PETROLEUM AT TARANAKI. THE NEW ENGLISH COMPANY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 413, 23 October 1889, Page 4

PETROLEUM AT TARANAKI. THE NEW ENGLISH COMPANY.

Thk news that a company is being floated in England to work the petroleum deposits " at Taranaki appears to have taken many people by turprise, and it is evident that outaide the disbricb concerned the existence of petroleum there is practically unknown. The petroleum springs are at the sugar loaves in New Plymouth Harbour, and were formerly the scene of energetic operations. Twen by-two years ago Moturoa was ,a busy place, and there was great rejoicing at the beginning of May, 1867, when the first barrel of petroleum, , the produce of the Alpha well, was shipped away to Melbourne. It was early in 1865' that boring was commenced at < the Alpha .well by Messrs Carter and Co., and . their proceedings, L we are told in the records kept at the timo, were a succession of disasters and disappointment. ' With veiy slight practical knowledge of boring operations, they commenced drilling in what even to an hand would, have been a difficult field of operation, andthe result was that after getting down 30ft. • the chisel broke, and they were unable to • extricateit. Not discouraged by this, anotherattempt was made, and with the same result — the second hole being stopped at> a depth '• of between thirty and forty leet by a similar accident. The men engaged at the work were in no way daunted by these mis- ' haps, and their next step was to sink a 1 shatt, but when they reached a depth of nearly sixty feet, the gas became so over- -t powering that one man nearly lost his life by it. Boring was again resorted to, and between 70, and 80 feet the first petroleum vein wd3' struck, ..and samples of the oil were sent to the Governor, Dr. Sydney Gibbons, of Melbourne, and other parties. Dr. Gibbons analy&ed it, and gave' a very favourable report of its quality, and also expressed his opinion that the oil would likely be found in large quantity. Thus encouraged, the parties persevered, and after surmounting numberless difficulties they gotdown to thedepth of 170 feet, where another and a larger vein of oil was struck. Their further pro-/ giess was then stopped by losing the sand bucket in the hole, and being unable to get it up. The men, being sanguine as to results, then endeavoured to pump the well by hand power, being sanguine they could get oil if they could only master the water ; but finding the attempt useless, and not having the capital to purchase a -steam engine and proper appliances for the work, parted with their well and the lease of~two acres of land adjoining it to. a company. Some better machinery wa^fchen, obtained, and in, May, 1867, the^rTatanaki 3 Petroleum Company succeeded jn,pia ( nipzng 90 gallons of oil from the Alpha.<well; -Taranaki Petroleum Company start"ed : #iMii.a nominal capital of £10,000 in £10 shares^-restricting the expenditure, however, ~- f ibo x£30,000. Another company called /the,; People's Petroleum Company, .with a nominal capital of £3,000, in £1 shares,,also started, and sank a well nearly 600 feet, through alvery uniform stratum of slate clay; interspersed with a few boulders ; but no. indications of oil were met with, and the work waa then abandoned. Although Messrs Carter and Go. sold the Alpha well, they isdcured afresh lease of another portion of the beach, including Mikotahi, and .here they struck a cavity at a depth of 210 feet, from which they obtained a, good sample of petroleum, of which Dr. Gibbons, the analyst, wrote : —"■ I feel sure that this is no chance find. Where this sample came frbin. there is abundance." With respect to the quality of the petroleum, the two analysts, > Dit Gibbons and Dr. Skey, to whom' samples were sent, appeared t6 differ. . Df, Gibbons gave a very tavourable, opinion/of the oil, stating " this petroleum is one of the finest that has come into my hand." Mr Skey, on the other hand, said that the, result ot his expeiitnenb proved that the oil was of an inferior quality. Those interested ab the time were inclined to believe in Dr. Gibbons' report, for they continued 'to sink, and obtained a great quantity of crude petroleum from the wells. A period, of depression, owing to the removal of thetroops from the colony, caused the enthusiasm, which at first prevailed, to abate j and just previous to the native outbreak in 1868, both Companies were wound up and the plant connected with the, boring sold. Since that time nothing has been done ; but as Sir Julius Vogel took a great interest in the matter ao the time, no doubt it is through, his instigation that the syndicate has been 'formed.

Archdeacon Julius, of this city (says the " Ballarat Courier"), has been appointed Bishop of Christchurch, New' Zealand. The Archdeacon expresses his dislike to can Is, and he intimated to the congregation of Christ Church pro -Cathedral yesterday that he accepts the advancement in his profession as people naturally appreciate advancement iri their respective professions. The members of the Church of England in this "diocese—and, indeed, the residents generally of this part of the colony — will be glad to note his elevation; while regret ting his removal from Ballarat. It ■is not 1 necessary for us to enter into 'any dissertation upon his labours since "he arrived in [this colony nearly five years ago, fresh • from the parish of Islington. > He. has been ever foremost in working farthe Church to which h$ belongs, < and*, in aiding every • liberal public - movement. One of his -latest and most, appreciated efforts was his lecture, 1 Jdelivered in the Acadeuiy of Music, in aid^b£ the fund for the London "dock labourers, and his sympathies with;* the cause; of the masses were then expressed, as on many a previous occasion, in the most emphatic manner. The tradesmen -here will nofc easily forget the readiness with which he agreed to form one of j>he - board of arbitrators to settle the questions at issue in the recent strike of f&optmakers, and the good will and earnestness with whioh he applied himself to the tyork. Between fifty and sixty shareholders were present at a special meeting of the South Canterbury Refrigerating Company held last Saturday; ' ft 'was ' announced that the arrangements made by the directors on behalf of the Company include,' on the one hand, contracts to freeze for Nelson Bros, and the Colonial Union* Company* and on the other, the enlargement of the works. Nelson Bros, have ' undertaken to give the Company th& freezing of " 30,000 *to 75,000 sheepper annum, and Reid and ' McLean 25,000 for three years, an amount of guarantee which would justify them in enlarging the works. The directors had to express regret that while sheep were being? continually railed' away 'for shipment-else-where, the' growers had declined, to give the guarantees which would 'justify ",the directors in undertaking- larger liabilities in the' shape of " shipping 'contracts. In the enlargement of the' works, it was explained the plan of duplication, had been deemed preferable, that is, the* new building'sahd machinery will be separate from the present ones; but Worked by one' staff." The site for buildings has" Been, marked off,' and the machinery cabled Home,) j for through "Mr Coxoni "* s l - <> <><v 'i~ ■'