THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY OF CANADA 



tressel work that you see. By this means the hole is put 

 down much faster and at considerably less cost per foot. 

 The average time now consumed in drilling a well is about 

 a week, and the cost a hundred dollars approximately. 



It was found that the Petrolia field was much more 

 extensive than was at first supposed, flowing wells were 

 struck in all directions for a time. Railroads were built to 

 connect with the new centre of activity, and petroleum 

 refineries were built to handle the output. Loudon was 

 for a time the centre of this busines, which, however, was 

 later transferred to Petrolia. 



It was not long, however, before the wells ceased to 

 flow and pumping had to be resorted to. This meant, at 

 that time, that a separate steam engine had to be installed 

 for every well. This method was so expensive that for 

 years a well that was not good enough for ten or more 

 barrels a day was abandoned as worthless. 



Production, however, increased by leaps and bounds, 

 and for years there was a big surplus in the thousands of 

 immense underground storage tanks. The oil became 

 almost a drug on the market. The production was still 

 further increased by the discovery of a method of pumping 

 a large number of wells from a single pumping station by 

 means of " jerker rods." The rods were connected with 

 a large wheel which made them jerk up and down, and 

 this jerking motion was conveyed by means of triangles to 

 a walking beam over the wells, which worked the pumps. 

 In this way, to-day, as many as three hundred wells are 

 connected up with one central pumping station. It's an 

 odd sight in the oil district to see a perfect forest of tall 

 tripod derricks, as many as five or six to a single acre, as 

 far as the eye can see, each with its pump quietly working 

 away with a slow steady motion and no visible source of 

 power. 



This discovery once again revolutionized the industry 

 by so reducing the cost of operation that almost any pro- 



