PETROLEUM OPERATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 95, 18 May 1909, Page 3

PETROLEUM OPERATIONS.

GOOD FLOW AT NO. 2 BORE. The persistency with which pumping operations have been continued at the No. 2 borv. despite the tediousness of the process' through the presence of grit and other foreign matter interfering with tlie work of the pumps, seems to be overcoming the dUUcuity. For some weeks it has only been possible to pump a tew Jiours, after which the pump had to lie again withdrawn and lilted with new leather washers, which quickly wore out owing to the action of. this Hint-like substance. The wearing propensities of this material is strikingly demonstrated in the. brass pump barrel, which id "scored'' inside almost beyond repair. Last week a new steel barrel was substituted, and has so far proved a great success. New washers were fitted to the pump last Thursday, and it has not been found uecesßary to lift tihe pump since. It is quite evident that the amount of silt finding its way from above through the perforated easing is decreasing, giving the pump freer play. Since Thursday there has been a fair flow of oil, increasing considerably in volume until yesterday when a tine flow was maintained, about twenty barrels of splendid oil being secured. The oil at times gushed out between the sin and Oin casings, three barrels of which were saved. The company has now in stock 100 forty-gal-lon barrels of oil in the store, sft 4in of oil in the underground tank (which measures 20ft in diameter at the top, 12% ft at tie bottom, and is loft deep). [ In addition one of the 1700-gallon tanks ,is full and another two-thirds full. At ! a modest estimate there are now 10,000 gallons on hand. The pressure of gas is very great, and is being used, along with the waste oil (scum, etc.) for fuel in the boiler house. The Gas Company is now using the company's petroleum, instead of imported shale, for fortifying the gas, and it is giving unqualified satisfaction.

At the time of writing the outlook at the No. 2 bore is brighter than at any previous stage of its history.

Captain Sundstrum, chairman of directors of the New Plymouth Petroleum Co., Dunedin, fml Mr. Crawford, another director, arrived in town Inst night on business in connection with the company.