558 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



PETROLEUM. 



By D. A. Van Ingen. 



Petroleum in New York State. 



The oil territory in Xew York State is a continuation of the 

 Bradford field of Pennsylvania. The counties of Cattaraugus 

 and Allegany contain almost all the developed territory for oil. 

 The first drilling was done at Limestone in Cattaraugus county 

 in 1865, followed b}^ wells at Petrolia and Eichburg in Allegany 

 county in 1881 and 1882, respectively. The oil sand is called 

 the '•Richburg" in Allegany county, and the "Bradford "in 

 Cattaraugus county, but many claim them to be identical. 

 The sandstone is a close, fine-grained rock of a dark-brown color. 

 The general direction of the strata runs northeast and southwest, 

 dipping to the southwest from three to twenty-five feet to the 

 mile. In the southern part of Allegany county a fourth sand, 

 known as the " Waugh and Porter" is drilled into. This lies 

 some eighty feet below the " Richburg " sand and seems to be a 

 different oil sand, although there is much difference of opinion 

 with regard to it. 



The oil varies in color from light yellow to almost black, 

 although the dark-green oil is by far the most abundant. Its 

 specific gravity at 10° C. runs from '68° to 45° B. Up to date 

 about 8,000 wells have been drilled in the State, and some 6,000 

 are now producing. They started anywhere from five to 

 2.~>u barrels per day, but now only average sixty -flve-one-hundredths 

 barrels in Cattaraugus county, and sixty -two one-hundredths bar- 

 rels in Allegany county. With the oil considerable gas has been 

 found, but now there is little more than enough to supply fuel 

 for pumping. " Edge territory "usually produces good gas wells. 



I. Allegany Field. 



The Allegany field is the towns of Greenwood in Steuben 

 county, and Andover, Scio, Alma, Bolivar, Wirt, Clarksville and 

 Genesee in Allegany county. There have been up to December 

 1, 18'32, 5,3 J7 wells drilled, and about 4,000 are now producing. 

 On January 1, 1 8»9, 25,105,000 barrels of oil had been taken out. 

 The greatest daily production was in 1882 when_17,000 barrels 



