PRODUCTION OF PIT WELLS 197 



must therefore be raised by half of its amount, if it is to come near 

 the truth, and this will give an annual production of 575 lakhs of 

 viss or 562,500 viss per mensem. It is then beyond doubt that Dr. 

 Oldham's second estimate is too low. 



On the other hand, in his first estimate he assumes the daily aver- 

 age production per well to be 180 viss. I dare say that this is rather 

 too high an average, and I therefore think his final result to be too 

 high. 



Major Phayre arrives at his estimate in rather a remarkable way. 

 He assumes the average yield per well in the Beme oil field to be 40 

 viss per day, in the Twingon area to be 230 viss. From all I know 

 the estimate for Beme is undoubtedly too low, that of Twingon too 

 high, but the two mistakes have apparently compensated each other 

 and so Major Phayre's estimate of 5"a6 lakhs of viss per month is very 

 near the mark as it agrees well with the amount arrived at by correct- 

 ing Dr. Oldham's second estimate. If we therefore suppose that the 

 monthly output in 1855 amounted to about 6 lakhs of viss, we shall 

 certainly rather be above than below the mark. 



Not much can be said about other estimates. Captain Strover very 

 likely gives the actual output during the year referred to. During 

 the following years the production must have fallen off because, as 

 we shall presently see by estimates arrived at by a different method, 

 the statement of the Burmese Minister as to the output of 4 lakhs of 

 viss which dwindled down to about 3^ lakhs of viss is corroborated. 



B. — Period 1886 to the end of 1894. 



Since the annexation of Upper Burma, careful records have been 

 kept of the monthly production ; of course they were interrupted 

 in 1886 when owing to the disturbed state of the country, all work 

 at the oil fields was stopped, and we find therefore that for this year 

 the amount of production is only returned for seven months, Another 

 pause happened in April 1887, but ever since the work has been 



( 343 ) 



