200 NOETLING : PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



of gas emanated from the borings situated close to the Berne tract. 

 The syndicate eventually gave up the operations, tools and plant 

 were sold, and this chapter in the history of the Yenangyoung oil 

 field may be considered as closed. 



The Burma Oil Company had in the meantime not been idle, and 

 the land north of the Twingon area was tested where some oil was 

 found in blocks I and 2 N. 



I may here mention that two systems of drilling were used in the 

 construction of bore holes. The Burma Oil Company first used the 

 rod, but eventually changed for rope drilling. The bores of the Burma 

 oil syndicate were throughout drilled with the rod. Without going 

 lurther into the details of the two systems, it may be interesting to 

 say a few words as to which system apparently proved more ad- 

 vantageous in the Yenangyoung oil field. There is no doubt that the 

 cable system has the great advantage of quickness, which is the 

 more apparent the deeper the bore is. On the other hand the rod 

 system has the advantage of rigidity and weight, which enables it to 

 force its way when the cable fails to do so. It seems that when strata 

 like the clay (e p. 94) which caves very badly, have to be repeatedly 

 drilled through, the cable system works quicker and is therefore more 

 economical up to a depth of about 400 feet from the surface. 

 Deeper holes have only been drilled under the greatest difficulties 

 with the cable, while the rod by sheer weight forced its way in a 

 comparatively short time through the caving masses found between 

 800 and 1,100 feet. 



However the case may be, the question of the personal equation 

 must not be entirely disregarded and a workman accustomed to drill 

 with the rope, might fail with the rod, because he looks at the latter 

 as a very inferior system. Mutatis mutandis the same holds good 

 for a driller who only knows the rod drilling system. 



Without deciding the question which system would be the most 



economical for Burma, I may offer one caution, which will apply to 



either case, and this is z that the first rig intended for test boring 



only should be as light as possible. Access to those localities 



( 246 ) 



