HAYES AND 
KENNEDY. 
COST OF DRILLING. 169 
and a sufficient supply of water passing through, as a stoppage for a 
short time often "sticks" the work, and considerable time is lost, as 
the rods and often the casing already in place have to be withdrawn 
from the well. 
In starting a well, arrangements are generally made for the insertion 
of a 12-inch casing to begin with, and in boring for this size the drill 
rods are generally made of 6-inch casing with a 13^-inch bit. This 
sized bit is used to allow the collars at the joints of the 12-inch casing 
to slide past without damaging the wall of the well. The length of 
12-inch casing used varies from 500 to 800 feet, depending largely 
upon the nature of the ground and the skill of the driller. The hole 
is generally left open until the whole depth calculated for one string 
of casing has been drilled. This generally extends until a hard stra- 
tum is met with, upon which the casing to this depth may stand. 
When the depth has been reached, the drill is withdrawn and the 
casing set. 
Following the 12-inch casing the hole is next drilled for an 8-inch 
or 0-inch casing. In either case a 10^-inch bit is used. This 9-inch 
casing has in several of the Spindletop wells been placed in the oil 
sand. After setting the 0-inch casing the drilling proceeds down- 
ward with a 6-inch casing. Occasionally a still further reduction to 
a 4-inch or even 2-inch becomes necessary. 
COST OF DRILLING. 
The drilling of the well is usually carried on by contract. Some 
few of the companies own their own outfits and drill on the company's 
account. During the earlier period of the history of the field several 
of the companies bought drilling outfits and erected the derricks. 
When new companies were rapidly springing up, it was usual to find 
the companies investing money in drilling machinery, and the allur- 
ing sentence that the work had actually been begun on the company's 
holdings "by the erection of a derrick" appears in man} T of the pros- 
pectuses issued at that time. This was chiefly for the purpose of 
inducing people to buy stock. At that time it was also the rule of the 
company to provide the casing, the contractor finding the tools and 
doing the work. Later the contractor was generally required to fur- 
nish everything and turn over the well to the company upon its com- 
pletion. The contract in proved territory usually calls for a specified 
depth, or a good flowing well if found at a less depth. 
Prices vary in accordance with the conditions of the contract, but 
from $4 to $4.50 per foot may be considered as a fair average of prices 
at Beaumont after the early excitement had subsided, the contractor 
furnishing all machinery, tools, labor, etc., necessary to drill the well. 
The company usually reserved the right to accept or reject the work 
upon completion. 
The average time required to drill a well in any of the oil fields 
