190 



NOETLING : PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



ing the wells. We may, however, expect a rise after the production 

 of the shallow wells has declined, a possibility which, in my opinion, 

 is to happen very shortly if the exploitation of the 1st and 2nd oil 

 sand in the small area of the south western corner of the Twingon 

 reserve goes on at the same rate as it has been doing during the 

 last year. 



More instructive even than the aggregate production of each class 

 of wells is the investigation of the average production of the indivi- 

 dual well in each class, as shown in the following table. The average 

 production of a well in each class amounted to in Burmese viss : 





Class. 



18S8. 



1891. 



1893. 



1S95. 



I 



• • . . . 



26-6 



23'5 



31-4 



32-5 



II . 







37'2 



35*' 



360 



49 - 3 



Ill . 







647 



56-1 



jo'6 



61s 



IV . 







787 



77'4 



94-0 



76-8 



V 



• . . ... 



I20'6 



70- 





827 





General Average 



56-6 



47-5 



65-6 



57'2 



The most striking feature of this table is the remarkable change 

 in the general average, from 1888 to 1891 there was a distinct 

 decline which was followed by a rapid rise in 1893, the average for 

 1893 is in fact the largest average yield ever noted, and it is certainly 

 no mere coincidence that such a high average was obtained, at the 

 same time when impossibility of digging fresh wells had led to the 

 deepening of the existing wells, and by this increase of depth 

 new parts of the oil sand were opened which yielded a good supply 

 of petroleum. Since 1893 a distinct falling off has again set in 

 amounting to 8 - 4 viss per well. This seems small enough, but let us 



( 236 ) 



