REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 1920-21 1 5 



industrial fields, as with iron, gypsum and salt, from which separate 

 reports may be expected, but we here specially desire to emphasize. 



The petroleum problems of this State. The producing oil fields 

 of New York comprise some 70,000 acres, mostly in the counties of 

 Allegany and Cattaraugus, but with small areas in the western part 

 of Steuben. These fields have produced oil continuously for a 

 period of more than 40 years. During the last 20 years there 

 has been but little development of new territory, nearly all the new 

 wells having been drilled in the established oil pools between other 

 wells. It is not likely that the present bounds of the pools will 

 ever be much extended, their limits having been pretty well 

 established by border drilling. At present there are about 13,000 

 producing oil wells, in the State. The period of greatest activity 

 was in the early eighties when the production amounted to over 

 5,000,000 barrels annually. During the last 30 years there has been 

 a gradual decline in the production which has, however, averaged 

 more than 1,000,000 barrels annually. For 1920 the production 

 will be over 900,000 barrels, an increase in output over the annual 

 output of several years preceding. The maintenance of the output 

 at such an even rate for such a long period reflects much credit to 

 the producers for their policy of conservation and economy. The 

 force of the above statement can be best comprehended when it 

 is understood that the average production a well is less than one- 

 fourth of a barrel daily. The wells, although small, have a longer 

 life than in most other fields, and a few wells have produced for a 

 period of over 40 years and a large number continuously for a period 

 of more than 30 years, but each year with a decrease in the amount 

 of oil pumped. 



From the small daily production credited to most of the wells it 

 is evident that in the near future most of them would have to be 

 abandoned on account of being no longer profitable, unless some 

 method be employed to increase the productiveness of the wells. 

 With the continued use of the method employed for many years for 

 obtaining oil it is estimated that the total future production in 

 the State would not exceed 20,000,000 barrels. It is well known 

 that in any oil field when a well is abandoned but a small percentage 

 of the oil in the pores of the oil-bearing sand drained by the well 

 has been obtained. This is due mainly to reduced pressure caused 

 by the loss of confined gases which, during the productive period 

 of the well, were active agents in forcing the oil through the pores 

 of the sand to the bottom of the well. The amount of oil left in the 

 sands of the New York fields after the abandonment of the wells 



