San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-28
WILDCAT WELLS
BEING DRILLED.
| ALL OVER j. s.
rilling Goes On in Untried
Territory on Large
Scale.
IL PRICES ADVANCE
eavy Decline in California
Crude Production
Recently.
III PRICES ADVANCE
BY j. c. EOYLE.

Upright by The San Antonio Light.
New York, April 2S.-ln every oil
eld from Pennsylvania to Califor-
a and from Motana to the lsthmus
Tehuantepcc the wildcat is run
ng wild. That simply means that the
bills are biting down toward she oil
nds in untried territory all over
is continent with renewed vigOr. Oil
fices have bettered and production
In time slackened off.
The industry has not fully recov-
led from the tremendous flow of oil
hiclf had to be stored in 1923. but
3e betterment of conditions has given
Encouragement to owners and leasers
lands and since Colonel Drake COM
cted the first well in Pennsylvania
1859, oil men have never been con-
ht to let their liquid gold remain
low the surface.
There has been a heavy decline in
DEDUCTION Of crude,in California since
st September when the great flush
Ids Of Santa Fe Springs, Hunting
b Beach and Long Beach commenced
decline. Production there this
bnth probably will be 100000 bar
Is under that of January. Some Of
lis loss has been offset by the open
< UP of shut-in wells. The large
nipanies are endeavoring to offset 1t
rther by the drilling of new wells in
tried fields.
50 Wells Being Drilled.
At present, 50 wildcat wells are
ing drilled in various parts Of the
hte. At the same time 116 new
Ills have been started in the Kern
FER fields where drilling has been
ictive since last September. The
" florence field has 153 under way
d those completed are turning out
nething under 10000 barrels day.
be Dominguez field has twenty new
Ills and is gushing out about 24.OOO
rrels a day. There are 553 new wells
together being drilled in the state.
THE California producers last year
ipped their oil through the Panama
nal at the rate of 100000 barrels
ily and sold it in direct competition
til the mid-continent and Mexican
lids, keeping 1915 tankers in COM
ssion. They are loath to relinquish
is business, hence the activity III
W fields. But the Mid-Continent,
xas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wyom-
!, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
exican fields are also looking Tor
w supplies to keep pace.
THE Shell Union Oil Corporation. a
bsitiiary of the Royal Dutch com
ny. has opened headquarters in
nver and set a force of biologists
map Colorado for oil. I'VE are
re because we believe oil prospects
this state are good" A. Il. Schwen-
rson, geologist in charge said. "Ihe
ell company is prepared to spend
amount of money justified by the
Tults of the survey"
Production on Decrease.
Production in Wyoming is on the
.rease since the opening of the Pope
he from the Salt Creek field. In Ok
homa and Kansas operators are has
hing developments over a wide area.
o outstanding development has been
discovery of 4000-foot sand in the
nkawa field. Oil bearing sand at
Eer levels is being encountered IN
proven fields of Texas and the
hlthwest and old producers, once
lndoned, are being made to flow
ain. Similar experiments are being
de below the 4J0O-foot level in the
nta Fe Springs district and wells
y be driven to 1000 feet there;
rhe Louisiana and Arkansas fields
[ched the peak production OF the
three years last week with an
rage daily flow of 10O.3O2 barrels.
irty-four new wells added $3.50 to
daily production. A G00.barrel
sher in Cotton Valley. Webster
IRISH. Louisiana, is believed to have
|ured the future of that district.
Although there are tremendous
cks on hand still. consumption has
wn to enormous proportions. The
unit used in 1923 was 20 per cent
pve that of the previous year. and
rate of increase this year bids fair
be even greater. taking into con-
GRAFTON the speed at which motor
hicles are being made and sold. The
n explorations. while they have add
materially to production. have not
covered any "bonanza" fields and
h Informed oil men feel that the
nds are clearing over the future OF
industry.