorded on these maps. are
made by spasmodically escap-
ing gases that cause little rip
pies to run for long or short
distances along the surface
water, like those produced by
the protruding fin of big fish
swiftly darling just below the
surface.
Oil seepages call for no COM
ment further than to state that
of all the alleged occurrences
that il has fallen to my lot to
investigate during my entire
activity i'm the Coastal terri
tory, probably more than nine
ty-nine out of every hundred
were put there as plants or
'.sauts" by some ambitious
property owner or. someone in
ierested in the project, for me
to find them; and that all the
real oil seepages that have ever
been recorded by me, over a
period of twenty five years.
could be counted on the fin
gers of my hands.
Domes Should Be Studied
As A Unit
My object in writing this ar
ticle is to present to those in
terested some data recorded in
the swamps of South Louis
lana, which, l believe, lead me
10 think that the problems of
the Gulf Coast saline domes
should be worked as a unit, If
we are to learn anything more
shout these phenomena. If
we study the domes as a unit
and not for any particular frac-
tiOnal holdings, and make our
deductions and drilling loca-
tiOns from all data that have
been collected over a period
Of years, regardless of whose
property the locations fall
upon. we surely shall render
better service to the oil frat
-ernity than by other methods
Of procedure.
We have as evidence the per-
manently bubbling gas pool in
Lake Piegneur, which is the
only recorded permanent ex-
haust for the big Jefferson Is
Ind salt dome. This pool
covers an area about 1OOft. in
diameter and is in constant
agitation, acting as an outlet
for the surplus gas from the
nit dome, which extends un-
der The lake. The land portion
q Jefferson Island rises to a !
height Of rs feet and covers an
area Of ground of approx
mately 206 acres. This salt
mass can be traced through the !
ripple bubbles (gas coming up !,
arOund the edge of the dome) !
md is found to cover an area
II about 625 acres which is |
submerged under the waters
Of Lake Piegneur. j
Salt is mined from the 800
foot level of the, dome, the
best grade being found in the |
direction toward the lake. The |
greatest trouble with gas en-
c0untered in the mine is in the !
southeast side of the workings
which is within possibly few
hundred feet Of the side Of the
talt mass. Mining Of salt in
tis direction will not be ex-
sfnded, for fear of gas accum-
stating in the mine in such
ST lantity as to injure the prop
u1y.
ads Pools are Vents Of Sunken
TIA Salt DOmes
siarhe Jefferson Island and
ESery Island data present I'M
~ lal opportunities of study
= the salt domes from with
os1d nnvnvnO sntonxlin0 ~