Hill, — On the Poverty Bay Oil District. 321 



miles from Gisborne in a north-west direction, and at a height 

 of about 450ft. above" sea-level. The well belonging to the 

 former company is situated on the Wairangamea Stream, five 

 miles above its junction with the Waipaoa Eiver, which 

 empties its waters into Poverty Bay. The Minerva well is 

 situated on the Waipaoa Eiver, a mile or so to the west of the 

 Pacific Company's well. Work had been stopped at the 

 Pacific Company's well at the date of my visit, but I was 

 enabled nevertheless to gather a good deal of information 

 from the gentleman in charge, who is an experienced American 

 well-sinker. As already remarked, the engine-house and 

 derrick at this well had been destroyed, and in order to pro- 

 vide against further accidents a cap had been fixed on the pipe 

 or tube-bore of the well, and this was kept locked. This cap 

 was taken off, and I saw for the first time an oil-well, having 

 a pipe or tube Gin. in diameter, and passing down into the 

 earth more than 1,300ft., and as far as one could judge it 

 was full of oil to the brim. Specimens of the oil were obtained 

 by me, and I have no doubt whatever that they are genuine. 



The oil appears of a grey-amber colour when held against 

 the light, and its specific gravity in its crude state is greater 

 than the American oil. As to its illuminating qualities, it is 

 impossible to speak with certainty, but the tests hitherto made 

 have been very satisfactory. The exact depth of the well is 

 1,321ft. This is the depth at which oil has been struck, so that 

 the oil-rock or oil-beds are about 870ft. below sea-level. The 

 oil in the tube rises 3ft. or so above the surface, but, curiously, 

 the height varies according to the direction of the winds and 

 the character of the tides. Before the great eruption at 

 Tarawera when the terraces were destroyed it was noticed 

 that one of the great cauldrons of boiling water varied in its 

 intensity according to the direction of the winds, and we know 

 as a fact that the artesian wells in Hawke's Bay rise about 

 2ft. higher at high tide than at low tide. It hardly seems 

 credible that wells — and those oil-wells — so far from the sea 

 could be influenced by the action of the tides, as is the case 

 with our local artesian wells ; but such would appear to be 

 the case : this could only be possible, as far as I can judge, 

 on the supposition that the oil-bearing strata are similar in 

 arrangement and plan to an artesian basin. 



When the explosion took place in the well under notice 

 the tools were lost, and they have remained in the w^ell ever 

 since. When the machinery is once more in working-order, 

 and the tools have been recovered, it may be that the boring- , 

 tool will be able to penetrate still further into the oil-bearing 

 strata, and that the flow will be largely increased ; for unless 

 the well be a flowing one I do not see how it is possible to 

 mauke it a paying concern, which, after all, is the practical test 



