NEW ZEALAND PETROLEUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13226, 11 July 1906, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND PETROLEUM.

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. l}. PROGRAMME OP DEVELOPMENT. [BY i'EtiEGRAI'H.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] New Plymouth, Tuesday, When the directors of the Taranaki Petroleum Company and other gentlemen visited Petch's farm, on the Carrington Road, on. Friday, to' see the reported indications of oil it seemed almost too good to be believed ; so Mr. M. Eraser, of Messrs. Burgess and Co., and Mr. J. W. Wilson, New Plymouth manager for Messrs. Arch. Clark and Son, two of the director*, have since paid a surprise visit to the site, armed with the necessary tools for further prospecting. They found a hole, or fissure, from which oil was oozing, situated some . 7ft. above the stream side of the hill, beginning at the level of the water.- ! The gentlemen named removed all the soil above the solid rock, and at a depth of about 7fb below the surface came upon,, a gray sandy papa formation through Ji, iftsspure in. ivhicb. .bubbled, up. gas, carrying- with it, a, liquid paste strongly impregnated with crude petroleum. From the position and distance in which this was obtained there was no room to doubt that it was absolutely genuine, and upon Mr. Fair's return workmen' will be taken there to further develop the ground. A sample of the mud was tested by Mr. Teed, and" he is now' entirely satisfied that it is crude petroleum. The fact that oil hag been found some six miles inland from the present flowing well serves to show that the field is of far greater extent than was at first anticipated. The programme of the Taranaki Petroleum Company includes the sinking of four new bores at Moturoa. The "Mr. Samuel bore," where the disastrous fire occurred in 1896, and where splendid indications had. been struck, will be cleared out. That at; the foot of. the breakwater at the rear of, the*blacksmith's shop will also be reopened.': The excellent indications and the proved, presence of petroleum at 'Fetch's farm, Carrington Rood, may alter the programme; somewhat, so that operations may be con- : ducted simultaneously at this point and Moturoa: ■-■■■-■

[BY TELKGEAfH.—U\V.\ UOKRESJ'O.S'DBNT.] \ Wellington, Tuesday. yVlfc. Way, an oil expert from the United States, who has been inspecting and reporting on the Taranaki oil fields, is staying in Wellington for a few {lays. . [MY TELEGRAPH, — I'll litis ASSOCIATION.] -j

New Plymouth, Tuesday. i There i« considerable activity in, pet-re-".; ieum prospecting-- all over north-western;! Taranaki, at present, and samples of oil are; j daily reaching town from outlying districts.. The extent of the oil area has been proved to be considerably greater that at Hist sup-; posed, although the Taranaki Petroleum; Company is the only one that lias gone deep' enough to produce a gusher. • ; ~ Wanganvi, Tuesday. ' A local syndicate has been formed to bore for petroleum near the site of the Moturoa well at New Plymouth. Boring rights have been secured there, as also in other parts of Taranaki. With respect to Taranaki petroleum, .a. telegram was received yesterday afternoon by Messrs. Fratcr Bros., us follows:—"Petroleum found oozing from tissure in rock ou section 795 on your plan, in Grey district known as Petch's. Directors vouch for it as genuine. Evidently larger field than anticipated. Great excitement here. —Laing. secretary." 'Mr. Fair, the Petroleum Company"* expert, seen by a Herald representative, stated that this place is in a direct line with the present" bore,'and about 4£ miles southeast. This was evidently a new outbreak, and showed the wide ;r extent of the field, and ako the .great pressure there must be underneath. Yesterday afternoon the various samples'of the 'different oils produced as the result of an analysis by Mi'; Pond, colonial analyst, were exhibited at- - the Stock Exchange, and occasioned much interest. The complete analysis, and Mr. Pond's report thereon, is advertised in this issue. : INDICATIONS IN NORTH AUCKLAND ; DISTRICT. ...■....- Our Dargaville correspondent writes : — "If is' not generally known that in the Arapohue district .there are indications of petroleum. At certain locality, near the Maungu.raka- mountain, if a stick be driven into the ground'and,.a light put to it when it is- drawn up*, a flame will remain for for some -seconds] Similar indications are reported from tin Wuiniamaku district,. near Hokianga. ':'■■ ;■ • - ~: ;