194 



NOETLING: PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



Section IV. — The Production of the pit wells, 



A, — Period previous to 1886. 

 The question of the quantity of petroleum produced by the Bur- 

 mese oil fields has of course at tracted the attention of the visitors 

 since the earliest times. There is hardly any account in which the 

 authority does not attempt to estimate the production by a more or 

 less sagacious method. The general mode adopted is to multiply 

 the number of productive wells by the average yield per well. 

 Fair results could certainly be obtained in this manner if the actual 

 average yield per well was known with accuracy ; any erroneous 

 statement must naturally be of great influence as regards the esti- 

 mated production. Now as far as my experience goes, it is ex- 

 tremely difficult to obtain an accurate estimate of the average yield 

 per well by relying only on native information ; the data thus re- 

 ceived vary so much that their value is more than problematical. 

 The following table will show the figures stated to express the 

 average yield per well since Captain Cox's time : — 



Table showing the estimated daily average yield per well. 



1797 

 1826 

 1838 



185s 

 1855 



18.SS 



1873 

 1879-81 



Captain Cox 

 Mr. Crawfurd 

 Captain McLeod 

 Dr. Oldham 



Dr. Oldham, different estimate 



Captain Yule 



Twingon 



Berne . 

 Captain S trover • • 

 Burmese Minister • • 



Average 



daily yield in 



viss. 



300 



235 



36 

 180 



62 

 220 



40 

 100 



So 



( 240 ) 



