PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8110, 15 May 1906, Page 2

PETROLEUM.

THK INDUSTRY FROM ITS INFANCY.

Just now, when there is so much interest evinced in the petroleum boring operations, i('s opportune and interestmg to recount the history of the attempts made locally to unearth this valuable and easily marketable commodity, A Dait.y News represen. tit've is engaged 111 collecting the information, which will appear in a series of articles day by day.

THE FIRST BORE was drilled in 1865, hut the results were not too promising. Three wells were sunk in the two succeeding years, but the appliances in ti<e were somewhat, primitive, and the oilfield was not tested thoroughly. The deepest bore found oil in small quantities at about 650 feet, but there wis nothing to warrant the assuroptien that there was payable oil at that level. It was not until twenty yoars had rolled by that energetic steps were taken to exploit the oilfield that was believed to exist. Since that time, no less than ten attempts to tap the oilfield have been made, as follows t

No. I.—By Hnglish syndicate, at the root of the breakwater; depth, 915 ft.

Mo. 2.—New Plymouth and Sydney company, near No. 1 bore; 1100 ft. No. 3.—New Plymouth Potroleuin Company, on Mr Maee's farm, Herekawc; 1534 ft.

No. 4.—New Plymouth Petroleum Company, near Mr Honeyfield's house, broakwater, 1976 ft. No 5. —New Plymouth Petroleum Company, Putt's farm; 2050 ft. No. 6. —New Plymouth Petroleum Company, Okey's farm; 302 ft. No. 7.—New Plymouth Petroleum Company, Veale's farm ; 1220 ft. Taranaki Petroleum Company, same bore continued to 1335 ft. No B.—Taranaki Petroleum Comp»ny, Honeyfield's farm, upper end, 2052 ft. No 9.—Taranaki Petroleum Company, Honeyfield's farm, near No. 3 bore; 1055 ft. No. 10.—The present bore. Boring started in May, 1904. Adelaide syndicate at first were interested, and after liquidation a New Plymouth company (the present one) took it up, Present depth, 2310 ft.

MODERN ATTEMPTS. The No. 1 bore, near the foot of the breakwater, was drilled for an English Company, the Taranaki (New Zealand) Petroleum and Ironsand Company, Limited. This company was formed in London by Sir Julius Vogel, together with Mr Oliver Samuel, and one or two others who then held boring rights and ironsand Wglits over the Taranaki foroshore. A Canadian driller named Booth was engaged by the English directors, and he arrived at New Plymouth at the end of the year 1890, with a complete plant. Mr Booth selected a spot close to Mi.- root of the breakwater as that which he considered the most promising, and proceeded to bore. The entire management of the company's affairs was English, it having merely an agent at New Plymouth, In May, 1891, tho driller reported to Mr Samuel that he had struck oil at a depth of upwards of 900 feet. We are able, by the courtesy oi Mr Samuol. to quote from his report of 19th May " We are down ovor 900 feet now, and are in oil. It is the most valuable oil I have over seen yet. Without going a foot deeper, we can now pump about four, barrels of oil each day—that is about 100 gallons per day. The success of the company is now certain. It would pay well to pump four such wells, and refine tho oil; but the more wells the better. lam sure that twenty such wells could be bored so near the present one as to bo pumped by the same engine. If wages are paid, I intend to go down another 200 feet, if I do not sooner come to a lighter oil which rises freely—and I am expecting that at every foot deeper I go. It will take about three weeks to sink another 200 fe.it. I say again that unless I am stopped the success of the company is cerlain. I recommend sinking the present bore another 200 feet, then .sinking some five or six othor wells in the vicinity of the present one to what I find the necessary depth. These would cost from £SOO to £6OO each to a depth of 120Q feet. Five such wells, even if we don't improve the flow of oil, would certainly yield twenty barrels a day, which it would pay well to refine, and as success is a certainty a refinery should be erected at once and a refining plant secured so as to get a return on the outlay. The smallest plant I ever saw would do to begin with, and I never saw less than a 3-still plant, which would run eff 3600 barrels a week. This, I think, would cost from £3OOO to £4OOO. The company must get a man who understands refining, as I do not profess to do so."

Unfortunately the English company had run short of funds, and was unable to remit even wages. It had been formed with a capital of £30,000 shares of £1 each, of which a number were founders' shares ; and whatever miy have become of the latter, the ordinary contributing shares were apparently not Fubscribed. Notwithstanding the favourable report by Mr Booth, and the earnest remonstrances of Mr Samuel, vory small remittances arrived, quite insufficient to pay the curpent expenses, and after a few months the oredit of the company in Taranaki was exhausted, after the works had been shut up for a considerable period, and Mr Booth loft New Zealand.

In 1893, Mr Samuel went to England, and whilst there met thejdirectors of the moriband company, and arranged with them to raise moneys on the undertaking in New Zealand, to enable the payment of debts which were owing there, in order to giye them time to finance. On his return to New Zoaland in 1894, Mr Samuel saw that all local debts were paid up, and that the rights of the company were secured for a term. When the term expired the directors wrote out that they had uo hope of resuming operations. Mr Samuel formed a syndicate at Now Plymouth, and purchased all their property, plant and rights. Messrs Bauchopo, Berrv, and Drake were the committee appointed by the syndicate to make arrangements for re-Of ening tho boro, and they procured the services of a driller named Ludlow, who for several weeks endeavoured tq clear out the bore, but without shccons. Finally tho syndicate came to the conclusion that tho bore must have been intentionally filled with debris of a very hard charactor, probably scrap iron or railroad iron, for some 20 or 30 feet from the bottom at any rate, and reluctantly discontinued their efforts. The works were again dosed for some time, until hopes were revived by the arrival of Mr It ii. Fair at New Plymouth in 1895. This brings us to the second bore, whoso working will form the subject of tho next article.