Petroleum.

Opunake Times, Volume IV, Issue 184, 7 April 1896, Page 2

Petroleum.

On Tuesday evening the bore was down 1850 feet, at which depth gas • began to come up through the water in the bore. There was such a quantity of gas that it was considered necessary to stop working at night, owing to the danger of the gas becoming ignited from the lights. On Wednesday morning the gas was coming up to such an extent that, although there was 1100 feet of water in the bore, on striking a match the gas burned freely at the top of the bore. As it would be disastrous to strike oil before shutting off the water, the drillers set about " reaming down," in order to insert the casing to shut off the water. The casing is now down to 1207 feet, and it is expected that sufficiently hard substance will be met with at about 1805 feet, where the drill passed through sandstone, to enable the casing to be put down, and then it will be a comparitively basy matter to get the water out of the bore. The drillers expected to get the reaming done to the 1805 feet level on Wednesday evening, and if they succeed in getting' the water shut off this morning, boring will be at once resumed, and it is expected oil will be reached a few feet further down. The prospeots are, therefore most encouraging and it is confidently expected that withiu the next day or two oil will be reached, and past experience in oil fields in America goes to prove that the oil struck at the lower levels is invariably payable.—News.