V. C. Illing—The Search for Oil, 301 



Furthermore, their denudation is so extensive that the possibility of 

 preservation of large oil-pools in such fractured rocks which have 

 suffered such deep dissection is unlikely in the extreme. 



4. Small quantities of oil and gas locally preserved among the 

 impervious strata are both possible and probable. Such occurrences, 

 however, are too small to be of commercial importance. 



On May 27 an oil-show was struck at the Government boring at 

 Hardstoft, near Chesterfield, at a depth of about 3,075 feet. The oil 

 is stated to have risen slowly in the well and finally overflowed, 

 yielding about 400 gallons a day. It appears to have come from the 

 compact limestones and shales at the base of the Yoredale Series, 

 and the absence of porosity in these strata limits the hope of a large 

 commercial supply of petroleum. The character of the seepage in 

 the well tends to confirm the impression of a slow outflow from 

 relatively compact rocks. It was presumed, somewhat hastily, that 

 the Hardstoft oil-show was indicative of a large oil supply which 

 would be tapped when the cover-rock had been completely pierced, 

 but the resumed drilling operations have so far negatived this 

 assumption. Similar oil seepages are quite likely to occur in some 

 of the other bores at the same geological horizon, but the statements 

 which have been assiduously circulated that the discovery at Hardstoft 

 proves the existence of large quantities of crude petroleum in these 

 Islands, betray a complete inability to estimate such occurrences in 

 their true proportion. . 



In the discussion of a problem where political, economic, public, 

 and scientific interests are deeply involved, it is difficult to avoid the 

 clash of warring elements. The writer wishes to emphasize the fact 

 that the present discussion is entirely concerned with the possibilities 

 of success. Whether the present oil development operations were 

 justifiable in view of the urgency of the war needs, is a question 

 rather of political responsibility and is entirely beyond the scope of 

 the present paper. 



That a large sum of money could be well spent on boring in this 

 country is undoubtedly true — the survey of our natural wealth is 

 inadequate without it — but why confine the search to oil, one of the 

 most improbable materials, if scientific evidence stands for aught ? 

 The data afforded by the percussion method of drilling are very 

 unsatisfactory, especially when the sampling is left in the hands of 

 the driller. Core drills are more slow, but the scientific evidence 

 obtained is incomparably greater. It is true that small oil-shows 

 would possibly be overlooked in core drilling, but this difficulty is not 

 insuperable, and in addition the type of oil-well which will alone 

 repay the cost of such deep wells as are anticipated would leave no 

 doubt of its occurrence. In the Chesterfield area, where operations 

 are now in progress, little additional knowledge could be obtained of 

 the beds in association with the Black Shale coal, but a series of 

 cores in the underlying strata would yield useful and possibly 

 valuable data. It is to be deplored that by a system of haste where 

 no haste is now necessary, and where the possibilities of success are 

 extremely doubtful, an opportunity should be thrown away of getting 

 valuable evidence which would possible repay the public expenditure. 



