TOTANGI BORE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 January 1939, Page 2

TOTANGI BORE

S.I RAIGtI I tNING PROBLEM NOT YET SOLVED.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT ORDERED.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) GISBORNE, January 17.

Three efforts to cement satisfactorily the lower portion of the Totangi No 1 well, undertaken by the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited, failed to provide the results aimed at Drilling will proceed at the Totangi site in the hope that later an opportunity to correct the deviation of the bore will offer itself.

For the past five weeks the staff has given full attention to efforts to restore to vertical the well which, on December 14, was reported on in the company's official bulletin as follows: “During the last fortnight drilled to 2410 ft in sandstone, but because of a deviation from the vertical developing, filled with cement to 2070 ft. Drillingout to correct this deviation is now in progress.”

The position today is practically as at December 14, three fillings of cement having failed to set satisfactorily. The first and second fillings were made with ordinary cement, and when these were drilled out and found to be still soft, a supply of special quick-setting cement was obtained and run into the hole. Latest tests with the drill brought keen disappointment to the company’s officers. It had been hoped that the special cemfent would set hard enough to force the drill back to the original vertical line, but this hope was not realised. Samples of the cement drilled out of the hole have been sent to the headquarters of the supplying company, and tests are being made there to find what factors are affecting the setting.

In the meantime the company has placed orders for special tools, which are available from the United States. With these it should be possible,later to swing the line back to the vertical. Pending delivery of these tools, drilling will proceed cautiously, and every effort will be made to check any tendency to further deflection.