NEW OILFIELDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 60, 5 April 1909, Page 4

NEW OILFIELDS.

"Engineering," referring to the discovery of a new strata of petroliferous substance of recent (erctacean) geological formation in Argentina, says that previous casual discoveries of the precious fuel liave been made in the national territories; petroleum has been found in Jujuy, Garrapatal, Lagima de la Brea, Salta, Gaehcuta, San Kafaei, Santa Cruz, and Tierro del Fuego. In the Andinc province of Jlendoza as many a* twenty wells were bored in Hie years 1896 and' 1897, and the illumination of this town has been for some time supplied by the gas extracted irora the oilfields of Cachcuta. Argentine oil was burnt for some time by the local Eastern railway, but ithe exploitation of the Andine wells has not given the results expected. The oil production of Mendoza has been, somehow handicapped by want of organi6a£ion and the costly means of transport. It is yet too early, to judge the industrial value of the aew discovery of en oilfield, as the efficiency cannot be foresee!), ljefore a great number of borinfc». have "been carried out. Geogra phicalty Comodoro Rivadavia—the new oil reatoa—is most favofably situated for 'the eitploltition of the possible production; it is in the Gulf oi St. George, on the Soutb. Atlantic coast. The first strati of mineral oil substance was found at a depth of 1770 ft, with a bore having -a diameter of four inches. The daily production has averaged 13 to 14 tons, the flow of petroleum being obtained without the aid of pumping ma.chinerv. The fluid conies out as a very heavy "substance, of a dark-brown color, and seems especially adapted to be used as fuel. The Argentine Government lias recently sent new boring machinery to, Comodoro Rivadavia, and is pushing the works of new perforations with great alacrity. Reserving for the present the circular, zone "as a monopoly o* the State, the Government has distributed to private enterprise ten concessions of 1000 to 2000 hectares each; these are to be worked bv the newly-formed Oomnania de Petroleo del Golfo de S. Jorge. One Teat drawback for future exploitation will be the want of a safe harbor.