, 1923-03-08
s,sl4 DRY HOLES IN TWO YEARS

B,sl4 DRY HOLES IN TWO YEARS
The Salt Lake Mining Review last
week published Q most interesting
report from the Bureau of Mines.
This report deals with facts and fig
ures compiled from . summary OF
oil field operations throughout the
United States and also deals, to some
extent, with oil formations.
The article es appearing In the
Review, 10 a. follows:
In the quest Of that world-sought
fluid, petroleum.. probably thirty
million dollars 10 spent yearly in the
United States in drilling operations
which result only in dry holes in the
ground, states the Bureau Of Mines.
which has Just completed . general
study Of methods Of prospecting for
oil and gas. In . period OF two
years. 5.S14 dry holes were drilled
in this country at an average cost OF
1t least $4,000 per hole. California
and New York show the lowest per-
centages Of dry holes Of all the OIL
producing states. Texas shows the
highest percentage of dry holes. un-
doubtedly because Of wildcat drilling.
Oil and gas have been found in at
least twenty-three states and Alaska.
Petroleum is rarely free from sui
phur. but the quality present is US
ually small. Sulphur is abundant in
the saline-deme 9 Of Louisiana
and Texas and may be considered
to be an indirect indicator OF oil
and gas.
In popular opinion, the presence
Of fossil sea shells in rocks is a sign
Of oil OF gas, probable because en-
gineers and biologists when exam
lining lands for oil nearly always in
quire of the residents II they know
of any fossil-shell outcrops. Except
that they indicate the presence Of
~sedimentary strata, which is neces-
sary for oil accumulation, fossils are
not an indicator.
In prospecting for oil and gas. the
chemical composition of the waters
found in drilling may furnish i'm
portant clues to the proximity Of
oil and gas.
Approximately 100, 900 Of the
10000 oil wells completed in the
United States during 1914-1918 were
drilled by the cable-tool system in
which formations are broken and the
hole is made by the pounding of .
heavy bit. The three deepest wells
In the United States. two OF these
the deepest in the world. were drill
Lake we'll, 8 miles southeast Of Fair
mont. W. Va. depth 1879 feet; the
0on we'll, eight miles northeast Of
Clarksburg. w. Va. depth. 1886 IT,.
and the Geary we'll, 20 miles south
east Of Pittsburgh, Pa. depth 71lS
feet.
The Bureau Of Mines considers
that the responsibility for many dry
instruments such a. the forked stick
holes may be laid to the use Of
electric boxes. and other variations
OF the divining rod idea in the de-
termination Of drilling locations. Oil
operators r advised to spend no
money for the services Of . water
witch" or for the use Or purchase
Of ANY machinery or instrument de-
vised for locating underground oil
deposits.
The commercial development Of
petroleum and natural gas fields has
reached its present status within
sixty years and IL still considered by
some operators to be 100 per cent
wildcatting," declares the bureau. A
tendency to drill for Eusher produce
ton. the production that yields big
returns in spite OF any mechanical
defects in drilling methods. has fire.
quently caused drillers to pass by OIL
bearing strata OF comparatively small
yield and actually TO overlook rich
oil zones in proved fields: in addi-
tion. whole fields have been ruined
by water because development meth
AAQ VynP0 nnvaP oRPtoA hnvnnA . hHIn
In the ground stage.
Unfortunately. the petroleum in
dustry has no mine dumps or tall
ing piles as at metal mines to yield
fortunes through later and better
oil and gas are gone, as are the time,
money. and effort wasted in I'LL
advised or haphazard drilling. Prob
ably n production costs increase
less oil will be wasted. but the need
TO develop and produce from sands
Of low yield will become mor ur-I
gent with the increase in consump-
ton Of oil and the decrease In sup
ply.
OIL and gas are usually found in
sedimentary rocks. limestone. sand
stone, OF shale. which differ greatly
in mineralogic composition. As OIL
reservoir rock. limestone usually
holds the oil IN ~crevices or small
'4Dvities or in porous sandy parts.
Many oil men believe that produc-
tten from limestone reservoirs de-
clines rapidly.
Sandstone h the most common
reservoir for oil and gas In the
states Of New York, Ohio. Pennsyl-|
vania. and West Virginia. and is|
common n many other states. The
productive sandstone strata have