ARCTIC OIL FIELD.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 November 1921, Page 12

ARCTIC OIL FIELD.

WINTER SUSPENDS OPERATIONS. Vancouver, Oct. 8. The hardy band of adventurers who have penetrated the fastnesses of the Arctic NortJi in quest of oil in the Fort Norman district have now practically all dug in for the winter. The prospectors have met with extraordinarily good success. The Discovery well of the Imperial Oil Company has not been drilled any deeper since it was capped of! last winter at the time of the gusher discovery at 783 ft. Oil is being drawn out of the well by means of it baler, and it flows occasionally into the tanks with which it is connected. For the reason that it is desired to use the oil that the well is now producing for fuel and transportation purposes, it is unlikely that anything will be done In the way of drilling it deeper this season, as that would entail shutting oil the supply. One feature ef the well's production

is that the gasoline distilled from this oil was used in a long flight made by one of the Imperial all-metal aeroplanes. The machine made a. non-stop flight from the Bear Island camp to Fort Simpson, about 350 miles, in three honv< and a-half, or at the rate of 100 mites an hour. Proof of thc x excellent quality of the Arctic gasoline was afforded in this trip, a-s the engine worked perfectly. There is every prospect that all three productive wells will be developed to the limit next season, the present indications bing that with deeper borings the main supply will be tapped and a new supply of superior oil bo made available to the