Great Falls tribune., 1921-10-28

! Va Wv AAAANoy OA cA6 AAAAS0AS VI tAC GA
| tent of the quadrant formation in the
Winnett section.
| Due south from Winnett, and at
about 20 miles distance the Ohio COM
pany, one of the big operating arms of
the Standard Oil company, is drilling
| its number one well in the Howard
Coulee structure. This structure stands
| high in favor of oil men and geologists,
and the Ohio company has leased sew
eral thousand acres, enough virtually to
cover the probably producing area.
First probable oil horizon will be en-
countered- by the Ohio here at between
| nent announces that all possible speed
will be put on, consistent with safe
| drilling. As two tours are being
| worked, completion is probable by De
cember /.
Chicago Group In Black Hawk.
About 12 miles southeast from Win
its well at 1000 feet depth, with the
Dakota sands, which are productive in
the west dome of the Cat Greek field,
spread at not more than 200 feet ad
ditional depth. The Black Hawk is
financed by Chicago people, believed
here to be operating for the great in
ternational Dutch Shell company. The
Black Hawk company has about 1000
acres under lease, and is of sufficient
financial strength to drill other wells.
once production has been secured until
it has developed large oil field OF its
own.
From this sketchy review it will be
apparent that Winnett is sitting pref
ty"-right in the midst of it-so far as
the development of a great oil pro-
ducing industry is concerned. Ii no
more than a fair proportion of these
new fields proves productive, the fu-
ture of this little city as an oil center
is doubly assured.
Wlnnett's Faith Runs Strong.
But Winnett does not put sole de-
pendence for its future as an Oil center
upon the success of drilling in the un-
proved fields referred to, promising as
they are. The status of the Cat Creek
and Antelope Creek fields, as big pro-
ducing areas. gives to the people OF
Winnett full and well-grounded faith in
future growth and prosperity, due to
the certain big volume and permanence
of the wealth that is to. flow from
Up to the present, drilling in the Cat
creek fields has had only the shallow
sands as detectives, but the belief OF
oil fields men that the underlying quad
rant formation is the basic source of
the oils in the shallow sands is now
being tested out by the drill. In the
very heart of the field the Thermopo-
lis-Cat Greek company is drilling a
deep test, and the Well is now at about
a 1SOO-feet depth, with an S-inch hole |
This size will permit Of the drill being
sent down to depth where the quadrant
sand will be developed, at from $500
to 1900 feet. Meanwhile, and at about |
1000 feet, what has been termed the
third Cat creek sand will be reached |
Unless the production had in that sand
is of good volume, the drill will be
sent on down. However, good produc- |
ton in the third sand would be of enor-
nous value to virtually all Of the 60 |
producing wells in the field, as it would
virtually guarantee a new oil sand to |
such of the wells as had fallen off in |
production from the shallow sands, |
which average in depth about 1900 feet |
for the best producers, and HOO feet !
for all.
California Testing Field
To the east from this test B. NJ. |
Howe of Los Angeles, for himself and |
some one of the big California black |
oil companies, has spudded in for a |
deep well, on the southeast quarter Of |
the northwest quarter of section 10 |
15N-29E. 1t is estimated that the
quadrant formation here will be reachr
ed with depth of from 25OO to 200 !
feet, and that as is expected in the
well of the Thermopolis-Cat Creek
the oil will be. Of heavier !
character and a base for the light oils !,
Of the wells BOW producing. These
light oils are termed pinnacle oils"
from their extremely volatile character,
which causes them to seek the very |
highest points or pinnacles in the struc-
lures.
The quadrant formations were laid
down in earlier ages and they are held
to be very much more extensive in
area and less broken up by. faulting
than the more shallow oil bearing sands
above. Production thus far obtained in
he quadrant sands in Montana has uni
formly been Of heavier character and
more basic in nature than the Cat
creek oils, hence the Importance to the
Cat creek field of getting down to the
real and permanent basis of oil sup
Ratlo.of Success Runs High
One of the most striking of recent
in the Cat creek field,
and illuminative of the confidence Of |,
men big in the oil game, was the taking
over by the Mid Northern Oil company
IF the holdings and wells Of the West
Dome and Homestake companies, on
IN operating and drilling contract. The
'ormer company had seven producing
wells and the latter three. On what /
s held to be the proved portions Of :
he combined holdings there is room for
he drilling of at least 80 more wells
As the Homestake had clean score
# three producing wells out of three
lrilled. and the West Dome had the un-
usual record of seven producers out of
aine drilled, it will be seen that a like
ratio Of successful completions of the
30 to be drilled would add about Is to
he string.
1t is significant of these wells, also.
hat they were drilled into the upper
sands with 1O-inch holes as a rule. so
hat the lower quadrant sands may be
quickly and inexpensively drilled into
+ that shall later be deemed expedient.
And SO it is that Winnett lays claim
o being the oil center of Montana, and
makes bold to assert that its supremacy
will not be successfully challenged in
his generation. Especially will this be
rue when the Great Northern Rail-
.oad company completes its New Rock
ord cutoff as far west as this city,
hus osAning the Twin Cities and their
immense trade territory to the crude
md refined oils Of the Winnett fields.