Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1955-01-08
new REFINERY, Deeper DRILLING
TOPPED STATE OIL NEWS IN 1854

voir of the $3.50 field in Jasper
Jones and Smith Counties continu-
ed in 1854 to support the conten-
ton of oil journals that the dis
covery Of oil far beneath the nine
year old $3.50 gas-distillate reser-
voir was "the most significant de-
velopment of 1853 in the south
eastern United States" AS 1855
opens, % $3.50 "deep field" wells
are yielding high-gravity oil from
the 10000 foot level-MississippIs
| deepest commercial oil production.
Deeper Drilling
The finding of "a field under a
field" at $3.50 was the first success
to reward the expensive deep
drilling campaigns which had been
pursued for several years by ma
jor oil companies. 1t established
the first significant production
from sands in rock of Lower Creta-
ceous age in Mississippi. Carriers
successful completion in the Smack
over Lime encouraged the deep
drillers further, and the discovery
of Lower Cretaceous oil reservoir
at Bolton added enormous weight
to the trend toward deeper drill
ing in Mississippi.
The Lower Cretaceous discover
les justify the theory which first
brought oilmen to Mississippi.
$3.50, Loring and Bolton now have
forced a re-evaluation of geologi-
cal data gained in unsuccessful
years of shallower drilling and
geophyhical exploration in central
Mississippi. Drilling of deep wild
cat prospects in the area from the
Mississippi River at Warren and
Issaquena Counties to the Soso
vicinity in Jasper, Jones and Smith
Counties is anticipated, probably
in the latter half of 1866.
ouliOOh uOOU
Only the explora tory drill can
tell the true significance of the re-
cent deep discoveries. Many such
discoveries in the past have proved
to be FLASHES in the pam; how
ever, the consensus is that on Jan
uary /, 1865, Mississippi stands
better chance to become a large
producer of oil and gas than she
has stood at any time since oil
first was discovered here in 1889.
1854 Discoveries
The II new oil or gas fields es-
tablished during 1854 by explora-
tory drilling are: Knoxville and
Wells Greek fields in Franklin
County; Brownland and Oak Fields
in Jefferson County; Darlington,
Mills Bayou and Lake Mary fields
in Wilkinson County; Sweetwater
field in Lincoln County; Poplar
Grove field in Adams. County;
Bolton field in Kinds County; Lor-
| ing field in Madison County; and
Hamilton field in Monroe County
Hamilton field in Monroe Coun-
ty was the only new gas discovery
The remaining eleven new reser-
voirs found in 1854 produce oil or
distillate.
Where We Stand
AS 1866 opens, Mississippi ranks
in annual production tenth among
oil-producing states and seventh
among the natural gas producers.
The states 1854 oil production will
total approximately SO million bar
rels when totals for the year are
available.
There are producible wells in
29 Mississippi Counties. More
than one-third of the states total
land area is under lease for oil and
gas development. About 1900
miles of pipe line traverse "a of
the states 80 counties, a goodly
portion of this pipe bringing nat
ural gas service to 238 Mississippi
communities.
Two oil refineries, two natural
gas recycling plants and numerous
smaller handling facilities are in
operation. Construction of the third
and largest oil refinery is expect
ed to begin in 1866. 5000 Missis-
sippians are employed in jobs re-
lating to oil and gas production.
Well over one billion dollars
now has been expended by oil
companies and independent oilmen
in the search for and development
of Mississippi oil and natural gas
resources. To this considerable
"inyestment," nearly 500 million
was added in 1854 in the form Of
local purchases, payrolls, taxes,
royalty payments, lease bonuses
and rentals, and the drilling OF
both wildcat" and development
wells.
The close of 1854 found the
15-vear-old oil and gas industry
in a position of economic import
ance to Mississippians second only