552 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



The; Oil Question. — In March, 1865, the lyos Angeles Pioneer Oil 

 Co., leased for a term of twenty -five years the exclusive right to operate oil 

 works on the Rancho San Pasqual. The shale formation in the Arroj^o 

 banks at foot of Columbia street and thereabouts were then supposed to be 

 of oil-bearing character. But the company never bored a well. See page 

 76 ; also 464, Where the Southern Oil Co. is mentioned. This new Pasa- 

 dena Company put up a derrick and went to work. I requested them to 

 preserve a record of formations passed through, and let me have it for my 

 chapter on Geology. They kindly did so, and here is the record of their 

 second well, up to September 23, when this chapter went to press : 



GEOLOGICAL SECTION OF OIL BORINGS ON SOUTH PASADENA HILL. 



FT. DEEP. 



Ivimestone and adobe. 

 100 



At 176 feet, water, about the level of old San Gabriel road. 

 Adobe. 



Black shale. 

 Adobe. 



300 



400 



500 

 600 



700 

 800 

 900 



At 350 feet, Iridium, or hornblende ; 18 in., very hard ; took 4 days to 



to drill through it. 

 Sand, very fine. 



Shale, black. 



At 450 feet, water again. 



Shale, dark blue. 



Shale. 



Sand and coal strata. 



Limestone. 



At 665 feet, water again. 



Close sand. 



At 725 feet natural gas. 

 Sulphurous gas and water. 



Sand. 

 Natural gas. 



Carboniferous shale. 

 Sand. 



Edwin Baker and J. F. Barcus, two reputable old settlers, inform me 

 that in 1887-S8 a Mr. Roberts had a spring in the Arroyo bank at junction 

 of West Columbia street with Arroyo Drive, which at certain times of year 

 tasted and smelled so strongly of oil that the family could not use it. But 

 the spring is now abandoned and filled up, Mr. Roberts having removed to 

 L,os Angeles. 



Geo. W. Glover, Jr., editor of the South Pasadenau, informs me that 

 gas bubbles and a petroleous odor have sometimes been noticed at a point 

 between Mr. Moody's house on the Arroyo bank and the site of the old 

 adobe or Garfias ranch house. • 



