PETROLEUM NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 188, 13 September 1909, Page 3

PETROLEUM NEWS.

.- THE GISBORNE OPERATIONS. Oil was struck in the Waitangi bore, near Gisborne, last week. The chairman of the prospecting company concerned reported to a meeting of the company that oil had been struck ftt 655 ft. He explained that for some time previously everything had. indicated that the oil was beneath them. 'The .Materials brought up were saturated •with oil, and impregnated with a considerable amount of petroleum gas, so much so that the manager, Mr. McDonald, considered it necessary to pump into the well about 500 ft of water, and thus prevent the gas from escaping too freely and rendering an explosion liable, with possible destruction of the derrick, such as, occurred in Taranaki a few days ago. At 478 ft the well penetrated a hard bund, ..:.'! at 522 ft sandstone was passed through. At 650 ft a green sandstone formation a 6ure indication was struck, being much impregnated with oil an<t gas. Five feet below the oil sand was reached, and immediately the petroleum began to make its appearance. The layer of oil sand measured 12 inches in depth, and after sinking through this boring operations were suspended. The rimming of the casing of the well was then proceeded with, and the well was in that position on his (the chairman's) arrival. In his presence the pump was lowered, and it was found the oil had risen to within about 24ft of the top of the ■well, and through the large volume of water'previously pumped into the well. ' The pump was inserted 16ft into th: body of oil, and three barrels full (all the available storage at the well) were drawn out, and there was then still a considerable quantity of oil; it was impossible to say how much. There was not a drop of water showing in the oil demon.*'rating that there was pure oil lielow that /again. The oil, the chairvinr v, \:t on to say, was of a very high . •)--'-. the manager considering that it <. uid show a test of 40 or even 41 de- ' ; iees, which is very close to illuminating oil (about 43 "degrees). The well he said, was very active; it was bub Ming briskly, and gas was coming of! ■very strongly. Placing one's ear to th< fipe it sounded like a boiling cauldron t was not anticipated that oil would foe struck until the 6in casing was in farted (about 800 ft), but they had struck the .present flow in the Bin cas ing. At the time the oil was reachinf the casing was down to 600 ft, and il was immediately lowered to the boHon (655 ft) to prevent the well from carnj in. The directors decided to draw off an otter 12 barrels of oil, and to resunii boring operations in the h°P e °f str/k ing a stronger flow, which would be oh tained in a 12ft layer instead of the 12ii layer they had just discovered.