THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC OIL WELD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 751, 23 July 1886, Page 26

THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC OIL WELD.

(united press association.) Christchurch, July 20,

A private letter received in Christchurch gives a more intelligible account than has yet appeared of the position of affairs at the Southern Pacific oil well. In the system of boring adopted the bore was driven in advance of the pipe (a six-inch one), and when the latter was down 1140 ft the bore was 40ft below the end of the pipe, and Ift into the oilbearing sand. The oily slush began to rise, and a plug was driven down to it, and within 10ft of the bottom of the hole. The force of the ascending oil and mud, however, was so great that it drove the plug upwards to the end of the pipe, againßt which it wa3 tightly jammed. When in pursuance of instructions from the Board of Directors in Sydney, Mr Weaver went to work to break up the plug in order to ascertain the flow of oil, it was found that the oil had oozed past the plug and had filled the pipe for a distance of 80ft from the lower end. The effect of cutting up the plug was the choking of the pipe with oily mud, which came up so fast that Mr Weaver had to draw the tools up and have recourse to the sand-pump, but this failed to clear the pipe. An attempt was made to drive the pipe, but first the maul broke ; and when a new maul was used the upper portion of the pipe bent, and no progress could be made. Mr Weaver then determined to put a 4Jin pipe inside the 6in pipe, so as to get deeper into the oilbearing stratum, and definitely ascertain the flow. °He wired to Sydney to that effect, and is now awaiting an answer from the Directors. The mud is described aa being full of oil “ like kitchen slush,” but it is impossible to say what the yield will be. Mr Weaver is said to b 9 confident of success.