Discovery by Accident.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 21 August 1914, Page 8

Discovery by Accident.

About the discovery of oil in Papua an interesting story went the rounds of the Press a year or two ago. A British traveller noticed a taste of what he thought was kerosene oil in his tea, and rebuked his native boy for carelessness. The boy protested that he had allowed no oil to get near the kettle in which the water was boiled, and, on investigating the source from which the water was obtained, his master found a film of crude oil [ floating on the top, which gave the J kerosene taste to the tea. On his return the traveller told the circumstances, and in consequence the district was explored, with the result that evidences of petroleum were found. Early last year a young foreigner Mr. Felix Grebin, was sent to Papua by a London syndicate, and he took with him a portable machine for the jturpo.se of drilling for oil. He put down two wells, and in the first of these petroleum was found at a depth of 228 ft. A second well gave signs of petroleum at a depth considerably less. One or two other wells were also sunk, and a report on the whole district has been made to the Commonwealth Government showing that oil of a high quality will be found there in considerable quantities. In various parts of Australia and Tasmania discoveries of petroleum have been reported from time to time, but in very few cases under

encouraging prospects