Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-04
DRILLING PROBLEM
FACES OIL TRADE
Engineers Find Necessity for
Extending Shafts to Great
Depths.
By BENNETT WOLFE,
Associated Press stan Writer.

TULSA, Okla, June As the oil
industry digs In, burrowing deeper and
deeper into the earth for the magic like
liquid which has come to be social and
industrial necessity. new problems are
encountered.
An example OF one of these problems
that of crooked holes-was presented
today in the rich Oklahoma City field
scene of a ferviSh scramble for deep
pay" where two adjacent tests deviate
so much from the vertical that they
met at nearly 5000 feet below the sur
face
Pointing out that much progress has
been made toward assurance of straight
! hole drilling, engineers familiar with
| the field were inclined to blame haste
! for the conveyance of the two wells.
! The tests were in town lot area where
| holes are close together and the race
| for oil is attended by frenzy that may
cause caution to be disregarded.
Mechanical Problems.
| Within the last two years, since the
prospect of l0,000-foot wells became
/ apparent, petroleum engineers have de-
voted much study to the mechanical
problems of deeper drilling, with the
result that machinery now Is being
manufactured GApIeSSly 1OI III AA1AlS w
depths of 10000 feet or below.
Ten years ago 5000 feet was consid-
cred a great depth. Twenty years ago
most wells were between 1000 and 1000
feet. Today the average depth ranges
between 1000 and 1000 feet, and In
the Big Lake field of Reagan County,
Western Texas, oil is being produced
from below $500 feet. Many wells in
Oklahoma, Texas and California have
been drilled below 1000 feet.
Increased drilling expense Is big
item in the exploitation of the deeper
strata. In the Oklahoma City Field, the
largest single pool yet found in Okla
homa, the average cost of drilling well
is figured at $125,00O by the Indian Ter
ritory Illuminating OIL Co., the pools
discoverer and largest operator. The
company reports having spent $33, $780,
600 in drilling 270 wells in the field,
1877 of which are present producers.
Development Of the Seminole area, In
Oklahoma, which three years ago held
the spotlight as the worlds wonder
pool" brought depths that for a time
were regarded as extreme. The drilling
depths In the prolific fields making up
the greater Seminole district approached
the 1000 feet level, and in one case the
producing horizon was found at 5000
feet The average cost of drilling q
well in the Seminole sector has been es-
timated at 10000. Then came the dis
covery of the Deep Pay" Oklahoma
City pool and drills were grinding their
way 5000 feet into the earth.
Worlds Deepest Well.
Recently the Big Lake Field has come
into the deep production picture, the
Big Lake Oil Co.'S C-3, which was
drilled to S,572 feet, being, recognized
as the worlds deepest producing oil well.
Four other wells in the field are pro-
ducing from depths below 5000 feet.
The Big Lake Fields discovery well,
completed December !, 1928. had an
initial production Of only $50 barrels
a day, but its flow increased until the
daily output reached 5000 barrels Of
oil and 1890 900 cubic feet of gas. To
date it has made 2,225 900 barrels of
oil. The C-3 is q comparatively small
| producer, but operators are hoping its