206 NOETLING : PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



According to Burmese statements these were constructed in the 

 Burmese years : — 



1216* to 1220 30 wells. 



1221 to 1225 



1226 to 1230 



1233 



1235 to 1239 



Total 



So 

 20 



5 

 29 



168 



The first authentic information about the Yenangyat oil field has 

 been given in Captain Strover's report, who states that in 1873 there 

 were 50 wells at Yenangyat. Unfortunately he does not say whether 

 this number includes the unproductive wells, or not. 



In the following year Dr. Friedlander visited the Yenangyat oil 

 field, and he gives the number of wells as 70. Dr. Friedlander's 

 statements are, however, very unreliable, and not much value can be 

 attached to his figures. If the data supplied by the natives are 

 correct, then there must have been at least 139 wells in existence 

 in 1873, the Burmese year 1233 — 1234 corresponding to A.D. 1873. 

 It is therefore probable that Captain Strover's, as well Dr. Fried - 

 lander's statements, refer to the productive wells only. No 

 information has been obtained regarding the production, which to 

 judge from our present experience can never have been large. 



B.— Period i88y to 1894. 



My first visit to the Yenangyat oil field took place in June 1891, 



when a survey was arranged, and the wells carefully counted. 



Records of the monthly production have, however, been kept, 



although in a somewhat careless way, since the beginning of 1887. 



The wells, of which there are altogether 138, are situated in three 



different valleys, north of the village of Yenangyat. Among them 



there are — 



Productive wells 18 



Unproductive wells • . • . • 120 



* The Burmese year 1216 corresponds to A.D. 1864. 

 ( 252 ) 



