Notes on Petroleuui in California. — Clay pole. 151 
new conditions and are now beginning to eliminate the element 
of chance which so heavily hampered most of the earlv efforts. 
GEOGRAPHY OF PETROLEUM IN CALIFORNIA. 
Up to the present time the following so-called "oil-fields'' 
have been proved and to a certain extent developed. Most of 
them are in the southern part of the state. That others will be 
discovered in the future we can scarcely doubt, and that be- 
fore many years have gone by the present yield of petroleum 
will be largely increased, is equally certain. 
The Newhall field was among the earliest to yield a profit- 
able return to the investigators. As far back as 1875 a pro- 
ductive bore-hole was put down a few miles to the northwest 
of Newhall with the primitive appliance of a spring-pole and 
auger, from which a flow of oil was obtained at the trifling 
depth of thirty-five feet. This very moderate success so near 
the surface stimulated further effort and next year a standard 
outfit was obtained and another hole begun. This resulted in 
a greater success and as Col. Drake's first bore at Oil City set 
Venango county on fire, so this well in El Pico canon kindled 
a blaze in California that has not yet died out. The well has 
been flowing uninterruptedly ever since and has yielded nearly 
two million barrels without at present showing anv signs of 
failure. 
Naturally such success stimulated further experiment and 
a large number of wells have been drilled in Pico and Elsmere 
canons with varying individual success, but the result on the 
whole has led to the laying of a pipe line from the wells to the 
wharf at Ventura forty-four miles distant. Many miles of 
branch lines also run through the district. 
The latest field developed in Los Angeles county is at 
Whittier, a few miles southeast of the city. Since 1896 work 
has been going on there continuously and successfully and it 
is now one of the most productive spots in southern California. 
Figures cannot be easily obtained and are not always exact, 
but from more than twenty wells is obtained an average yield 
of above 500 barrels, at least, daily. This is conveyed in a steel 
pipe to Los Metos station a distance of three miles. 
The Puente hills extend from Los Angeles southeastward 
for about twenty-five miles. While scarcely equalling the rec- 
