San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-15
DRILLING FOR OIL
AT CITY LIMITS
NEAR ADA STREET
Sauer Tract to Be Tested
After Showing in Water
Wells.

Property owners on the south side
of San Antonio experienced consider
able excitement Saturday when prepa-
rations were made by the Dale Oil Com
pany to drill on a tract only a block
south of the city limits. The location
is on a ten-acre tract, bounded on the
north by Ada street, which runs east
| from South Presa street and is the city
line. X. V. Sauer, a ranchman near
Bracketyille, is the owner of the land
and the discoverer of what may prove
to be an oil well. The site is close to
several dwellings.
About six months ago when Mr..
Sauer was drilling for water on his
promising oil strata at depth of about
400 feet. Around this depth he found
considerable shale. gumbO, fossils, oyS-
ter and clam shells, along with some
oil. He ran his bailer and it came up
partly filled with oil. But there was
slight seepage of water and before it
could be caSed off several feet of the
walls of the hole caved in. Mr.. Sauer
was Immediately convinced that he had
an oil we'll and endeavOred 10 interest
oil companies who might assist him in
the development of his land. So after
considerable difficulty in getting them
TO believe that he might possibly have
valuable oil well on his little tract
which is barely out of the city limits,
the Dale Oil Company, 304 West Com
| merce street, became interested.
Henry Schwab and Frank Fey, ex-
perienced drillers, have been employed
by the Dale Oil Company to test the
, formations found in the hole, which had
been drilled by Mr.. Sauer. and also TO
give the entire tract a thorough test
which possibly will require the drill
| ing of several more wells offsetting the
first, according to Mr.. Willis. The
hole is being cleaned out and drilling
operations will begin by the first part
of next week, drillers report, using the
same rig used by Mr.. Sauer. The hole
will be drilled TO n depth of 500 feet
with this rig. drillers state, near which
i depth they expect TO strike the Aus
tin chalk. But if the proper forma-
tions are not found at that depth
cable rig probably will be used in 60
! ing deeper, they say. =,
The Dale Oil Company also reported
that it has holdings on 160-acre tract
! located about two miles south of the
Sauer well which is known as the Dit
mar tract. The other tract embraces
more than 100 acres, according TO Mr..
Willis, and preparations are being made
TO put down a well tire. A cable rig
is already on the road to the drilling
sits. Mr.. Willis says, and the operations
win begin within the next three weeks.
Geological reports are favorable, MIR.
Willis says. Both Of the Dale Oil COM
! pany's properties occupy, and prac-
| tically cover, elevations which are
part of the surface evidences of an an
| ticlinal fold, coming up between the
San Antonio river on the west and the
| Salado on the east. the report states.
This is an anticlinal fold approximate
| " one hundred feet high, judging from
surface elevations. it being about two
miles wide and some eight miles long,
biologists say, ranging from the Iu-
| TURF oil field up TO and across the
eastern part OF San Antonio.
| Exposures of the Austin chalk in
the railway cut across this ridge in
! Denver Heights further identify this
| as an anticlinal fold, younger beds
are deposited upon either side OF this
ridge entirely surrounding it. In the
| University of Texas bulletin this anti
| cline is represented by an area Of non
artesian flow, it being designated i'm
mediately between the two big artesian
basins of Bexar county. This bulletin,
which was issued recently, also shows
that this fold is indicated by definite
| bounds on either side, yet the axis of It
is only alphabetically indicated. because
of the fact that it has not yet been ex-
plored with the drill in any adequate
manner.
Biologists believe that the Austin
chalk will be found in this hole at a
denth of between 700 and 500 feet and
that the Taylor Mari, which produces
oil in hundreds of wells in Texas.
doubtless occupies more than half Of
this estimated depth, pinching toward
the north.
The Dullnig we'll is located about
$500 feet east of the Dale Oil Company
Dittmar tract. This is an old oil well
which is known TO have produced oil
| for moro than ~ yparS