PETROLEUM DISCOVERY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 4004, 5 January 1892, Page 2

PETROLEUM DISCOVERY.

Xbo Walot&ju OUaad Minora! Company. considerable interest has recently been taken in connection with the petroleum springe arid mineral deposits in the Waiotapu Valley, that our Wellington Correspondent felt justified in sending us in detail the following information on thesuoject which he acquired in oonversa* lion with a gentleman,who has recently visited the locality.

The idea of turning to practical account the apparently inexhaustible store of mineral oils, acids, hematites and clays with which 1 the locality 1 is so extraordinarily rich, first ocourred toMrP.B. Scott, of AuokUnd, but the find being on Government land, he at firsiwas at a loss as to the best steps to take in connection with so important a discovery. Meanwhile he oarefully explored the vicinity, and for as long as four years past he has been shepherding the spot-" lying low" in faot, It would be as well to roughly describe the scene of .his investigations, It is situated about twenty miles from ilotorua, and eight miles from the repiun of the farawera eruptions, the latter being East of it, while thirty miles away on a down-hill road is an excellent harbour. The Waiotapu Valley is, in fact, right in the track of tourists, and the Government even now is under* stood to be contemplating laying a tramway to accommodate the traffio which is so considerably increasing. The richest area covers, about two square miles. It is in the

form of a valley,, throughout whose entire length petroleum oil of remarkable quality, considering it is in its crude state, exudts in such quantity that miles away it can be seen flowing down the creeks leading from the valley, while the odour is perceptible for over ten miles, On each side of this Waiotapu Valley, at its head, there is a bill 3,400 feet high in one case, and 2,300 feet in the other. These two eminences seem likely to prove veritable .mountains of wealth, for their whole bulk is mainly valuable olays, hematites, andothor pigments. The shades of colour arc surprisingly definite'ones, and comprise many distinct hues. There is a material, the semblance of white lead, which, after simple addition of ordinary milk, has been used to paint the sheep station buildings with at Waiotapu. It is a pure white, free from grit or lump,and having every appearance of ordinary moist colouring. Then there is an " artists' yellow," said to be worth five shillings an ounce in a prepared form,. and bo on are . found many other valuable coloured earths. It is interesting to mention here that the, Maoris out away thousands of tons of this material whenrccentlymakmgroads, They also worked by night burning the crude petroleum for lighting purposes, and so wcreenabled to finish their contract in exaotly half time, Bainbow moun tain is the title given to one of the hills alluded to, and very appropriate it is, for the beautiful colours of its constituent formation can be seen from very far away. Another sub. stanoe found at Waiotapu h an absorbent clay, which may prove, of considerable utility in the manufacture of dynamite. The sulphurous and acetic adds with which the deposits are impregnated are also considered of high importance from a commercial point of view, As regards the petroleum, it is dark brown in colour, is more liquid than usual m crude oil, <md the ground is saturated with it. In the valley. there seems to -be a thin crust with a reservoir of the oil beneath, and vessels can be readily tilled ; in fact the Natives have been carrying it away

in bottles and it has been burnt in the bars ot some of the hotr-ls near by. This petroleum has been valued by Mr Longmore, a Melbourne chemist, at 8s a gallon, thus it is a much better article than the usual run of crude petroleums, Another substance found is "petroleum butter," This has been in use as an Antifriction grease and as a salve; but it could be also adopted for the manufacture of paruffine candles, Dr Hector, has, it is stated, reported favourably of the petroleum, referring to it as possessing 86 per cent of commercial kerosene, a much higher average than crude oilß generally carry. The hematites, to return to them, vary from dark brown to vermiliion in color, and in substance from light chalk to greasy, and they are mostly smooth and entirely free from grit, Some of theckys would 1)b useful in pottery work, as would also some of the colourings, while there is in additon a considerable deposit of ordinary sulphur.

As we mentioned at the outset, Mr F, B, Scttt wns the original prospector, but really for some considerable time, but unknown to him and he to them, Messrs Ross, Douglas, and Baukin, who had become possessed of land in the neighbourhood, also found the outcrops and oil springs, and realising the importance of the discovery, they at once took steps to possess the right to it and to lead to

its development. It was at this juncture that Mr Scott declared himself, and he was of course included with the original promoters. The estate ha? now been acquired, and is vested in the ''Waigtapu Oil and Mineral Company, hd.," whose share list is at present, open tp the public and :whdse prospectus is published in our advertising columns. Many shares have already been subscribed among those™ the vicinity of the property, even the station hands showing their faith in it, for considerable enthusiasm' and belief in the prospectus and profitable" future of the Company is expressed by those, who best know its basis,. Several influential gentlemen in Wellington have signified their willingness to act as local directors if appointed by the shareholders, and it is more than likely that the head office of the Company and the Secretary will be stationed in Wellington, The directors, it should be noted, will be appointed by the shareholders themselves Etfc their first meeting, Messrs Laery & Co., of Willis street, are the brokers, and in the meantime piicfttipns'for shares should be sent in to them,