32 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES 
a 1,230-foot boring for petroleum, of which a small surface seep had 
long been known, the black ooze being used by early settlers for axle 
grease. The first attempts at mining were made by a French com- 
pany, which planned to use a huge iron caisson shipped in sections 
from France, but the enterprise failed after the expenditure of nearly a 
million dollars. One of the rings of this caisson still lies on the bank 
of the Calcasieu River, with a pine tree 2 feet in diameter growing 
through it. After several other vain attempts to mine the sulphur, 
the Frasch process ” was developed in 1903; by this process the sulphur 
was melted in place by steam, pumped to the surface in liquid form, 
and stored in great vats until needed. (See pl.6, 8B.) In this way the 
sulphur accumulated in solid blocks 1,000 feet long, 500 feet wide, and 
50 feet high, from which it was easily broken for shipment. Since 
1919 the great deposits of sulphur at Gulf, New Gulf, and other places 
in Texas have become the chief source of our commercial supply, with 
reserves of many millions of tons. 
dome has developed an oil field which in 1930 had a production of 
1,351,195 barrels from 33 wells.” 
There are extensive rice fields interspersed with swamps and 
forests about Sulphur and in the region west, notably about Edgerly 
and Vinton. 
Just south of Edgerly conspicuous oil derricks mark the occurrence 
of petroleum in another structural dome under the level lands of the 
region. Strong surface indications of gas and oil at 
this place were noted at an early time, but drilling did 
: $04 not begin until 1907. The first holes were not success- 
Now Orleans a8miles. ful, but after repeated attempts considerable oil was 
obtained at depths of 2,300 to 3,100 feet from beds of 
Pliocene age. Salt found at a depth of 4,000 feet shows that 
a sae ion is present far underground. The oil is heavy (19° to 
22%° Baumé) and when refined makes a fine lubricating oil (Minor). 
The field reached its peak production of 1,688,862 barrels in 1915; 
there has been a great decrease in recent years, the production in 1930 
being only 142,380 barrels. 
Recent drilling on the Sulphur - 
2 This ingenious method of obtaining 
~ ee, £. - EY 2 ho proveny ita 
was perfected by Hermann Frasch in 
deposit, which is mostly a mass of 
honeycombed limestone filled with 
sulphur. Into the hole three concen- 
tric pipes are placed with perforations 
at their ends; through the outside pipe 
ted steam (300°) is supplied, 
The central 
superhea' 
which melts the sulphur. 
and somewhat longer pipe conveys hot 
compressed air, which so lightens the 
liquefied sulphur that it is forced to the 
surface by the combined air and steam 
and water pressure. The heat of the 
steam and water in the outer column 
and in jacketed pipes on the surface 
keeps the sulphur melted while it is 
conveyed to vats built up with wooden 
walls to the requisite height. 
% South Louisiana Oil Scouts Assoc. 
Bull. 1, 1930, 
