Evening star., 1921-01-29

Since the world war emphasized the
importance of petroleum in modern
warfare and awakened a keen reali-
zation of the even greater part 1t 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 oil region is the subject OF the
following bulletin issued by the Ma
tional Geographic Society:
Mexico came into the world race
for oil production late. It's first pro
barrels day. was brought in not
quite twenty years ago. Now it has
Ia group of the greatest gushers in
the world, a number of which are ca =
pable of producing from $4,000 to
100, 900 barrels each of liquid gold
tdaily. BY 1911 Mexican production
reached twelve and a half million
barrels annually and surpassed that
of three Of the long-standing leaders
among the countries to which the
world looked for its oil supply-Ru-
mania, Galicia and the Dutch East
Indies.
Mexico Passes Russia.
In 1918 this production was .dou-
bled,- and by 1917 it had more than
doubled again. In 1918 Mexican oil
wells yielded nearly 64,000.O00 barrels.
and in 1919 more than S7.000,000 bar
rels. This latter production was in
excess not only Of the current annual
production of Russia, previously sec
ond among oil-producing countries.
but also exceeded Russia's high-water
mark of 85,000.000 barrels ia 1901.
Now only the United States. with a
production of nearly 400,000,000 bar
rels, is ahead Of Mexico.
But Mexico Is accepted as having
the greatest demonstrated oil field in
the world. and it is estimated that if
all it's producing wells had been per-
mitted to flow at their maximum dur
ing 1919 the resulting production
would have been 32.000.000 barrels
more than the actual production of
Of fact, only about IL per cent of the
potential flow of the Mexican wells is
permitted. because storage. refining
and transportation facilities are in
adequate to take care of more. These
facilities are being steadily increased
however. and exports alone for 1920
pro obably averaged 100000 barrels
a month, the rate definitely estab-
lished for the first six months of the
year.
Worlds Greatest Oil Stream.
1.-The practice Of Mexican natives OF
collecting fragments of asphalt and
btiumen which floated on the waters
Of large lagoon near the coast OF
the Gulf of Mexico-south OF Tampico
and selling them in the neighborins
city. led to the realization that there
| must be underground petroleum sup.
plies near. Small producing wells and
even fairly. large producers were
brought in from 1901 onward, but II
was not until 1908 that the first OF
the tremendous gushers that have
astonished the world was brought in
near San Geronimo. spouting between
| 60. 900 and $4,000 barrels of oil a day
mo such stream Of oil had evel
been encountered before and the drill
| with the situation. The great geysel
of oil caught fire from the boiler OIL
| the drilling o,ltfit and for two month.
| constituted the greatest and most
| spectacular Oil fre that the world has
| ever known. The roaring pillar OF
! flame shot upward during it's great
| est fury to a height of 500 to 1.40(
feet. Illuminating. the countryside al
| night for many miles. and was visible
| to ships more than 100 miles at sea
1t was finally extinguished by huge
pumps throwing streams Of grave
| and mud.
THE gigantic gushers of Mexico are
believed to flow not from oil sands al
in many fields. but from caverns hol.
lowed from limestone by erosion ant
| later filled with Oil. 1t is supposed tina
ter under artesian pressure. What ma!
eventually be expected is illustrated
by one Of the most famous Of OF
] vauA, the Potrero del Llano. Thii