Evening star., 1924-04-28
OIL DRILLS NOW DOWN
IN UNTRIED AREAS
wild Cat" Operations in All
Fields Feature of Present
Operations.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, April 28.-In every
oil field from Pennsylvania to Cali
fornta and from Montana to the 18th
mus of Tehuantepec, the wild cat is
running wild. That simply means that
the drills are biting down toward the
oil sands in untried territory all over
this continent with renewed vigor.
Oil prices have bettered and produc-
tion for time slackened off.
The industry has not fully recov-
cred from the tremendous flow of oil
which had to be stored in 1923, but
the betterment of conditions has Civ
en- encouragement to owners and
leasers of lands and since Col. Drake
completed the first well in Pennsyl-
been content TO let their liquid gold
remain below the surface.
Heavy Dop In Crude.
There has been a heavy decline
In production OF crude in California
since last September, when the great
flush fields OF Santa Fe Springs,
Huntington Beach and Long Beach
commenced to decline. Production
there this month probably will be
100000 barrels under that of jan
uary. Some OF this loss has been
offset by the opening up of shut-in
wells. The large companies are en-
deavoring to offset 1t further by the
UTllllnS OF new WelIS IN
At present. fifty-nine wildcat wells
are being drilled in various parts
of the state. At the same time 116
new wells have been started in the
Kern River fields, while drilling has
been Inactive since last September.
The new Torrance field has 153 under
way and those completed are turning
out something under $4,000 barrels
a day. The Dominguez field has
twenty new wells and is gushing
out about $4,000 barrels a day. There
are 55S new wells altogether being
drilled in the state.
The California producers last year
shipped their oil through the Panama
Canal at the rate of 100000 barrels
daily and sold 1t in direct competition
with the midcontfnent and Mexican
fields, keeping 1875 tankers in commits
sion. They are loath to relinquish
this business. hence the activity in
new fields. But the midcontinent.
Texas. Arkansas. Louisiana, Wyoming,
Colorado. Ohio. Pennsylvania and
Mexican Fields are also looking for
new supplies to keep pace.
Opens Headquarters in Denver.
The Shell Union Oil Corporation, a
subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Com
pany, has opened headquarters in
Denver and set Il force OF geologlsts
to map Colorado for oil We are
here because we believe oil prospects
in this state are good" =. I. Schwen- :
nerson. geologist in charge. said. The
Shell Company is prepared to spend
any amount OF money Justified oy the
result OF the survey"
Production in Wyoming is on the
increase since opening of the pipe
line from the Salt CreeA fields. In
Oklahoma and Kansas operators are
Fastening developments over wide
area. The outstanding development
has been the discovery OF 4.oOV-toot
sand in the Tonkawa field. Oil bear
ing sands at lower levels are being
probed in the proven fields in Texas
and the southwest and old producers,
once abandoned, are being made to
flow again. Similar experiments are
being made below the 4,500-foot
level in the Santa Fe Springs district
and wells may be driven 1000 feet
there.
Fields at Peak Production.
The Louisiana and Arkansas fields
reached the peak production of the
last three years last week with an
average daily flow of 190,302 barrels.
Thirty-four new wells added $3.50 to
daily production. A 600-barrel gusher
in Cotton valley, Webster parish,
Louisiana, is believed to have assured
the future Of that district.
Although there are tremendous
stocks on hand still, consumption has
grown TO enormous proportions. Inc
amount used in 1923 was 20 per cent
above that of the previous year, and
the rate of increase this year bids
fair to be even greater, taking into
consideration the speed at which
motor vehicles are being made and
sold. The new explorations. while
they added materially to production,
have not uncovered any bonanza"
fields and well informed oil men feel
that the clouds are clearing over the
future of the industry.