The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-02-01

All acreage on every oil strucC-
ure in the Lake Basin is leased up
and much of it has been under
lease for year or more, according
to Billings oil men who are inter-
ested in the development of the
field. Big companies are also con-
tinualIy looking over the field and
seeking acreage and several inn
portant deals have been consum-
mated within the last few weeks.
Midland Refining company o
Ponca City, OKLA, has good blocl
on Six Shooter structure where thu
Midwest Refining company we'll ii
now being drilled, and the Leonard
Petroleum company, California Oh
company, and others have taken ovel
leases on the structure. Elfred Beck
holds several hundred acres. The
Gibson Land Development company
has a block of more than 1000 acres
near Six Shooter dome.
Gypsy Oil company biologists have
also looked over the field and al
though no deal has been reported,
it is expected that they will hold acre
age within a short time. Carter Oil
company is also investigating the
field and it is expected that they will
buy acreage within a short time.
HaiIstone Making Good Time
keenan, No 1. Mid-Northern we'll
on the Hailstone structure, has been
making good progress and is now
drilling at 420 feet, according to the
latest reports received at the Mid
Northern office from the field. The
crew spudded in on Hailstone Janu-
airy 2 and hole has been made at the
rate of nearly 80 feet a day.
The Keenan, we'll will be drilled to
the Kootenai formation which is ex-
pected at about $500 feet, according
to Mid-Northern biologists. The
Colorado shale, Frontier, Dakota and
Lakota sands will be encountered
above the Kootenai.
Six Shooter at 2,535 Feet
Snyder No. 1 we'll on Six Shooter
structure, being drilled by the Mid
west Refining company, is down 2535
feet, according to reports at the Mid
Northern office and is in the top or
Just above the Frontier sands. This
is the first possible chance of pay
ing stratum but little is expected of |
this formation. A small amount of
gas is said to have been encountered |
Snyder we'll has been making good
time since the trouble with welding |
of bits, when the operations were de-
layed through the breaking of the |
welded part.
On December IA small show of
gas was obtained in the Eagle sand
at $50 feet and January free oil in
small quantity was found at 2,117
feet, although the latter was not con-
sidered of Importance by officials of
the company drilling the hole.
Murray Rig Is Up
Rig is up on the Murray location
on Broadview dome and drilling is
expected to start on the deep test
This hole will be across the fault
from the other wells drilled by Mr..
Work at the Hepp No. Midwest
we'll on Big Lake structure in Lake
Basin has stopped until the arrival ;
of a carload of heavy rotary casing
for fishing, which has already been /
from Pennsylvania, accord {
ing to a telegram received at the ,
office. The shipment !:
may arrive this week, officials said
The Hepp we'll is down $3.50 feet
and no drilling has been done since
the casing first broke more than six ]
weeks ago. Unusually bad luck has t
been encountered in pulling the cas- u
ing and new jacks, die nipples, and Ii
other equipment which had to be
taken to the field have each added to /,
the delay.
Gas Flow Still Strong
The gas flow of 100000 feet is
still as strong as ever at the Hepp
we'll, although it has been blowing
from the open hole for the last four
The gas has also been responsible
for considerable drilling delay as it
has twice blown through the casing
and the crew has had difficulty in
continuing operations. The gas was
finally piped off several hundred
yards and burned.
When the last of the six and one
quarter-inch casing is recovered from
the hole it will probably be neces-
sary to spend some time cleaning it
out before drilling operations are re-
sumed, is the opinion of oil men in
terested in the well.
Montana Club in Long Beach