HAYES AND 
KENNEDY. 
HACKBERRY ISLAND. 131 
Small quantities of hydrocarbon gas reach the surface at numerous 
points in the neighborhood, but these do not appear to have much 
commercial value. They appear from the well records to be simply 
shallow pockets, probably derived from the decomposing vegetable 
matter in the surface clays or immediately underlying sands. 
Small quantities of petroleum are found at various depths in all of 
these wells, generally associated with sand and gravel. In the 
Pioneer well the oil was found at depths of 439 and 650 feet associated 
with rock. At 285 feet and at 1,260 feet the oil-bearing beds were 
sands and gravels. In the Lucas well the petroleum occurs in clays, 
gravels, and sands between 108 and 248 feet. The second occurrence 
was between 252 and 284 feet, the third between 292 and 356 feet, 
while between 356 and 367 feet oil occurred accompanied with a strong 
artesian flow of water. The Anse la Butte Oil and Mineral Com- 
pany's well No. 2 was drilled to a depth of 801 feet, finishing in a bed 
of sand and gravel. In this well oil-bearing sands are found between 
226 and 228 feet, and again between 265 and 268 feet. 
Salt water and salt are generally found accompanying these oil- 
bearing beds. In the Pioneer well a strong flow of salt water accom- 
panied the oil found at 1,260 feet, and in the Lucas well salt water 
was present between 284 and 292 feet, and between 356 and 367 feet 
the oil was accompanied with a strong flow of water. 
In the Anse la Butte well 179 feet of rock salt is reported between 
391 and 570 feet, and between 578 and 790 feet the drill passed 
through 212 feet of salt. 
None of the wells in this district has as yet produced oil or gas for 
market. There appears to be a large amount of oil in the underlying 
beds at several horizons, but no pool has yet been found where it has 
accumulated in sufficient quantity to be of commercial importance. 
It is probable, however, that further prospecting may reveal the pres- 
ence of such a pool. 
HACKBERRY ISLAND. 
This so-called island, like High Island in Texas, is an elevated 
area entirely surrounded by coast marsh. It is located in Cameron 
Parish, 33 miles southwest of Lake Charles, on the south side of Black 
Bayou, between Black Lake and Calcasieu Lake. It has an area of 
about 8,000 acres and reaches an elevation of 35 feet. The surface 
of the island is composed of yellow and black loam. During dry sea- 
sons the soil becomes hard and cracks to a considerable depth, like 
the " hog- wallow clays" of the prairie regions. Gas occurs in all the 
numerous shallow wells on the island, and the water in several springs 
is somewhat sulphurous. 
Only one well is being drilled in this region and it shows a section 
made up of sands, clays, and gravels to a depth of 908 feet, followed 
by limestones, sandstones, and clays. 
