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Show - - - - SHAFER HAFERWELLAGAWIBREAKSLOOSE WELL AGAIN BREAKS LOOSE Blows OutPlugs Out Plugs and andSpouts andSpouts andSpouts Spouts Column of ofOil ofOil o oOiliHours Oil OiliHours OiliHoursFire 8 B Bours Hours ours oursFire Fire Danger Halts HaIts Drilling Drillingon on New ' Well 'VeIl VeIl ; Gusher GusherAgain GusherAgain GusherAgain Again Being Sealed . The Frank Shafer o oil well . on onCane onCane onCane Cane Creek dome 15 miles below belowMoab belo belowMoab Moab on the Colorado nver rIver , which whLch 10 10ears \ears ears years j \ ears ago came in as a gusher gusherand gusherand gusherand and for months resisted the efforts effortsof effortsof or of drillers to bring brmg it under control control.Saturday controlSaturday . . Saturday evening blew out its plugs plugsand plugsand and v . went ent on a rampage , spoutmgall spoutingoil spouting spoutmg 011 all oil and gas to a height of 60 feet feetThe feel-The feel The ' - The eruption of the disco\ disco discos discovery discoery \ ery cry wen well wellwhich . , which had been plugged since smce 192 19281stopped $ stopped arilling tlrfllmg tirilhng operations on anoffset an anoffset anoffset offset " ' well 'ell ell located 250 feet to the thenorth thenorth thenorth north being bemg drilled by the Cane CaneCreek CaneCreek CaneCreek Creek Oil 011 company Due to the thedanger thedanger thedanger danger of fire , operations on the thenew thenew thenew new well have been halted haIted until the thegusher thegusher thegusher gusher is again agam brought under con- con control control con control - trol Drilling crews cre\\s cre s \ have been at atw atw w \ ork during durmg the week to shut in ill the theoil theoil 011 oil and gasThe gasThe gas gasThe I theI The Shafer well originally orlgll1al1y was waslost waslost waslost lost as a commercial producer on ac- ac account account ac account - - count of mechanical troubles troublesTremendous troublesTremendous troublesTremendous Tremendous rock pressure resulted resultedIn resultedIn I troublesI In the collapsing of a string strmg of cas- cas eas- eas casing easing cas casing - ing and It subsequentlyas subsequently was \\as as \ \ Im- Im Impo impossible im impossible - po possible ible to case off a heavy flow of ofv.ater ofwater ofwater v.ater vater water . encountered se seveial several elal hundred hundredfeet hundredfeet hundredfeet feet abo\ abo above aboe \ e the oil oU sands After twu two twuears twoears twovears } ears } ears ofork of \ work \\ork ork . , the Utah Southern SouthernOil Southern.Oil SouthernOil . 011 Oil company companj and the Midwest Re- Re Refinmg Refining Re Refining - fining finmg company compam , , who drilled the thepioneer thepioneer thepioneer pioneer well , finally plugged and andabandoned andabandoned and.abandoned andabandoned . abandoned itRecently itRecently it itRecently Recently the Cane Creek Oil 011 cam- cam coin- coin campanj coinpang com company - pany panj pang and its affiliate the Big SU Six : SixOil SixOil 011 Oil company , commenced dnlhng drilling drillingan dnlhngan an offset \ well ell The hole has reached reacheda a depth of 154 feet On Saturday Saturdaythe Saturdaythe Saturdaythe the tools were drilling an extremely extremelyhard extremelyhard hard limestone formation fonnatlon and it is : isbelieved isbelieved bel1e\ed bel1e ed believed \ the vibration from the theheavy theheavy theheavy heavy tools caused the plug in the theFrank theFrank theFrank Frank . Shafer well to loosen Short Short- Shortb Shortly - ly b } after 7 o'clock oclock ' Saturday evening evemng ; ; a column of oil 011 started to erupt eruptfrom eruptfrom from the Shafer well gushing about about60 feet into mto the air The steady flow flowcontinued flowcontinued flowcontinued continued until about 3 Sam a m Sun Sun- Sunday Sunday Sunday - day , \ when hen the pressure dlm1nished diminished diminished.The diminishedThe . . IThe . The \ well ell has been fio flowing " mg oil 011 an anater and and'water andwater andIwater I Iwater ' \\ater ater \ \ by heads during durmg theeek the week \\eek eek \ \ . . Max LaGioisillieie LaGIOI'3Il1lele LaGIOI3Il1lele LaGroisillieie ' drilling dnlling super super- supermtendent superintendent superintendent - I IMax intendent mtendent for the Cane Creek 011 Oil 011comany Oilcomany Oilcomany comany , immediately lmmediately closed down downoperations downopeiatlons I ' OpelatlOnS operations on the new well wen and he hehas hehas heI , has been attempting to shut m in theI theShafer the I | Shafer oil 011 flow durm during the \ week eek Hecame Hecame He Heame came ame up the river to Mooearly Moa6 Moo\ Moo Moab \ ) early earlySunday earlyi \ Sunday for equipment eqUlpment to be used usedin used.lin usedlin . ! in the opcratfon operation He notified W . . S"L SL " S"LHenderson S SHenderson : * Henderson . , engineer englneer of the United UnitedI UnitedSt1.tes UnitedIStites UnitedStites I IStites St1.tes St1tes . geological SUI survey suivev vej , " who "ho ho is e't- e't et ec e'tpected ecpected ex expected " ' . - pected to arrn arrive e today to observe observethe observethe observethe the action of the well v.ell vell . and super super- superVlse supervise supervise - vise Vlse plugging o operationsThe operations operationsj ratIons ratIonsI ratIonsThe I j The Cane Creek . company ompan } s offset offsetwell offsetwell offsetwell well is bemg bem drilled drllled with a standard standardIig standardrig standardlig Iig rig and it is expected cxpected will "ill ill " reach reachthe reachthe reachthe the pioductive plOductl\e plOductl e productive \ sands at 2025 feet by bylate bylate bylate late fallThe fall fallThe fallThe The action of the Frank Shafer Shaferwell Shaferwell Shaferwell well in * ' coming commg back bach " " after bemg being bemgshut beingshut beingshut shut in 111 for nearly 10 j sears years ears is con- con consIdered considered con considered - sidered by oilmen ollmen as certain proof proofof proofof proofof of the e existence lstence " < of an oil oU pool un- un underlymg underlying un underlying - derlying derlymg the Cane Cicek Cleek Creek dome The Theell Thewell Thewell \\ell ell well \ ' \ in itself is of no 110 value , due to tothe tothe tothe the impossibility ImpoS-lblhty ImpoS lblhty - : of separating separatmg the thewater thewater thewater water and oil 011 horizons and .1ud 1ud acrd . placingit placmgIt placmg placing It on 011 production However , the per- per persIstency persistency per persistency - sistency of the oil 011 fiowhich flow fio\\- fio \ \ - which bas has basnot hasnot hasnot not been killed by the tlemendous tieriiendousun tlemendousater tieriiendousunwater tiemendous-water tiemendous water . - \\ater ater water \ pressure above is looked loohed upon uponas uponas uponas uponI as extremely significant There can canbe canbe can.be canbe . I be little doubt , oilmen sa say } , , that the theI theall theoil theoil I all oil is coming from a poolI poolSmce poolSince pool poolSince Since Smce theen the \ well \\en en blem blew ble\\ ble \ in m Saturdaynight Saturdaynight Saturday Saturdayfor I night and spouted a column of oil oilI oilfor oilfor for about eight hgurs hours the flow set- set settled settied set settled - I tled tied down and is now noboIlIng now no\\ no \ boiling up in- in inI Into in into - I to the cellar The Inside string strmg ' of of6inch of6inch of6-inch of6 inch 6-inch 6 inch - cismg C1smg cising is capped but the thefluid thefluid thefluid fluid is coming commg up bet\\ bet between beteen betwecn \ een the various var- var various var various - ious strings of pipe This compli compU- compU compli- compUcates complicates complicates - cates the job of f ] ) plugging lug Png the hole hole.It holeIt . It may be necessary to build buUd a der- der derrIck derrick der derrick - rick 0\ 0 over 0er \ er the theft well -ft ft \ - ell to handle thetools thetools the thetools tools requll requned required ed in the pluggiDg plugging pluggiDgoperations pluggingoperations pluggingoperations operations i |