120 
SANTA MARTA OIL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA. 
Oil companies and wells in Santa Maria district —Continued. 
Oil wells. 
Company. 
. Field. 
Produc¬ 
tive. 
Aban¬ 
doned. 
Drilling. 
Total. 
Union Oil Co.—Continued. 
Fox lease. 
Santa Maria. 
5 
1 
6 
Hartnell lease. 
.do..•_ 
2 
a\ 
1 
4 
Hill lease. 
Lompoc. 
2 
1 
1 
4 
Hobbs lease. 
Santa Maria. 
8 
2 
10 
Newlove. 
.do. 
5 
5 
Wise & Denigan 
Lompoc. 
8 
8 
Waldorf well 
Santa Maria. 
1 
1 
Western Union Oil Co.. 
.do. 
26 
3 
2 
31 
Yakima Oil Co. (Lucas) (Associated Oil 
Co.). 
. .do. 
1 
1 
94 
25 
55 
174 
WELL DRILLING. 
The wells in the Santa Maria district are among the deepest oil 
producers in the world, one of them reaching a depth of over 4,400 
feet. Except at three or four wells, where rotary drills have been 
used to penetrate the soft sands and shales near the surface, all of 
the drilling has been done with the standard rig. The casing used 
ranges in diameter from 12 to 16 inches at the top down to 41 inches, 
and in some wells, it is believed, even smaller, at the bottom. The 
cost of the deeper wells runs in general from $12,000 to $20,000, 
but several of the deepest are said to have cost even more than the 
latter figure. 
Owing to the close texture of the shale, it is usually possible to 
carry the hole down for a considerable distance below the casing 
without danger of caving. Wherever the wells penetrate the soft 
Fernando beds for any considerable distance much trouble is expe¬ 
rienced, but otherwise the drilling in the field is said to be as a rule 
comparatively easy. 
PRODUCTION. 
The production of oil in the Santa Maria region has been increas¬ 
ing rapidly in the last four or five years, but the figures of actual 
production do not fully indicate the increase in the capacity of the 
district. Lack of storage capacity, inadequate transportation facili¬ 
ties, and the low price of crude petroleum are factors which have 
kept down the amount produced and marketed. Well drilling has 
been going on steadily ever since the field was opened, but only a few 
companies have pushed their production up to the limit for any 
length of time. 
Nearly all of the oil so far produced in the district has come from 
the Santa Maria field. The production of the district, including the 
Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Arroyo Grande fields, for the last five 
years is as follows: 
