PETROLEUM NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 89, 10 September 1914, Page 4

PETROLEUM NEWS.

<m» .—. TvENEWED ACTIVITY' AT Min'ltitUA. ■■" BIG BLOW-OUT . A,T THE ROTARY BUUE. For some -weeks past .shareholders nave had! libtta news worn tne oilileidu at MotuToa, not because the war 'has diverted the oil-gel-ting energies of the company, ibut because the statf has been hav.iig a very strumous 'Unio in workother than the actual securing of oil in mvercaimh" difficulties consequent on the collapsing of the (-.using ami silthm of the hares. Tile N«>. 2 bore, whkl for some three years has been flowing (■onatMtly, lias given the jnaiinganwn't a great deal of worry. Timo after time, after the casing was lowered to » oerta/m depth, it w repeatedly forced out of plumb by an ohstmotion that ba<l to 'be passed. Thin difficulty, however, was overcome ■ about m fortnight cilice, and since then rapid progress ha,s been made. At present there ia ererv reason to believe that within a" very fchart time this bore will bo ptrodudne as heretofore.

The No. fl bore, which for two rears gave splendid ' results, subsequently ceased to flow—not 'Unit 'there was any i wamly of nil, hut, Unit the suction placed on the rasing by the enormous g«8 pressure caused the casing to cr.l- - it had to be withdrawn. As, the larger of the two casings? was sliiutting off the water, it was necessary to carry the <j-inch easing down and nnut off the water. This was successfully accAinpfisihcd. and the rasing was carried to 100 foot below where, the water had ihcen previously shut off. Some ■three.or four weeks had to elapse before the cement was property »et, and then drilling and cleaning'font 'were put in hand. This week should "sec the well completed, unless, the management decides to drill still deeper. This temporary set-back, due to the necewitv for recasing tiie bore, has not been nil loss, for tie company ha,s „ow <• —- 1 - better bore, and one capable of (being much deeper if required. Owing to tfo. 5 haying called for fio much attention, work- at the rotarv bore hmd to be temporarily suspended. IV born wn.s standing practically full of oil. On Monday morning work was resumed. Dnwi the staff withdrawing tiie pump rods, even this slight notation miacd tJie Ibore to flow, end in twenty-four hours about Si 'barrels of oil were saved. Yesterday raornlns\ w'hen about four lengths of the tubing had been drawn, the bo.-p, suddenly l|>oeamc verv active, ami the stall' was hard put to it to secure the oil that was coming away through, the 8-inch ending. For about half iin hour this «isinfr win tmxed to its fullest capacity in bringing flw> oil to the surface, and in forty minutes some cl«hty Isavvels of petroleum were wed. but i large rfuantity of oil eseined mid flowed out ti sea, to "calm 'the troubled waters," as one of the Wen p,ut it The trennendous* pressure of the jw-s continued all dav. rml tiie roar of its .escape could be plainly- Sicaivl in town. ;>lbrrat «. mile end a half fro-m the bore. The donsitv of the gils Mile it quite JumoHSJbV to continue work at. the »ie<rrick. When the i»ressiive casi-s it is the intention of the mannner to carinthis well deener. Ywtonhiv's ovliibitioTiw seem to justify this con rue. PharohoWew will welcome this turn of lur-V. It is cnnfidentlv honed bv these fa cTtiarge +hiif in a short, time sill forrr bores will be flowing oil.