| Show OIL GEOLOGIST BOOSTS PROSPECTS FOR OIL IN UINTAH BASIN FIELD by F J S sur in our work in new districts where the inhabitants have not had experience with oil its drilling arrangements distribution trib ution and value we aret are asked all manner of questions for the information of many who are interested the following data may be useful it does not take a vast acreage to make money out of oil in smackover Smack over arkansas year before last acreage without royalty sold for as high as fifteen thousand dollars per acre in california especially in the signal hill district the prices soared higher than any some lots sold as high as a hundred thousand dollars only a sorted spot needed it has been found that it does not take vast acreage but rather a sorted spot when it is realized thata well usually takes up just enough surface space to take a hole at most eighteen or twenty inches in diameter A floor of a derrick takes up 24 square feet at most the operator would rather have one acre of real proven oil land than one million acres of productive nonproductive non oil land one well at salt creek wyoming has produced over two million dollars worth of oil the original producing well of the florence colorado field has produced over a million dollars worth of oil in the last thirty years and I 1 believe that this well is still producing many wells in the tampico field mexico have produced over one hundred thousand barrels of oil daily and I 1 know of one that actually produced over two hundred thousand barrels of oil daily for the first few months in 1901 during the famous spindle top beaumont texas oil boom when the famous lucas gusher produced ninety six thousand barrels daily which by the way was the greatest gusher ever found in the united states a certain promoter acquired a piece of land nine feet by twelve feet gusher on smallest piece of land after much scheming and diplomacy he received permission from his neighbors to be allowed to put a portion of his derrick floor on their land the result was that when his derrick was finished it was on land owned by five different owners this diplomatic promoter then had his well drilled and got a gusher which produced over twenty thousand baris aels of oil daily this land made a vast fortune for him this is is supposed to be the smallest piece of land ever drilled tor for oil wells in some fields last and produce for a long period of years some of the original wells drilled by col drake and associates are still producing as is the well above mentioned in the florence field average production very low the majority of money from oil has been made fram from geologist in vernal T uintah county express small wells one of the largest oil companies in the east the tidewater oil company has an average production per well of one half barrel daily from many thousands of wells these ate are very old wells it is believed that the average of oil wells in the entire country does not exceed three and one half barrels per well utah colorado wells can be drilled cheaply recently an article was written and widely read throughout the united states which stated that the high cost of drilling wells in colorado and utah would keep those states back as future oil producing states today prices of material for drilling are about the same as in 1914 labor prices are about the same transportation costs are lower due to improved methods of transportation and better roads wells can be drilled in utah and colorado to the same depths as those in texas wyoming and montana for less than they cost during the boom periods of those states asks only favorable structure today it is not a question to the oil man of how far the well site is from the railroad but rather one of where there is a favorable structure to drill oil operators go great distances to drill wells the wells of the peace river country alberta canada were miles from a railroad the wells of venezuela which are now shipping are miles from the seacoast salt creek wyoming was fifty miles from the railroad today the well that is showing traces of oil at less than nine hundred feet in depth near vernal is the farthest drilling well from any railroad in the united states oil Is piped great distances the transportation of oil through pipe lines is that of a common carrier business for which a charge is made at so much a barrel in california four lines pipe oil over five hundred miles or more to the seacoast terminals oil is now being piped from wyoming to the mississippi river oil is being piped from texas and oklahoma to new jersey the discovery of oil in an isolated district brings roads railroads builds cities undreamed of before and puts the district years ahead of its neighbors when an oil boom occurs it seems that everyone makes money all that the operator usually asks is a chance to be allowed to spend his own money in the development of new lands |
