280 



■NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



still another increase to $3.05 in December, the highest mark 

 reached in recent years. 



The number of new wells drilled during the year was larger 

 than in 191 5 but still fell below the average. 



Production of petroleum in New York 



YEAR 



BARRELS 



VALUE 



1897 

 1898 

 1899 

 1900 

 I9OI 

 1902 

 1903 

 1904 



1905 

 1906 

 1907 

 1908 

 1909 

 I9IO 

 I9II 

 I9I2 



I913 

 I914 



I915 

 I916 



279 155 



205 250 

 320 909 

 300 925 



206 618 

 119 730 

 162 978 

 036 179 



949 511 

 043 088 

 052 324 

 160 128 

 160 402 

 073 650 



955 314 

 782 661 

 916 873 



933 511 

 928 540 

 874 087 



005 736 

 098 284 



708 926 



759 501 

 460 000 



530 852 



849 135 



709 770 



566 931 

 721 095 

 736 335 

 071 533 

 914 663 

 458 194 

 251 461 

 338 350 

 255 508 

 773 671 

 476 378 

 190 195 



The statistics of production for the 20-year period 1897-1916 

 are shown in the accompanying table. The figures up to the year 

 1903 are those published in the annual volumes of the Mineral 

 Resources while for the remaining years the statistics have been 

 collected directly from the pipe-line companies and shippers who 

 operate in the New York fields. For 1916 a canvass of the indi- 

 vidual producers was carried out by the United States Geological 

 Survey and the New York State Survey in cooperation, which 

 showed a total of 11,200 wells in production at the close of the 

 year. The wells were distributed as follows : Allegany county, 

 7794; Cattaraugus county, 3183; Steuben county, 223. 



From time to time efforts are made to extend the limits of the 

 oil-bearing territory by drilling to the northward and eastward of 

 the productive area. The results occasionally have seemed suc- 

 cessful at first, as oil in some quantity has been encountered in 

 such experiments. A few years ago a good deal of excitement 



