Norwich bulletin., 1921-03-09
IN THE DAYS NEWS
Mexican Oil Fields.


 Since the World war emphasized the importance of petroleum in modern warfare and awakened a knee realiza- ton of the even greater part it will be called on to play in reconstruction and in the industrial and commercial development of the future, interest has turned more and more to Mexico, which contains the most spectacular of the present producing oil fields. This nearby oil region is the subject of the following bulletin issued by the National Geographic Society:
 Mexico came into the world race for oil production late. Its first pro- dueing well, yielding a modest 50 bar rels a day, was brought in not quite twenty years ago. Now ithas a group of the greatest gushers in the world, a number of which are capable of producing from 75,000 to 0O,000 bar rels each of liquid gold daily. By 1911 Mexican production reached twelve and a half million barrels an nually and surpassed that of three of the long standing leaders among the countries to which the world looked for. it's oil supply-Rumania, Galicia, and the Dutch East Indies.
 Mexico Passes Russia.
 "In 1913 this production was doubled, and by 1917 it had more than doubled again. In 1918 Mexican oil wells yielded nearly 64,o00 900 barrels, and in 1919, more than S7,000,OO0 barrels. This latter production was, in excess not only of the current annualt pro- auction of Russia, previously second | among oil producing countries, but l also exceeded Russia's high watermark l of 85 900 900 barrels in 1901. Now only the United States, with produc- tion of nearly 4eo,oOo,0O0 barrels, Is 1 ahead of Mexico.
 But Mexico is accepted as having the greatest demonstrated oil field iii the world, and it is estimated that ii ! all it's producing wells had been per mitted to flow at their maximum dur ing 1919 the resulting production would have been S2,000,000 barrels more thar
 the actual production of the entire world in 1918. AS matter of fac only about 12 per cent of the potentia
 flow of the Mexican wells is permitted
 because storage, refining, and trans portation facilities are inadequate tt
 take care of more. These facilities ar, being steadily increased, however, anl
 exports alone for 1920 probably aver l aged ten million barrels a month, tn
 rate definitely established for the frs six months of the year.
 "The practice of Mexican natives 0
 collecting fragments of asphalt an ' bitumen which floated on the water
 Of large lagoon near the coast o
 the Gulf of MeSico-south of Tampiet and selling them in the neighborin
 city, led to the realization that ther must be underground petroleum sup ] pies near. Small producing wells an even fairly large producers wer l brought in from 1901 onward but l was not until 1908 that the first of tn ! tremendous gusherS that have aston . ished the world was brought in, nea San Geronimo spouting between 6p,OC and 75,000 barrels of oil day.
 NO such stream of oil had ever bee
 encountered before and the drillef } were entirely unprepared to cope wit ! the situation. The great geyser of 0 : caught fire from the boiler of the dril I ling outfit and for two months con
 stituted the greatest and most speets eular oil fire that the world has eve B known. The roaring pillar of fam l shot upward during it's greatest fur to a height of 800 to 1400 feet, illu 1 minating the countryside at night fc l many miles, and was visible to shir