“GUSHER AND GASSER.”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 92, 28 March 1922, Page 2

“GUSHER AND GASSER.”

AN OIL-FOUNTAIN AT PLAY. The forcible and impressive way in which new oil-wells occasionally “discover themselves” is thus told in an “exclusive despatch” from Longbeach appearing in a recently received Californian newspaper:— Saturating the landscape for blocks in every direction with crude oil and causing damage estimated at more than 250,000 dollars to handsome Signal Hill homes, erected prior to the discovery of the oil field on the hill, the Black and Drake well No 1 of Giie General Petroleum Company at Willow street and AValnut avenue came in to-day, a combination oil gusher and gasser. The well did not catch fire, as did the other gassers that have come in on the hill. It might better have become ignited, burned the oil as it flowed, in the opinion of many oil company suits, involving millions, more than likely will follow. Homes ranging in value from 5000 to 50,000 dollars were ruined by the clouds of oil that were rained down upon them. In some directions houses were smeared with the petroleum more than a mile distant. 1000 BARRELS A DAY. It was estimated this afternoon that the well was flowing oil at the rate of about 1000 barrels a day and that gas was escaping from the hole at die rate of 10,000,000 cubic feet per day. Oil now covers the ground for a distance of 3000 feet to the south of the well, in many places for a distance of 1500 to 20UO feet in width and as deep as six or seven niches m places. The hole had been standing cemented for three weeks until yesterday when the cemented plug was drilled out of the twelve and one-half-inch casing at the casing shoe 2300 feet down. The total depth of the hole is 2592 feet.

At 8 o’clock this morning the hole gave its first indication or danger. Five minutes later as the bailer was being pulled up, the gas rumbling and roaring, broke loose. The workmen fled, but not without closing the Oklahoma control head at the mouth of the casing. For two or three seconds, the drilling crew stated, the control which is supposed to stand almost any pressure, held, and then with a terrific tremor of the earth around the derrick and a roar that was heard for miles, the gas broke loose, tearing off the control head and hurling it fifty feet in the derrick. ROCK FALLS THROUGH ROOF. The first home most seriously damaged was the H. AV. Green residence. A huge section of quartzite fell through the roo'f of the house, completely wrecking a clothes closet on the second floor, and continuing through the flooring, landing in the living room of the building. Mr. Green says damage to his residence amounts to 20,000 dollars. AV. J. AVightman’s palatial residence valued at more than 50,000 dollars, was practically ruined by a. spray of oil throughout the house. The Samuel Farrell home, the Harvey 8., and Florence M. Dobyns homes, the residence of Herbert Wise, and many )ther exclusive residences in the district were covered with oil within half an hour. Oil dripped from the eaves of the buildings and fell so heavily on trees that broughs broke, causing additional losses.