50 NOETLING: PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



and five miles from the river. The latest survey has, however, proved 

 *hat even following the winding cartroad, the distance from the river 

 to the central point of the oil tract is exactly two miles and a quarter. 

 Formerly oil was produced at two separate localities, the villages 

 of Berne and Twingon, separated by a tract measuring in a straight 

 line about three quarters of a mile (more correctly 60 to 62 chains), 

 called Kodoung. Since 1887 boring operations have been carried 

 out at Kodoung, and this part forms now the chief oil centre of the 

 field. It may be useful to deal shortly with the different parts com- 

 posing the Yenangyoung oil field, although they are now but of 

 historical interest. 



(a) The Berne tract. 



When the stream, which falls into the Irawadi directly south 

 of the village of Yenangyoung, generally styled Yenangyoung- 

 choung, is followed up, it divides at a distance of two and a quarter 

 miles from the river into two branches. The southern branch runs 

 roughly in an east and west direction, and is called Taungle-yo, the 

 northern branch Kunnhitse-yo. Inside the triangle formed by these 

 two streams is the Berne oil field ; at the point of junction lies the 

 small village of Berne. 



The pit wells are chiefly situated in two narrow ravines, and on 

 the slopes of a bifurcated spur, projecting from the plateau in a 

 westerly direction. The total area occupied by the wells covers 

 31-2 acres, that is to say, an insignificantly small area. Under the 

 recent settlement the area reserved for the native well diggers has 

 been extended to 83*4 acres, which, including the area occupied by 

 Government wells, brings up the total area of the so called Beme 

 native reserve to 90*2 acres. In the light of our present knowledge 

 regarding the geological structure of the oil-bearing beds it may, 

 however, be fairly doubted whether the whole of this area will yield 

 oil. In fact my opinion is that if the area likely to yield petroleum 

 is estimated at 74 acres, it is rather above than below the mark. 



It seems that the systematic extraction of petroleum was first 

 started at the Beme oil tract, but it is impossible to say how far 



i ) 



