176 
OIL DISTRICTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 
containing thin to moderately thick beds of oil sand with some water¬ 
bearing strata between appears to lie beneath the lower or second oil 
sand in most of the wells. Water with a temperature of 104° was 
struck in a well at the corner of First street and Vermont avenue at a 
depth of 800 feet. In this well from 800 down to 1,735 feet the strata 
are blue clayey shale and some “shell.” A heavy flow of water was 
encountered at 1,400 feet. The sandy shale from 1,400 to 1,735 feet 
yielded some oil and gas. The record of a well drilled immediately 
southwest of the corner of Fourth and Hoover streets reveals some 
interesting facts. The first oil sand in this well (probably the second 
of the above discussion) was encountered at 250 feet and extended to 
350 feet. This productive sand, as reported, was succeeded below b}^ 
water-bearing sand, with no shale or other parting between. When 
the depth o.f 350 feet was reached the well yielded from 75 to 100 bar¬ 
rels of oil containing no water for a time, but finally water came from 
below and the well was temporarily abandoned. After it had lain idle 
for five or six months operations were again begun, but the moment 
the water in the well was agitated the strong gas pressure threw water 
and oil 30 or 40 feet into the air. Drilling was recommenced after this 
spasmodic “gush,” but water-bearing sands and some shale were the 
only strata penetrated to 1,000 feet, where a 6-foot layer of coarse 
bowlders was encountered. From 1,000 feet down the formation was 
clayey shale, with a 20-foot oil sand between 1,100 and 1,200 feet and 
another 50-foot sand between 1,300 and 1,400 feet. These sands 
were very productive, but owing to the softness of the beds the water 
could not be shut off and was always troublesome. 
In the territory southwest of the corner of Sixth and Hoover streets 
the wells start down in the beds overlying the first oil sand (here 
almost barren), penetrate the sand for about 150 feet, pass through 
300 to 400 feet of clayey and sandy shale and reach the second or 
productive sand, from 60 to (X) feet thick, at a depth of about 525 
feet. North-northeast of this locality, in the region about the corner 
of Hoover and Geneva streets, the second sand (the first encountered 
in these wells) is struck at about 190 feet and is 22 feet thick. About 
50 or 60 feet below this sand is another 60-foot productive zone. The 
same relative conditions as have just been described exist along the 
strike of the beds toward the northwest, the shallow wells, varying 
in depth from 140 to 400 feet, occurring in the northeastern portion 
of the field, while the deeper wells are found along the southwestern 
border. 
The oil in many of the wells in the Baptist College area has been 
succeeded by water, which appears to follow up the oil from below. 
There is also more or less water in all the producing wells, some, it is 
said, yielding 75 barrels of water for each 25 barrels of oil. Gas 
