BORING SUSPENDED

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21177, 29 July 1940, Page 5

BORING SUSPENDED

OIL SEARCH AT MIDHURST REAMING BIT STUCK (By Telegraph.—Special to Times) NEW PLYMOUTH, Saturday Drilling is temporarily suspended at the Midhurst oil exploration bore while “fishing” for a reaming bit, stuck at a depth of about 1000 feet, is being done. The trouble began about 10 days ago, the bore having been drilled to a depth of about 1180 feet into sandy shale. The bore was then being reamed when the reaming bit jammed, subsequent efforts to free it being fruitless. One of the American officials engaged at I/idhurst stated that the trouble was one of the most common to work of oil boring, but was none the less serious. It was the worst type of trouble that could occur. Two alternatives were to retrieve the reamer, or, failing that, “sidetrack” it — to bore, past it. Every effort would be made to recover the 1 reamer before the second alternative was used. The “fishing” operations ; designed to recover the reamer involve complicated and tedious processes. No estimate can be placed on the time that will be taken before drilling can be resumed. It may be a few days; it may be a month or more. Only after every possible avenue for recovering the reamer has been explored will the question of sidetracking it bs considered.