PETROLEUM NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 288, 8 May 1914, Page 4

PETROLEUM NEWS.

legend of its discovery ln MEXICO.

Striking details of the growth of the in ! h '- St, 'J ' n Mexico were given at ■the Ojl Exhibition, Earl's Court, by Mr. R. I'. lirouason, a few weeks ago. It wag stated that whilst only nineteen of the seventy promising localities in Northern i era Cruz had been tested, and although liut fifty of the 18ti oil companies .registered 111 Mexico were actually working, the production has risen from 1,000,000 to 23,000,000 barrels within six years. Legend says Mr Brousson, traced the first find of oil in Mexico to the Totalise Indians, one of the Aztec tribes, who, wandering on the shore of the Gulf, found patches of chapopote (a heavy oil l' was!u '' l "P • the sea. in 1»)8 the discoverer of Angostura Bitters discovered the oil springs of Ougas. He exploited the oil by tunnelling into the side of the hill from which it exudeded. During the excavations he eame across several miniature idols buried in the asphalt. In 1902 the Pearson interest began drilling in the southern end ot the state of Vera Cruz, but production did not begin on the large scale until 1907. In 1908 the famous dos ifocas we 1 was struck, which after hurling the drilling gear 150 feet into the air caught lire and burned with /lames from 1000 to 1500 feet high. The fire was extinguished fifty-eight davs later. The 1. oti'ero del Llano No. 4. probably the largest well in the world ever placed under control, was struck in December, 1910. The daily How at first was estimated at 125,000 barrels. To-day, the daily flow is limited by the capacitv of the pipe lines to 40,000 barrels. For the transport of oil in Mexico 425 miles of pipe line have been Jaid down and 51 miles of additional lines are in course of construction. The oil tank steamers at. Tuxpan are loaded by means of pipe lines laid along the bed le seil to a terminal one and a half miles from the shore. During 1913 more than 200 tank steamers were loaded in this way, and the pumping facilities were such that ships could be loaded at the rate of 10,000 tons in twenty-four hours.

Preparations for the commencement of boring operations by the Canterbury J otroleum Company at. Olisrtsev are well undo]- way (says the Christchurch Sun). A derrick, which will be 72 feet high is being built. An electric lighting plant, 20 h.p.' boiler, and 15 h.p. engine are installed, and a number of buildings erected. A commencement is to be. made with sinking at an early date.