ROMA OIL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 3 December 1927, Page 9

ROMA OIL

TF' a similar discovery to that made at Roma, Queensland, had been made in America, the held would be a maze of oil derricks. This, said Mr. J. C. McLellan, representative of the Point Addis Oil Wells and the Vic-toria-Roma Oil Prospecting; Company, was the opinion expressed by the driller in charge at Roma, Mr. C. M. Evans. Mr. McLellan has just returned to Melbourne from Roma, where he has taken up two IO.OHO-acre areas on behalf of his companies ‘•The marvellous development of the Roma oil discovery, and its importance. is such that the Federal Government should centre practically all its energy on exploration there,” said Mr. McLellan. “I arrived in Roma on October 7,” he went on, ‘‘and interviewed the drillers. They are Messrs. C. M. Evans and John Machado, engaged in America, and an Australian named Wilson. The American drillers were brought out for the Lander Oil Company, and after meeting with onlv moderate success in operations 10 miles from Roma they shifted to the town, to develop the oil and gas there.

‘‘Gas and oil have been struck at 3,706 feet,” said Mr. McLellan, “previous bores at Roma striking at 3, <OS, 3,709, and 3,707 feet. These last three bores were lost —one by fire, one through choking, and lost tools in the bore.” He described C. M. Evans as the most reliable man on the oilfield. Evans’s position is field superintendent and head driller. The work at Roma staited with a 1-5-inch bore, water being shut off and cemented at 2.,716 feet to prevent it getting in and drowning the oil. Boring was continued to 3,555 feet, which was much below the artesian water flow. At 3,706 feet porous strata and oil were struck, and gas with a big percentage of oil, arid with a pressure of 5001 b

OPTIMISM OF AA’ORKERS

to the square inch, spouted out of the earth to a height of about 150 feet. Excitement Kvais at. fever-pitch in Roma, and all over Queensland. The Roma bore is only three-quarters of a mile from the railway station, and half a mile from the town centre. Because no provisions have been made tor the storing of oil or the treatment of the gas, Mr. McLellan savs £4OO worth of oil and gas is running away each day. The gas is' used for firing purposes in the tnree boilers at the plant. The how is regulated by valves, but it must be kept alive, and sufficient allowed to escape to bring in a gusher. The Queensland Government geologist, Mr. L. C. Ball, is watching operations on behalf of the Queensland Government. .Mr. McLellan showed three samples of oil from the Roma bore. The first was a dank, thin fluid, with a distinct oil smell. The second was of a soft amber colour, and the third, almost [mre white, like refined oil. He said this clarity was due to a natural refining process, which takes place in the earth, by means of filtration of the oil throught a porous strata, probably sandstone. “C M. Evans considers we have a huge oilfield at Roma,” he said, ‘‘and the thing to do now is to encircle the present bore with others to try and locate the direction in which the oil is running. Evans estimates there is an extra large oil pool, judging from the gas pressure.” He quoted Professor B. D. Steel, D.S.c., F.R.S.. F.1.C., as saying at Queensland University that oil definitely exists in Queensland beneath the surface of the Manattoa Basin. It may be beueath the present Roma bore, or 100 miles away, but it is there somewhere. The land Mr. McLellan took up is six miles and 32 chains from the Roma bore. He says that land has been taken up in a radious of almost }5 miles.