Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-26

imately 200 square miles glves prom
Use Of almost unlimited production in
years to come.
This structure, stretching from
around Shelby to the south and up to
the Canadian border with a probability
of production even across the line IN
the southern part Of Alberta, presents
wonderful possibilities which will re
auire years for full development.
Although little more than eight
months have elapsed since the dlscoV-
cry of oil in the first Gordon Camp
bell we'll in the extreme western part
of the field, the field has been so rap
idly developed that it now has % pro-
ducing wells and four commercial gas
wells.
Some Dry Holes
Out of the other wells that have
been completed to date, two are idle,
four are acknowledged dry holes and
six are dry holes which it is very GER
tain can be shot into production.
At this time 1S wells are being
drilled while 10 locations have been
made and will be drilled upon AS soon
az rigs can be placed and water supply
assured.
The present production Of the field
is about 1900 barrels a day Of which
the Hogan No. l is leading with
around $50 barrels and the Midnorth-
erp-Dawson is following with 225 or
$50 barrels. Some wells are running
as low as 20 to 35 barrels and the gem
eral average of the % wells is around
so barrels a day.
Eighteen operating companies are
now engaged in prospecting the field
and even under present market con
ditions for the crude oil there prob
ably will be 300 wells driven during
the coming year. with the possibility OF
this number being greatly increased
should market conditions justify. This
estimate is a most conservative one
and some of the enthusiastic men who
are interested in the field estimate thai
as high as 1000 wells will be sunk II
1923.
Oil 20 Cents a Barrel
However. taking the conservative
estimate of Dorsey Hager, geologist 0.
the Sunburst and other Of the j.. {
Stevenson companies, the normal ex
p~ectancy of production in the SunbursI
field by midsummer of 1923 is r
10000 to 1900 barrels q day.
Seventy cents q barrel is the quoted
field price for the Keyin-Sunburst pro
duction but higher prices are beins
obtained in ONE parts Of the field
Some of the producers are selling OF
In tank truck lots for drilling opera
tons at $3.50 a barrel but this figure
IS very likely to be reduced. Crude OF
for fuel at this price is about 80 PEI
cent that of coal and where natural ga
can be obtained for the boilers it il
selling in a few cases at SIS n day
Water for drilling rigs costs the oper
ators about S25 a day and il is figured
that the fuel and water costs in these
operations accounts for about 81 PEI
foot hole drilled.
There has been a great amount o.
dealing in leases and royalties upor
this structure but this feature of thu
business is but in its infancy and vii
steadily increase as the field become:
more fully tested.
High Prices for Royalty
1t appears probable, according TO ii
men who are deeply engaged in TIL
game, that at least 100000 acres upol
the Sunburst dome already have beer
obtained under leases.
Good prices are being paid for roy
alties, one sale at least having beer
made at IS for ! per cent upon whIcI
basis the l~essee's royalty upon HI
one-eighth share of the production
would be S1O0 an acre. This sale o
So for l per cent royalty was tina
upon a tract Of land lying within on
mile of the Hogan producer. Som
royalty owners are holding their roy
alties for sale at as high as $50 TO
l per cent an acre, but SO far no sale
are known of which nave gone highe
than So.
Up to the present stage of devel
opment most of the producers of TIL
Sunburst field have found their pro
duction in the Kootenai sand Will
other have had to go down into TIL
Ellis beds for commercial production
SO far the Kootenai and the Ellis ar
the only producing horizons in thi
field. The Sunburst m sane the Beri