PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8120, 26 May 1906, Page 2

PETROLEUM.

THE FIFTH (PUTT'S) BOEE.

Drilling was commenced on the 27th March, and the strata subsequently encountered was as follows: Red clay to 35ft, when fine sand with water, was struck, yielding at 65 feet to sand and shortly after to chocolato colored clay, which continued to 81 feet, when it changed to sand and gravol, with, in some cases, large boulders. Sandstone was encountered at 132 feet, and continued to 170 feet, when once more gravel and small stones were met, which continued to 182 feet, after which was a deposit of sand extending to 240 feet (the latter 30 feet of which was quicksand, through which the drill passed of its own weight.) At 240 foet papa was reached, and it continued. with occasional streaks of sandstone to 780 feet, when it gave place to sandstone more or less hard—water being effectually " shut off" at 821 feet. Papa was again struck at 745 feet, and continued to 895 feet, where oil was encountered but m small quantity, and water was "shut off "at 917 feet in a sandstone stroak, after which papa was again met with and continued to 1017 foet.

At 980 foot, gas and oil issued from tho bore freely, but not to the extent to which it had been met in No. 4 bore at the 915 ft. level. The well then caved badly whero it was not casod, and the casing had to be sont down, after which water came up mixed with oil. At 1017 feet, a streak of sandstone was met with and water effectually cut off, but soft papa shortly after followed, and the bore wed so badly that caging had to be sent down. On the 9th of August tho company lost the services of one of their drillers (Drader) who was, unhappily, burned to death in the M oturoa Hotel in which he lodged, and which was burnt to the ground. Papa continued to 1,100 feet, where a naprow strata of hard sandstone was met. Thence to 1,147 ft was papa, and then sandstone mixed with papa continued to 1,285 feet, where hard sandstone was met. At this point, a broken piece of stone was brought up in the sand pump, which Mr Samuel sent to Mr James Hector, who telegraphed : " The sample you sent from the bore hole is a fragment of fossiliferous oaloarious cement stone of the same kind as on the seashore al the ba3e of White Bluff."

Water was shut off effectually in the sandstono at 1,250 feet, and subsequently at 1380 feet. ' The water continued shut off until 1,680 feet, where gas was struck in quantity. No oil was, however, met with, and soft papa at 1,682 feet rendered it necessary to lower the casing. The water had continued shut off at 1,780 feet by the six-inch casing; and the live-inch easing reamed to a seat at 1,895 feet, subsequently shut off a small flow of salt water coming in at a lower level. The papa ceased at 178Q feef, and was succeeded there hy soft sandstone with occasional hard streaks. At 1980 feet, oil was struck and pumped—water being shut off, and continuing shut off, but after the first few days the quantity of oil obtained did not exceed one barrel per diem. Boring was continued to the depth of 2,050 feet, water still continued shut off, but there was no improvement in "the yield of oil, and tho directors after consulting the Sydney board determined to cease operations at that bore.

THE SIXTH BORE. Meanwhile the directors had contracted to boro oi} Mr Okey's farm, Franklcy road, at a of about three miles frqiu the sea, in a southeasterly ijirecfion fpqm Having proceed the sprvicesj of anqtl}cr dfiller mpned Dennett, also a Canadian who had hud much oa;perionoc in Australia in artesian boring, tho company in April, 1898, proceeded with this boro by day and night shifts, but encountered much greater difficulties than they had met with elsewhere. After the first 37 feet in clay, very hard boulders were met with, of varying and irregular shape, and 10-inch easing had to be put in to prevent them falling and jambing the tools in tlie bore. At 72-fcct it was found impossible to get the 10-inch casing lower, and the 8-inch drill was used. So hard were the boulders, and so frequent woro tho falls of broken stone, that on ono occasion only one foot was drilled in four days. The same difficulties continued, gravel frequently falling in and filling the bore, and having tq be re-drilled and pumped out. The work ia this bore was clone by an American engine apd boiler, obtained from the Oil Wells Supply Company, and gave somewhat better results thai} that brought out by Booth from England. Work continued to be done by electric light at night, as at No. 5 boro.

The managing director's report of 17th June, stated: —On the casing reaching 265 feet, the bore became suddenly filled to the height or about 15 feet within the casing,,with stones of irregular shape, having all the appearance of ordinary broken metal. Great force must have been required to force up such stones, and both drillers say they have never known or heard of such a thing happening before. There is no indication whatever of gas, and I fear there is a large quantity of stones —probably broken up in bygone days by volcanic or glacial action—and that lateral pressure forces the smaller stones into and up the easing. Since the 17th June, the staff has, day and night, continued alternately to drill and to sand pump, but several times, after mixing up and pumping the stones to the bol torn of the casing, others have been- forced up in their place. Meanwhile the casing is kept free and inch by mob pushed downwards whenever an occasion presents itself. It extends now 272 feet from the surface, and that is practically the present depth of the bore. I have to-day had a long consultation with the drillers. Both say that there is nothing to do but to continue pulverising the stones, with the drill and sand-pumping the spoil. At any time the casing mav go down and shut off the quagmire of stone. On the 20th of July, the managing director reported : " For weeks past we have practically made no progress. As fast as we drill and pump out the spoil, the bore is filled up again with sand and broken stones. The drillers think that we are in what has formerly been a small crater of a volcanic eruption. I have this morning had a long talk with both drillers at the bore, and they advise that wo should cease operations and draw the casing, as they thiuk it will be far more costly to bore to 1000 feet where we are than to remove the derrick andi bore to. a light depth at some little distance off."

Mr Samuel then made an arrangement with Mr Okcy and Mr John Veale, by which boring on the latter's farm should be equivalent to boring on the former's, and accordingly tho casing was drawn, and No. (! bore abandoned in July.