PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 254, 20 October 1908, Page 3

PETROLEUM.

THIS EXPERT'S REPORT. Mr, Simpson reported to his directors on Monday uiternoon that between Saturday forenoon and Monday morning the oil had risen to within 200 ft of the top of the casing, or about 2000 ft in all. After getting tlic big tank placed in position and connected by pipes with the top of the bore, he put the sandpuni]> down to the bottom of the bore twice. It brought up nearly pure oil except for u little settlings. Til is course agitated the oil to such an extent that it commenced to llow, and ran altogether some 13 barrels before ceasing to llow. Mr. Simpson then put down the pump again and found the oil at nearly the same height as previous to the ilow. It is .as yet impossible to gauge the capacity of this" well. It .will be some time before the well will be tested sutticicutly to ascertain the .average daily production.

A \Daily News" reporter visited the [ -well yesterday afternoon and found I operations in full swing and a splendid sample of oil on tap. There wag not a color of water in sight, the sand-pump being dropped right to the bottom of the well and drawn full of oil, showing clearly that the bottom of the well, .where the water would he if any were in the bore, was thoroughly "dry." A certain amount of "cuttings," o'r silt, was the only foreign matter in evidence, and when this had been once cleared, the flow of the well will be quite unimpeded. At present the pressure of gas is very great, and t»ie oil, whicli on Saturday wag only 900 feet up in the bore, last night reached the *2l)ooft level, or within 200 ft of the top. It is expected that by this morning tiro oil will be forced up to the mouth of the bore, a more or lesa steady flow ensuing, not, as was the case yesterday, of blows-up succeeding the escape of the gas. It will probably be a week before it is known beyond doutut that the vein now tapped is a steady producer.