THE OIL TREASURE OF MEXICO 



By Russell Hastings Millward 

 American Vice-Consul at Tampico, Mexico 



ON the Fourth of July last news 

 was flashed to every civilized 

 country that a second great oil 

 gusher had been struck and was on fire 

 at San Geronimo, Mexico ; but little in- 

 terest was taken in the item, beyond pass- 

 ing notice, until several weeks later, when 

 experts reported that probably the largest 

 oil well in existence had been discovered. 

 Then it was that maps were searched in 

 vain for San Geronimo, destined to be- 

 come the center of the world's newest 

 and greatest oil fields, the discovery 

 of which has awakened the oil monopoly 

 to a realization of the fact that the most 

 dangerous opposition it has yet encoun- 

 tered must be met and seriously con- 

 sidered. 



These fields are situated in the state 

 of Vera Cruz and are most conveniently 

 reached by boat from Tampico, a dis- 

 tance of 67 miles. Although no com- 

 plete geological report has been made of 

 this immediate vicinity, the district may 

 be correctly classified in what is known 

 as the Gulf Coastal Plain,* which ex- 

 tends from the Mississippi River west- 

 ward through Louisiana and Texas, and 

 along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, 

 through the Mexican states of Tamauli- 

 pas and Vera Cruz, and inward for a 

 distance of from 50 to 75 miles. Bitu- 

 men or asphaltum had been found along 

 the Gulf coast and floating about Lake 

 Tamiahua for a number of years, and 

 the natives, in a primitive manner, gath- 

 ered the product and conveyed it by 

 dug-out canoes to Tampico, where an 

 excellent market was maintained. En- 

 couraged by the seemingly inexhaustible 

 supply, prospectors began to investigate 

 the surrounding districts, and it is a 

 matter of but a few years since the first 

 important development work was started 

 in the two adjoining states, and little 

 more than a year since ground was 



* See U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 

 .282, by N. M. Fenneman. 



broken at San Geronimo, with the result 

 that the two gigantic wells, which are 

 called Dos Bocas, have been found. 



The first was struck at a depth of 

 2,000 feet and easily capped; but it was 

 nearly a month later, while' operating the 

 drill at a depth of 1,800 feet, that the 

 oil was unexpectedly encountered in the 

 second instance in such quantities that 

 it could not be controlled. Realizing the 

 danger, the men ran to the boiler near 

 by and endeavored to put out the fire 

 before the inundation of oil reached the 

 flame, but without avail, for the oil 

 spread over the ground so quickly that 

 it was immediately ignited and extended 

 to the well, where the drilling machinery 

 was destroyed. Within 24 hours several 

 gangs of men were put to work in an 

 effort to extinguish the mammoth pillar 

 of flame which was to continue for 

 nearly two months, fortunately without 

 loss of life. Every effort was made to 

 cap the well without success, and letters 

 were received by the operating company, 

 S. Pearson & Son, Limited, of London, 

 from all quarters of the globe, offering 

 advice and assistance of every conceiv- 

 able description. 



One man offered to extinguish the 

 flame, bearing all the expenses in the 

 operation, for a payment of ten days' 

 flow of the well when under control. 

 It is estimated that from 60,000 to 75,000 

 barrels of oil were consumed in flame 

 each day from July 4 until August 30, 

 when the fire was finally conquered, 

 which loss, together with cost of develop- 

 ment work and necessary expenditures, 

 aggregated more than $3,000,000. Dur- 

 ing its fury the flame mounted to heights 

 ranging from 800 to 1,400 feet, measur- 

 ing 40 to 75 feet in width and presenting 

 the most spectacular fire ever witnessed 

 in the oil industry. 



Newspapers could be clearly read at a 

 distance of 17 miles, headlines at 33 

 miles, and ships' officers reported tha": 



