Show MONTEREY COUNTY california john C quinn a noted california oil operator writing from san francisco regarding the oil measures of monterey county says monterey county as a prospective oil field is now claiming the interest of many of the successful operators in this line and is the scene of remarkable activity during the past four months eight standard rigs have been started up and there are now fully a dozen more in course of construction the shale bed in the southern part of the county in what is known as the bradley and san ardo districts is the most extensive found anywhere on this coast the width at this point is fully thirty miles gradually narrowing to the southeast ext extending endina for a distance of twenty miles in a northwesterly direction it holds its width for about twenty miles then narrows to about ten miles keeping its width for over sixty miles disappearing in the ocean at monterey bay throughout this belt the structure is conformable and exposures made by the cutting through of the nacimiento san antonio and arroyo seco rivers diA disclose close a number of perfect anticlines anti clines which parallel each other for many miles gradually merging together to the northwest the san ardo commencing at a point about six miles southeast of the town of san ardo strikes in a northwesterly direction and is distinguishable for a distance of about eleven miles upon this line there are nume numerous rous live seeps and extensive exposures of bituminous deposits these rigs are at work on the eastern slope of this on the properties of the tomboy san antonio and san ardo consolidated oil companies the normal oil company is also on this strike about four mi miles lles southeast and within the axis of the anti anticline clina 1 the tomboy at 1100 feet has pierced the oil bearing strata and has a flow of oil estimated to be from 75 to barrels per day the bradley commencing at the town of bradley is plainly defined for a distance of eighteen miles to the northwest and is richly marked by oil seeps and sulphur springs A company lately organized is preparing to bore on this strike near the town of bradley under the direction and supervision of state mineralogist t A S cooper the miranda para paralleling ibeling those above described lies some three miles to the west no external evidences of oil are discoverable along this strike but the conformability of structure and geological conditions are such that professor de miranda the world famous expert pronounced it the choicest ground and at the time of his death was preparing to invest his own money in its exploitation this work has been taken up by the mountain chief oil company and the work will be diligently prosecuted this ti is traceable for about twenty miles from the nacimiento river to the northwest two mil miles es to the west is the sari san antonio I 1 plainly exposed by the nacimiento and san antonio rivers this appears to be the deeper geologically and the surface indications point to greater possibilities than are apparent elsewhere the is the more clearly defined and has a greater length than any recorded in the united states commencing at a point about n six miles west of paso robles in san luis obispo county its definition is marked unmistakably throughout to the arroyo seco river fifty five miles to the northwest at the exposures made by the nacimiento san antonio and arroyo seco rivers the sand rock defining the sides of the are of anu unu unusual sual breadth on the east they are and average about feet wide on the west they are fossilized with an average width of about 1200 feet wherever exposures are made the within the axis of the are profusely on this strike are found the most favorable conditions viz sand reefs sulphur springs live oil seeps and perfectly leached beached the nacimiento oil company operating on this line is situated about one mile south of the nacimiento river in san luis obispo county within the axis of the and at a depth of feet has from the shale formation a seepage of about ten barrels per day they do not expect to reach the sand until a depth of feet to the northwest on the sauth side of the san antonio the great american oil company is boring on the syncline and at a depth of feet have seeps and strong indications indication of the existence 7 of live oil in the rock lying about feet to the west and which they should pierce at about feet the white oaks oil company has just commenced operations about a quarter of a mile to the east and should strike the sound at about 1000 feet in depth the monterey oil company north of the san antonio about a mile is down feet and have the most flattering indications of an early reward for their labors no other operation is found on this line until the arroyo seco is reached and there the salinas oil company is down feet with live oil seeps beginning to show this section is strongly I 1 marked and a perfect geological formation is apparent accompanied by seeps sulphur springs and leached beached As a summary I 1 have no hesitation in asserting that in view of the late demonstration made by the tomboy oil company of san ardo and the nacimiento oil company which practically settles the pertinent inquiry as to whether oil in this district would be found sufficiently liquid to flow into a well that the belt described should be a most productive one the conditions necessary to the production and storage of oil are apparent to the utmost limitation and nature has proven its fidelity as the front it presented would in the absence of the discovery of tremendous oil measures have been a deception |