The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-26
PRODUCTION OF
OIL IN STATE TO
Be DECREASED
Decline Attributed to Fall In Prices
Commercial Output to Fall
Below 1oyeoo, ooo Barrels.

Springfield, I'll, Dec. 2s.-Iilinois
commercial oil production will fall
below 10000, 900 barrels this year,
a. compared with 10,750, 900 bar
ress valued at $4,000. 900 in 1920.
reports p. w. DeWolf. chief of the
state geological survey.
The decline is attributed by Mr..
DeWoIf to the fall in the price of
oil. which cut down inside drilling
and caused abandonment OF some
Illinois wells. In 1920 the state
had 1900 oil wells. averaging a
daily production of 29,500 barrels.
Reviewing Illinois oil producing
territory and history, the geological
survey chief says:
'-The main Illinois oil field lies in
Clark, Crawford, Lawrence and
adjoining counties, and, is included
within a belt about so miles long,
north and south, and 10 miles wide, |
aggregating about six hundred
square miles. The other Illinois |
fields in Monroe, Clinton. McDon- !
ough. Marion and Macoupin coun~ !
ties together have an area of about !
forty square miles
Notable Dates.
The first commercial oil pro-
duction in Illinois was near Litch- |
field, Macoupin county, in 1882. In |
1885 gas was discovered in COM
mercial quantities near Pittsfield, |
Pike county, and also near Sparta. !
Randolph county, in 1888. The !
Clark county oil field was opened in
1904, and the Crawford and Law
renee county fields followed in 1906.
Production began at Sandoval. Ma
rion county, in 1909; at Carlinville,
Macoupin county. in 1910, near Car
lyle, Clinton county, in 1911, and at
Allendale, Wabash county. in 1921.
THE Plymouth-Colmar pool, in
McDonough county, was opened in
1914, and the Stanton gas pool,
Macoupin county, in 1915. In 1920
the newest field. near Waterloo,
Monroe county, was discovered
'tClark county reported the great
est production until 1907, but from
1907 to 1910, Crawford was the
leader. From 1910 to date Law
renee county has produced in ex-
cess of any other county in Illinois.
AT present Lawrence county pro-
duced about 60 per cent of the
state total, Crawford county about
26 per cent, Clark about IL per
cent, and the remaining counties
about 2 per cent.
1.-THE peak of production attained
in 1908 was 100000 barrels. but
the subsequent decline has brought
the 1920 yield to less than a third
Of that amount
THE sands from which oil is at
present produced vary in depth
from $50 to 2,400 feet. At the time
most of the wells were completed
the average cost of each, equipped,
varied from 81 900 to Sc 900: today
the cost varies from $4,000 to $I4,-
900 per well.
Relative to the oil work of the
state geological survey, MIR. De-
Wolf adds:
\ oil production is practically al
ways closely associated with anti
ciinal Cor unfoldedl structure in
the rock formations, an association
upon which the geological survey
bases much of its work in oil in
vestigatons. In the course of the
structure mapping, in numerous in
stances. structures favorable to oil
accumulation have been discovered
and ii has been and is the practice
or the survey to make immediate
publication of these discoveries for
the benefit of those interested in oil
In addition to this phase of its
oil work. the survey maintains a.
small staff for cooperation with the
oil industry in investigating WE'LL
trouble and questions that concern
conservation. Through its recon-
of favorable structure.
the survey has been responsible for
the opening of six pools, the value
or oil from which runs into mil |
lions of dollars" i