106 OIL FIELDS OF TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN, [bull. 212. i 
in a manner comparable with the action of oil. The soundings in the so-called oil 
pond, according to Chart No. 203 of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 
vary from 4 to 16 feet, while outside of the shallow water the depth increases to: 
20 and 25 feet, the 5-fathom curve lying about a mile to the south. The oil-pond 
area is then a sort of terrace, the bottom of which is soft black mud and ooze, j 
At one place on the chart a rocky bottom is marked, but this lies outside the area 
known as ' ' the pond ' ' and is between the present pond and the site of the old 
pond. Waves beating upon a terrace laid in material which from its very nature 
is more or less oily, or contains substances which would act in a manner compar- 
able with that of oil, would seem to present the true explanation of the calmness 
of the area under discussion. 
It may be said in objection to this explanation that these areas of 
calm water do not appear to be intimately connected with any pecul-i 
iarity in the topography of the Gulf bottom, or with the character of 
the material of which it is formed, or with the special abundance ort; 
peculiarity in the forms of animal or vegetable organisms living there. 
On the contrary, precisely the same conditions in all these respects) 
characterize the Gulf coast for many miles, and if they are sufficient 
to produce calm watar at one or two points they should produce thel 
same effect along the entire coast. An essential feature which must' 
be accounted for by any satisfactory explanation is the extremely 
local character of the quiet spots and their persistence for many years, 
practically unchanged, although it appears that the location of the 
western area was permanently shifted some distance to the east dur-| 
ing the great storm of 1878. 
Whether or not these areas of calm water are due to the presence 
of oil must for the present, therefore, remain an open question; but, 
at any rate, some other explanation than that offered by Dr. Phillips 
must be found. Although the presence of oil in these so-called oil 
ponds has not been proved, there is no question of its occurrence in 
the immediate vicinity. At various points along the west jetty at the 
mouth of the Sabine River oil globules may be obtained by stirring 
the mud to a depth of 6 to 10 feet. This localhty was examined by 
Dr. Phillips, and again by his assistants, and he expresses the conclu- 
sion in the report above quoted that the oil there found was derived 
from the Beaumont field; that it had been carried down the Neclies 
River, or Hildebrands Bayou, and had accumulated in the angle 
between the west jetty and the shore, becoming finally entangled with 
the mud. The possibility of this origin for the oil at the mouth of 
the Sabine was thoroughly examined by the writers, and it is not 
believed possible that it could have been derived from such a source. 
Anyone familiar with the behavior of oil upon the surface of water* 
will appreciate the difficulties of the explanation given by Dr. Phillips. 
Oil tends to spread out in a thin film, in which condition it is subject 
to rapid evaporation, and is thus quickly dissipated. Moreover, beinj 
lighter than water, and having the tendency, owing to its surface ten- 
