Caldi outu; 
 
 n 
 
 Press Bulletin Series 
 
 For the Oil and Gas Industry 
 
 STATE OF ILLINOIS 
 DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION 
 
 A. M. SHELTON, Director 
 
 DIVISION OF THE 
 STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
 
 M. M. LEIGHTON. Chief. Urhana 
 
 No. 16 
 
 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 June 30,1928 
 
 Editor's Note: No regular schedule will be followed in future issues of "Illi- 
 nois Petroleum" but they will appear whenever new information in geology, 
 petroleum engineering, or development in drilling and in oil recovery is secured 
 that will be of interest to the oil and gas industry. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Recent development on the Ayers anticline 1 
 
 Recent drilling northwest of St. Francisville, Lawrence County, Illinois 10 
 
 RECENT DEVELOPMENT ON THE AYERS ANTICLINE 
 
 By Alfred H. Bell 
 
 Introduction 
 
 Interest in the Ayers area (fig. 1 ) has been recently revived by the find- 
 ing of a show of oil during the deepening of one of the wells in the gas field, 
 namely the William Sharp well No. 1 in sec. 28, T. 6 N., R. 3 W. (fig. 4, 
 
 Fig. 1. Index map showing the location of the two areas described in this 
 report, namely the Ayers area (A), and the area northwest of St. Francis- 
 ville (B). Solid black shows locations of other oil and gas fields. 
 
 T „. ' ? latc r 1 ?!- ey '. R ; S -' OU and gas in Bond, Macoupin, and Montgomery counties, 
 Illinois: Illinois State Geol. Survey Bull. 28, p. 43, 1914. 
 
 Tii- B . ell > A - H.i Oil possibilities of the Ayers anticline: Illinois State Geol. Survey 
 Illinois Petroleum No. 5, p. 15, 1926. 
 
 ILLINOIS GEOLOGCAL 
 SURVEY LIBRARY 
 
 \9flU 
 
 V <-' 
 
ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 map No. 8). In two former publications 1 the Survey has recommended the 
 Ayers anticline as worthy of further testing for oil. The present paper gives 
 the new data from the recent drilling and summarizes what is known of the 
 geological conditions in the area. 
 
 
 %o<M 
 
 
 i i 
 
 <^ » 
 
 
 >l 
 
 
 Glacial Drift 
 
 and Aliuviur. 
 
 H 
 
 TTvH FireC ' a " 
 
 No detailed record 
 Shale and sandy 
 Shale with Inter- 
 bedded Lime- 
 stone and 
 Sandstone 
 
 1 100—1 Illinois State Geological Survey 
 
 Fig. 2. Generalized columnar section for the 
 Ayers area. 
 
 iWffiffllHSPou*^ 
 
 SURVEY 
 
 3 3051 00005 1288 
 
DEVELOPMENT ON THE AYERS ANTICLINE 
 
 Stratigraphy 
 
 A generalized columnar section for the area, down to the Meramec 
 series of the Mississippian system (the "Mississippi lime" of the drillers), 
 is given in figure 2. The surface material consists of unconsolidated de- 
 posits of Pleistocene age, from 100 to 150 feet or more in thickness, chiefly 
 glacial till and stream deposits. These are underlain by a series of shales 
 and sandy shales with interbedded sandstone, limestone, and coal of Pennsyl- 
 vanian age. The contact between Pennsylvanian strata and the underlying 
 Chester series of the Mississippian system is not recognizable in the logs of 
 any of the wells in the area, and accordingly estimates of thickness of Penn- 
 sylvanian and Chester strata are based on an arbitrarily assumed position 
 for the contact between them. About 550 feet thickness of strata has been 
 assigned to the Pennsylvanian. Herrin (No. 6) coal which occurs at a 
 depth of 370 feet in Hellinger No. 2 well marks the upper limit of the Car- 
 bondale formation. The McLeansboro formation lies above Herrin (No. 6) 
 coal and has a thickness of about 250 feet. The combined thickness of the 
 
 Table 1. — Estimate of depths to possible oil and gas horizons on Ayers Anticline' 
 
 Depth 
 Feet 
 
 Horizons 
 
 Remarks 
 
 400 
 
 1. Pennsylvanian sands below Her- 
 rin (No. 6) coal 
 
 Produce oil at Junction City and 
 Wamac; oil and gas at Carlin- 
 ville; and gas at Staunton. 
 
 800 
 
 2. Chester 
 
 Oil at Frogtown, Carlyle, Sandoval 
 and Centralia; gas in Bond Coun- 
 ty, (1) sec. 28, T. 6 N., R. 3 W., 
 and (2) Lindley pool, sec. 22, T. 
 5 N., R. 3 W. 
 
 900 
 
 3. Ste. Genevieve (upper part of 
 "Mississippi lime"); corre- 
 lated with "McClosky sand" 
 
 Oil in Lawrence County. 
 
 2000 
 
 4. Devonian or Silurian 
 
 Showings of oil in wells in Old 
 Ripley Township (south of Ayers 
 anticline). 
 
 
 5. Silurian: "Niagara lime" and 
 Hoing sand 
 
 Gas in Pike County (Pittsfield- 
 Hadley anticline) and oil at Col- 
 mar. 
 
 2650 
 
 6. Ordovician: Kimmswick-Plattin 
 limestone ("Trenton lime- 
 stone") 
 
 Oil at Waterloo. 
 
 -Bell, A. H., op. cit., p. 16. 
 
4 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 Carbondale and Pottsville formations is about 300 feet. As No. 2 coal, 
 which marks the base of the Carbondale, is not recorded in the logs, these 
 formations have not been separated. 
 
 The Chester series consists of about 220 feet of interbedded shale, 
 sandstone, and limestone, and is characterized by a number of beds of "red 
 rock" or red shale. Underlying the Chester is a comparatively great thick- 
 ness of limestone, probably either the St. Genevieve or St. Louis limestone, 
 or both, of the Meramec series. The Sapp well penetrated 110 feet of lime- 
 stone but the deeper formations are not penetrated in this or the nearby 
 surrounding territory and consequently their thickness and lithologic charac- 
 ter are not well known. Estimates of the depth to each possible producing 
 horizon are given in table 1. 
 
 Structure 
 
 The structure of the area is illustrated by two contour maps, one on 
 Herrin (No. 6) coal, figure 3, and the other on the lower gas sand, figure 4. 
 
 O 0..™*cl 
 
 »l •Sa>cr«ta, n9 . 
 
 <>o. 
 
 Fig. 3. Structure map of Ayers anticline, Bond County. Key horizon Herrin 
 (No. 6) coal. (Illinois State Geological Survey.) 
 
DEVELOPMENT ON THE A.YEES ANTICLINE 
 
 The former is reprinted from Illinois Petroleum No. 5. As the new drilling" 
 has not given additional information on the structure of the Pennsylvanian 
 beds, this map still represents our most up-to-date interpretation. The 
 structure map of the gas sand (fig. 4) is here presented for the first time. 
 It shows a narrow, elongated anticline with axis trending east-west and 
 
 R 3 w 
 
 O 
 
 Djmond Drill CoalTest 
 
 o 
 
 Dry Hole 
 
 Contours on Lower Gas Sand 
 
 Abandoned Gas. Well 
 
 Fig. 4. Structure map of part of the area shown in figure 3. The key horizon 
 is a sand in the lower part of the Chester series. Contour interval, 10 feet. 
 Datum plane, sea-level. 
 
ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 Table 2. — Well data 
 
 
 
 
 
 Surface 
 
 Upper sand 
 
 Map 
 No. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 Company 
 
 Farm and No. 
 
 elevation 
 
 above 
 sea-level 
 
 
 
 Depth 
 Feet 
 
 Alti- 
 tude 
 Feet 
 
 Thick- 
 ness 
 Feet 
 
 1 
 
 21 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Sapp 1 
 
 542 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Wharton 
 
 546 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Alderman 
 
 518 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 28 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Alderman 
 
 518 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Stowe 
 
 551 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Hellinger 1 
 
 553 
 
 894 
 
 —341 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Hellinger 2 
 
 528 
 
 867 
 
 —339 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Sharp 1 
 
 551 
 
 907 
 
 —356 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 28 
 
 Bond Co. Gas 
 
 Warlick 1 
 
 532 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 21 
 
 Ohio 
 
 F. V. Cary 
 
 
 
 
 
 apparently coinciding with the axis of the anticline shown in figure 3. The 
 dips shown in figure 4 are, however, considerably steeper than are those of 
 the coal ( fig. 3 ) in the surrounding territory. In this respect structural con- 
 ditions are similar to those in the Lindley gas field five and a half miles south. 
 The data on which the structure map of the gas sand was based are given 
 in table 2. 
 
 Development 
 ohio oil company 
 
 Three test wells were drilled by the Ohio Oil Company in the area in 
 1917: (1) The H. E. Sapp well in the SE. corner NW. V 4 NE. J4 sec. 21, 
 T. 6 N., R. 3 W. (fig. 4, map No. 1) ; (2) the Alderman well in the NW. j4 
 NE. y A sec. 28 (map No. 4), and; (3) the F. V. Cary well in the NE. ]/ A 
 SE. Y\ sec. 21 (map No. 10). The first of these had a show of oil from 
 952 to 956 feet in a sand which may be the producing sand of the gas field; 
 the second had gas in sand from 901 to 911 feet and water from 911 to 936 
 feet ; the third had no showing of oil or gas. All three of the wells pene- 
 trated about 100 feet of "Mississippi lime." 
 
DEVELOPMENT ON THE AYKRS ANTICLINE 
 
 of the Ayers yas field 
 
 
 
 
 Lower sand 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total 
 depth 
 Feet 
 
 
 Depth 
 
 Alti- 
 tude 
 Feet 
 
 Thickness drilled 
 
 Remarks 
 
 Feet 
 
 Feet 
 
 
 
 952 
 
 —410 
 
 4 
 
 1100 
 
 Show of live oil 
 
 926 
 
 —380 
 
 2 
 
 926 
 
 Gas well, abandoned 
 
 898 
 
 —380 
 
 6 
 
 1060 
 
 Gas well, abandoned 
 
 901 
 
 —383 
 
 10 gas-bearing; 25 wa- 
 ter-bearing 
 
 1150 
 
 Gas found but not used; drilled 
 to "Mississippi lime" 
 
 934 
 
 —383 
 
 13 show gas; 4 water- 
 bearing 
 
 951 
 900 
 
 Gas show — dry hole 
 
 Gas producer 
 
 Gas producer; formerly from up- 
 
 890 
 
 —362 
 
 5 gas 
 
 895 
 
 
 
 
 
 per sand, now from lower sand 
 
 944 
 
 —393 
 
 3 oil-bearing; 20 wa- 
 ter-bearing 
 
 1004 
 
 Gas producer from upper sand; 
 oil show in lower sand; aban- 
 doned 
 
 913 
 
 —381 
 
 10 show gas; 7 water- 
 bearing 
 
 930 
 
 Gas show — dry hole 
 
 1 
 
 ? 
 
 
 1090 
 
 Dry 
 
 BOND COUNTY GAS COMPANY 
 
 Several years later the Bond County Gas Company began operations in 
 the territory. Their first well was the Wharton, located in the NE. l /x 
 NE. 54 sec. 28 (fig. -i, map No. 2). Gas at a pressure of 3.">() pounds per 
 square inch was found in a sand from 926 to 928 feet. Later several more 
 gas wells were drilled in the adjacent territory to the west. During 1923 
 and 1924 six gas wells and one dry hole, the Stowe No. 1 (map No. 5), 
 were drilled. The gas produced was used to supply the town of Greenville. 
 The encroachment of water in the gas sand gave trouble, however, and the 
 natural gas had to be supplemented by manufactured gas. It is reported that 
 the Wharton and Alderman wells still had gas pressures of approximately 
 150 pounds per square inch at the time they were abandoned. 
 
 In 1927 and 1928 a program of cleaning out and deepening some of the 
 wells was undertaken by the Bond County Gas Company. As a result, a 
 supply of gas adequate for the town of Greenville is now being obtained from 
 two wells, Hellinger Nos. 1 and 2 (fig. 4, map Nos. 6 and 7). These two 
 wells and the Sharp No. 1 (map No. 8) originally produced gas from an 
 upper sand, a few feet higher in the stratigraphic section than the producing 
 sand of the Wharton and Alderman wells. This upper sand is not reported 
 
ILLINOIS J'KTROLEUM 
 
 present in the logs of any of the wells other than the three mentioned above, 
 and on account of its restricted lateral occurrence it has been called a stray- 
 sand. Hellinger No. 1 was not deepened but was cleaned out in the upper 
 sand and it is now producing gas at a pressure of 150 pounds per square 
 inch. Hellinger No. 2 was deepened and gas at a pressure of 350 pounds 
 per square inch was found in the lower sand. In deepening the Sharp well 
 the interval from the upper to the lower sand was found to be 37 feet as 
 compared with 23 feet in Hellinger No. 2 well. This sand was drilled in 
 on April 20, 1928, from 944 to 951 feet, and the well filled up about two- 
 thirds full of fluid, mainly brackish water. It was bailed down a number 
 of times in the next few days and several gallons of oil settled out. The oil 
 has a gravity of 32.5 degrees Baume. The well was drilled to 1004 feet 
 and the project of drilling to the "Mississippi lime" had to be abandoned 
 because the hole was crooked. 
 
 One dry hole was drilled in 1927-28, the P. L. Warlick No. 1 (fig. 4, 
 map No. 9). A show of gas was found in sand from 913 to 923 feet, and 
 salt water in sand from 923 to 930 feet. The well was plugged and aban- 
 doned at this depth. 
 
 Producing Sands 
 
 The gas in the Ayers gas field comes from two sands in the Chester 
 series. The lower sand is present in all of the wells in the area and lies 66 
 feet above the top of the "Mississippi lime" in the Bond County Gas Com- 
 pany's Alderman well (fig. 4, map No. 3). The upper sand, as mentioned 
 above, was found in only three of the wells in the area. 
 
 Samples of the producing sand from most of the Bond County Gas 
 Company's wells were studied. It is a fine to very fine-grained, well-bedded 
 sand, light greenish-gray in color, sometimes brown. It is partly calcareous 
 and partly noncalcareous, but the calcite content is not high. Some clayey 
 material is present and pyrite, limonite, mica, and glauconite occur as acces- 
 sory minerals. Porosity determinations were not attempted on account of 
 the small size of the pieces available, and variations in porosity were not 
 detected by examination under the binocular microscope. The fact that 
 there are considerable differences in the gas pressures in the same sand in 
 nearby wells shows that there are variations in the permeability of the sand. 
 Parts of it appear to be virtually sealed off from other parts by impervious 
 streaks. No differences in lithologic character were noted between the upper 
 and lower sands. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 4 nere still remains a considerable untested area on the Ayers anticline. 
 Formerly the presence of oil on or near the top of the structure had not been 
 demonstrated; the nearest showing of oil was that found in the Sapp well 
 
DEVELOPMENT OX THE AYERS ANTICLINE V 
 
 in sec. 21. T. 6 N., R. 3 W. (fig. 4, map No. 1), down on the north flank 
 of the anticline. Moreover, the gas obtained from the field was apparently 
 "drv" gas for no condensation of gasoline was found in the pipe line in cold 
 weather. The recent finding of the show of oil in the Sharp well suggests 
 the possibility that oil may exist in commercial quantities in the same sand 
 somewhere else on the anticline. As no tests deeper than the Ste. Genevieve 
 or St. Louis limestone have been drilled on the structure the possible deeper 
 producing beds remain untested. 
 
 The structure, especially the west part in sees. 20 and 19, T. 6 N., R. 3 
 \\\, and sec. 24, T. 6 N. f R. 4 W., is known only in general outline and the 
 details are largely unknown. It is believed that the most efficient way in 
 which the anticline may be thoroughly tested is first to determine structure in 
 greater detail by means of a number of shallow tests to Herrin (No. 6) coal 
 and then to make the location for one or more deep tests on the basis of the 
 more complete knowledge of structure so obtained. The advantage of such 
 procedure over the more ordinary one of locating deep tests without know- 
 ledge of structural details has been well demonstrated in the mid-continent 
 oil fields but so far the structure drilling plan has not been adopted to any 
 extent by Illinois oil operators. A discussion of the question and a tabular 
 comparison of costs are given in a former publication. 3 In view of the suc- 
 cess of structure testing by shallow drilling in bringing in new pools and 
 extending old ones in the mid-continent field, it is believed that its possibili- 
 ties for success in Illinois would justify its adoption. 
 
 '•'■ Moulton, Gail F., Proper testing for oil structures in Illinois and some areas de- 
 serving such testing: Illinois State Geol. Survey Report of Investigations No. 6, 
 pp, 6-9, 1925. 
 
10 ILLINOIS PETROLECM 
 
 RECENT DRILLING NORTHWEST OF ST. FRANCISVILLE, 
 LAWRENCE COUNTY, ILLINOIS 
 
 By Alfred H. Bell 
 
 General Statement 
 
 The success of recent drilling in sec. 7, T. 2 N., R. 11 W., suggests 
 that some of the territory in sees. 7 and 8, formerly considered condemned, 
 in reality has good possibilities of commercial oil production. This area is 
 located in southeastern Lawrence County southwest of the Murphy pool 
 and northwest of St. Francisville. It was the scene of great drilling activity 
 after the discovery, on April 6, 1914, of a 3100 barrel well on the M. J. 
 Murphy farm in sec. 5, T. 2 N., R. 11 W. at a depth of 183.") feet in the 
 McClosky sand. On account of the large initial production of several of 
 the wells in the Murphy pool, and the expectation of similar large produc- 
 tion in the adjacent territory to the south and southwest, a number of wells 
 in sees. 7 and 8 were abandoned, although, according to current reports, most 
 of them had enough oil in the Kirkwood sand to give production on a com- 
 mercial scale. The index map (fig. 1, p. 1) shows the location of the 
 area (B) described in this report and its relation to adjacent oil and gas 
 fields. 
 
 The Survey published geological reports on the Lawrence County oil 
 fields in 1913 1 and 1 !)!(>.- The present paper gives a summary of the data 
 on the old and new drilling in an area of five sections in the northwest part 
 of Dcnnioon Township ( T. 2 N., R. 1 1 W.-K Lawrence County, and dis- 
 cusses the geological conditions in their bearing on prospects for new pro- 
 duction. 
 
 Structure 
 
 The structure of the area is illustrated in figure 5 by contours, with a 
 20-foot interval, showing the elevation of the top of the Kirkwood sand. In 
 the north part of sees. 7 and 8 the contours are taken from plate VIII, 
 Bulletin 33, but have been renumbered with reference to sea-level instead 
 of to a datum plane 1500 feet below sea-level. The data on which the map 
 is based are given in table 3. On account of the lack of detailed logs of any 
 of the wells except the three in the north part of sec. 18 the correlation of 
 the Kirkwood sand is in some places uncertain. All of the datum points 
 except two were based on sand records in which the sands were identified 
 by the drillers. Over most of the area the map (fig. 5) shows a general 
 
 1 Blatchley, R. S., Oil fields of Crawford and Lawrence counties: Illinois State 
 Geol. Survey Bull. 22, 1913. 
 
 2 Rich, J. L., Oil and gas in the Vincennes quadrangle: Illinois State Geol. Sur- 
 vey Bull. 33, pp. 147-180, 1916. 
 
RECENT DRILLING NORTHWEST OF ST. FRANCISVILLE 
 
 11 
 
 dip to the south, which is in accordance with the known regional dip in the 
 surrounding area. The features of special interest are: (1) an anticlinal 
 nose in the S. l / 2 NE. Y\ sec. 7 and adjacent part of sec. 8; and (2) a flat 
 or terrace in the SW. *4 sec. 7 and N. Yz sec. 18. 
 
 R 11 w 
 
 <>^7a^^o 
 
 
 is °o^ _ ___ 
 
 .^-4220— -fie 
 
 s*. 
 
 y 
 
 >> 
 
 / 
 
 <* 
 
 / 8 
 
 17 
 
 >V 
 
 
 • 
 
 Producing Well 
 
 
 A 
 
 Dry Hole 
 
 
 £ 
 
 Dry Hole -Show of Oil 
 
 
 e 
 
 Drilling Well 
 
 
 « 
 
 Area of production 
 from Kirkwood Sand 
 
 
 • 
 
 Area of production 
 from McClosky Sand 
 
 T 
 
 
 Contours on top of 
 
 2 
 
 ^— — 
 
 Kirkwood Sand 
 
 N 
 
 
 
 >>s State Geological Survey 
 1 mile 
 
 Fig. 5. Structure map of area southwest of Murphy pool; key horizon top of 
 Kirkwood sand. Contour interval 20 feet. Datum sea-level. 
 
 On account of the meagre information availahle on the McClosky sand 
 it was not found possible to make a satisfactory structure contour map using 
 it as key bed. Its structure seems to be similar to that of the Kirkwood 
 sand in at least part of the area, as it rises to the north from the Hunt et al., 
 Des Boeuf well Xo. 1 (fig. 5, map No. 21) to the George L. Barnett wells 
 (table of well data. Xos. -4 and 5) in the NE. l /\. sec. T. 
 
 Oil Sands 
 
 Oil is produced in the area from two horizons, the Kirkwood sand in 
 the lower part of the Chester series, and the McClosky sand in the Ste. 
 
12 
 
 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 Genevieve limestone of the Meramec series. Other sands, notably the Tracy 
 and certain Pennsylvanian sands, have given shows of oil. 
 
 MC CLOSKY SAND 
 
 The McClosky sand is said to have yielded the largest initial produc- 
 tions of any of the producing sands in Illinois. 3 In discussing the McClosky 
 
 3 Biatchiey, R. s., op. cit, p. 113. Table 3. — Well data on area 
 
 Map 
 No. 
 
 Year 
 drilled 
 
 No. 
 Sec. 
 
 Company 
 
 Farm and No. 
 
 Eleva- 
 tion 
 Feet 
 
 1 
 
 1914 
 
 7 
 
 T. L. Hartman 
 
 W. V. Griggs 2 
 
 421 (?) 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 Borough 
 
 W. V. Griggs 2 
 
 421 
 
 3 
 
 1912 
 
 7 
 
 Titus et al. 
 
 J. Des Boeuf 1 
 
 502 
 
 "4 
 
 1915 
 
 7 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 Geo. L. Barnett 5 
 
 458 
 
 a 5 
 
 1915 
 
 7 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 Geo. L. Barnett 6 
 
 461 
 
 6 
 
 1909 
 
 7 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 Nancy Buchanan 1 
 
 416 
 
 7 
 
 1914 
 
 7 
 
 ? 
 
 Nancy Buchanan 1 
 
 466 
 
 8 
 
 1914 
 
 7 
 
 ? 
 
 Nancy Buchanan 2 
 
 443 
 
 9 
 
 1914 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 Nancy Buchanan 3 
 
 467 
 
 10 
 
 1915 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 Nancy Buchanan 4 
 
 ? 
 
 11 
 
 1928 
 
 7 
 
 Bolton et al. 
 
 J. Des Boeuf 
 
 501 
 
 12 
 
 1914 
 
 8 
 
 Octo 
 
 Chas. Garvey 1 
 
 455 
 
 13 
 
 1914 
 
 8 
 
 Octo 
 
 Chas. Garvey 2 
 
 426 
 
 14 
 
 1914 
 
 8 
 
 Octo 
 
 Chas. Garvey 3 
 
 409 
 
 15 
 
 1909 
 
 8 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 Geo. L. Barnett 2 
 
 442 
 
 16 
 
 1909 
 
 8 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 A. B. Jordan 1 
 
 440 
 
 17 
 
 1914 
 
 8 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 A. B. Jordan 8 
 
 454 
 
 18 
 
 1914 
 
 8 
 
 Ohio Oil 
 
 A. B. Jordan 14 
 
 451 
 
 19 
 
 1914 
 
 17 
 
 Lewis Oil & Gas 
 
 M. A. Morris 1 
 
 453 
 
 20 
 
 1915 
 
 18 
 
 ? 
 
 Tobias Ramsey 1 
 
 444 
 
 21 
 
 1922 
 
 18 
 
 Hunt et al. 
 
 J. J. Des Boeuf 1 
 
 462 
 
 22 
 
 1928 
 
 18 
 
 Shelton Oil & Gas 
 
 J. J. Des Boeuf 1 
 
 483 
 
 23 
 
 1928 
 
 18 
 
 Shelton Oil & Gas 
 
 J. J. Des Boeuf 2 
 
 502 
 
 a As the exact location of the two wells on the Geo. L. Barnett farm is not known 
 
RECENT DRILLING NORTHWEST OF ST. FRANC'ISVILLE 
 
 13 
 
 horizon, Rich says 4 : "The McClosky oil comes from a thin sandstone, or 
 in places, apparently from a soft, oolitic limestone in the upper part of the 
 Ste. Genevieve formation. The productive horizon is commonly thin, rang- 
 ing from 2 to 10 feet in the Murphy pool and averaging not more than 10 
 
 * Rich, J. L., op. cit., pp. 15S, 159. 
 northwest of St. Franeisville 
 
 Kirkwood sand 
 
 McClosky sand 
 
 
 Depth 
 Feet 
 
 Alti- 
 tude 
 Feet 
 
 Thick- 
 ness re- 
 corded 
 Feet 
 
 5 
 
 Depth 
 Feet 
 
 Thick- 
 ness 
 recorded 
 Feet 
 
 Remarks 
 
 1624 
 
 —1203 
 
 1862 
 
 10 
 
 Oil production from McClosky 
 
 not recorded 
 
 80 
 
 1866 
 
 2 
 
 Oil show from McClosky. Small show of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 oil at two places in Kirkwood 
 
 1742 
 
 —1240 
 
 2 
 
 not dn 
 
 lied (?) 
 
 "Rich black oil in Kirkwood." Smell of 
 oil in Tracy (?). Not producing well 
 
 1621 
 
 —1163 
 
 64 
 
 1818 
 
 6 
 
 Show of oil in McClosky 
 
 1631 
 
 —1170 
 
 29 
 
 1840 
 
 3 
 
 Show of gas in McClosky 
 
 1565 
 
 —1149 
 
 65 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Dry hole 
 
 1624 
 
 —1158 
 
 39 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Production from Kirkwood 
 
 1601 
 
 —1158 
 
 23 
 
 not drilled 
 
 1 
 
 Production from Kirkwood — oil show in 
 Ridgley at 1230-51 feet 
 
 1625 
 
 —1158 
 
 20 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Dry hole 
 
 no record 
 
 
 no record 
 
 Dry hole — no shows of oil 
 
 drilling (June, 
 
 1928) 
 
 
 
 
 1636 
 
 —1181 
 
 18 
 
 1879 
 
 3 
 
 Oil production from Kirkwood; small 
 show of oil in McClosky. T. D. 2010 feet 
 
 1610 
 
 —1184 
 
 20 
 
 1829 
 
 ? 
 
 
 1584 
 
 —1175 
 
 10 
 
 no record 
 
 Dry hole 
 
 1600 
 
 —1158 
 
 38 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Oil production from Kirkwood; best oil 
 at 1630 feet 
 
 1605 
 
 —1165 
 
 35 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Dry hole. T. D. 1641 feet 
 
 absent (?) 
 
 
 1860 
 
 10 
 
 Dry hole. Show of gas 1860-1862 feet; 
 salt water 1862-1870 feet. T. D. 1900 feet 
 
 absent (?) 
 
 
 1842 
 
 4 
 
 Oil production from McClosky 
 
 no record 
 
 
 no record 20 
 
 Dry hole. No water in Kirkwood. T. D. 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 1990 feet 
 
 absent (?) 
 
 
 1852 
 
 12 
 
 Dry hole: sand logged as Kirkwood at 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1730 is probably Tracy; water and show 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 of oil; McClosky sand dry, good tex- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ture. T. D. 1913 feet. 
 
 1693 
 
 —1231 
 
 67 
 
 1905 
 
 74 
 
 Oil production from McClosky 
 
 1719 
 
 —1236 
 
 23 
 
 not drilled 
 
 Oil production from Kirkwood 
 
 not yet 
 
 drilled 
 
 
 not < 
 
 Irilled 
 
 Show of oil in Bridgeport — drilling 
 
 they have been omitted from the map. The Harnett farm is in the NE. % of sec. 7. 
 
14 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 feet over the entire field. It is clearly not a single bed everywhere. It is 
 rather a zone in the upper part of the Ste. Genevieve formation, in which 
 here one, there another, bed carries the oil, the porosity of the rock being 
 evidently the controlling factor. Within this zone, which has a maximum 
 observed thickness of 80 feet, one to three oil-bearing horizons are reported. 
 In nearby wells it is not uncommonly found that in one well the upper 
 porous zone is productive; in another the lower.... The McClosky oil is 
 green, with a large sulphur content, and its gas has a rank odor." 
 
 TRACY SAND 
 
 The Tracy sand is intermediate in position between the McClosky and 
 the Kirkwood sands. It has been defined as "a soft, calcareous sandstone, 
 in the lower part of the Chester group, which lies on the average from 100 
 to 118 feet above the upper productive horizon of the McClosky sand." 5 
 The Tracy sand has not been reported in any of the wells in the area, but a 
 comparison of the sand record of the Titus et al., Des Boeuf No. 1 well 
 (SE. corner sec. ?) (fig. 5, map No. 3) with the log of the Hunt et al., Des 
 Boeuf No. 1 well in sec. 18 (fig. 5, map No. 21) strongly suggests that the 
 sand called McClosky in the former well is in reality the Tracy sand, and 
 that the McClosky sand has not yet been tested in the SE. corner sec. 7. 
 A smell of oil was reported in the (probable) Tracy sand. The Tobias 
 Ramsey No. 1 well in the south part of sec. 18 (fig. 5, map No. 20) had a 
 show of oil in a sand which has the approximate stratigraphic position of 
 the Tracy. 
 
 KIRKWOOD SAND 
 
 The Kirkwood is the most prolific sand in the Lawrence County field. 
 It lies on the average 200 to 230 feet above the upper lens of the McClosky 
 sand. Rich says :° 
 
 "In several localities within the (Vincennes) quadrangle the Kirkwood 
 sand is lenticular, having in many places two and even three lenses. In some 
 places the lower, in others the upper, beds are developed. The thickness of 
 the sand also varies greatly, ranging from to 100 feet. • The average thick- 
 ness has been computed by Blatchley to be 33 feet. Owing to irregular 
 thickening and thinning both the top and the bottom of the sand bed or beds 
 are irregular. On account of this irregularity and of the replacing of one 
 lens here and there by another higher or lower in the series, contours drawn 
 on the top of the Kirkwood sand show many irregularities which should not 
 be interpreted as structural features of the rock formations as a whole. The 
 contours do, however, represent with the greatest attainable accuracy the 
 
 5 Rich, J. L., op. cit., p. 160. 
 
 6 Rich, J. L., op. cit., p. 160. 
 
RECENT DIUI.LING NORTHWEST OF ST. FEANCISVTIXE 15 
 
 elevation at the various localities of the upper sand of the Kirk wood 
 horizon." 
 
 "The Kirkwood sand is a medium, fine-grained sand often called the 
 'sugar' sand because it resembles brown sugar in the churn-drill samples . . . 
 The ... oil is generally considered sweet oil which is more free from sulphur 
 than is the oil from the lower sand." 7 
 
 Several of the wells in the area (table 3, well No. 4 and fig. 5, map Nos. 
 6 and 21) had about 65 feet of Kirkwood sand, divided approximately in the 
 middle by a "break" of 4 to 12 feet of shale. In southeastern Lawrence 
 County the part above the shale is generally oil-bearing and the part below is 
 water-bearing. 
 
 PENNSYLVANIAN SANDS 
 
 The Buchanan sand which lies at the base of the Pottsville formation is 
 invariably water-bearing in the area. The Bridgeport sand, also in the Potts- 
 ville formation but about 250 feet above the Buchanan, is generally water- 
 bearing, but in at least one well in the area, the Shelton Oil and Gas Com- 
 pany, Des Boeuf Xo. 2 in sec. 18 (fig. 5, map No. 23), it had a considerable 
 show of oil. 
 
 Recent Development 
 
 The Shelton Oil and Gas Company drilled two wells on the Des Boeuf 
 farm in sec. 18 in 1928. The first of these (fig. 5, map No. 22) had a show 
 of oil in a sand from 905 to 920 feet and had an initial production of 35 
 barrels per day natural in the Kirkwood sand from 1719 to 1742 feet. It 
 was shot with 40 quarts of nitroglycerin and apparently the shot penetrated 
 the lower, water-bearing part of the Kirkwood sand for water came in in 
 considerable quantity and the well produced only 3 or 4 barrels of oil a day. 
 After being cleaned out the well produced a steadily increasing amount of 
 oil. The second well (fig. 5, Xo. 23) produced at an initial rate of 24 
 barrels per day from the Bridgeport sand, from 1012 to 1025 feet. After 
 shooting with 40 quarts of nitroglycerin water came in and oil production 
 stopped. The well is to be deepened to the Kirkwood or possibly to the 
 McClosky sand. 
 
 A well drilled in 1922 on the Des Boeuf farm in sec. 18 (fig. 5, map 
 Xo. 21) had an initial production of 9 barrels a day from the McClosky 
 sand. Since then it has produced steadily and is now making 5 barrels a 
 day. The following is the driller's log of this well : 
 
 7 Blatchley, R. S., Unpublished data, quoted by Rich, J. L., op. tit., p. 161. 
 
16 
 
 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 Log of Hunt et al. Des Boeuf well No. 1, sec. 18, T. 2 N.. R. 11 W. 
 
 (Elevation 462 feet) 
 
 Thickness Depth 
 
 Feet Feet 
 
 Soil 6 6 
 
 "Slate", blue 14 20 
 
 Gravel 1 21 
 
 "Slate", blue 21 42 
 
 Sand 53 95 
 
 "Slate" and coal (water) 5 100 
 
 Sand 63 163 
 
 "Slate", blue 77 240 
 
 Lime, soft 10 250 
 
 "Slate", black, soft 9 259 
 
 Lime, hard 13 272 
 
 "Slate", blue, soft 12 284 
 
 Lime, hard 6 290 
 
 "Slate", white 4 294 
 
 Lime, soft 14 308 
 
 "Slate", black 28 336 
 
 Lime 10 346 
 
 "Slate", light 62 408 
 
 Coal 2 410 
 
 Lime 2 412 
 
 "Slate", light 13 425 
 
 "Slate", dark 10 435 
 
 Sand 34 469 
 
 "Slate", black 38 608 
 
 "Slate", white 7 615 
 
 Lime 20 635 
 
 "Slate", light 75 710 
 
 "Slate", black 15 725 
 
 "Slate", light 10 735 
 
 "Slate", dark 35 770 
 
 Sand 30 800 
 
 "Slate", black 5 805 
 
 Lime 10 815 
 
 "Slate", light 55 870 
 
 Sand, white, soft (water) 20 890 
 
 "Slate" 8 898 
 
 Sand 28 926 
 
 "Slate", white 4 930 
 
 "Slate", black 13 943 
 
 Lime 6 949 
 
 Sand (oil) 11 960 
 
 Lime 12 972 
 
 Sand ( water ) 45 1017 
 
 "Slate" 5 1022 
 
 Lime 2 1024 
 
 Sand 15 1039 
 
RECENT DHILLING NORTHWEST OF ST. FRANC IS VILLK 17 
 
 Log of Hunt et al. Des Boruf well Xo. 1. see. IX. T. 2 N., R. 11 W — Concluded 
 
 Thickness Depth 
 
 Feet Feet 
 
 "Slate" 16 1055 
 
 Sand (water) 28 1083 
 
 "Slate" 2 1085 
 
 Sand (water) 27 1112 
 
 "Slate" 12 1124 
 
 Lime 3 1127 
 
 "Slate" 38 1165 
 
 Sand (water) 15 1180 
 
 "Slate", black 80 1260 
 
 "Slate", light 10 1270 
 
 Lime, light 3 1273 
 
 "Slate" 22 1295 
 
 Lime 3 1298 
 
 Sand (water) 24 1322 
 
 "Slate", dark 5 1327 
 
 Lime 13 1340 
 
 "Slate" 8 1348 
 
 Lime and sand 27 1375 
 
 Sand (water) 23 1398 
 
 "Slate" 10 1408 
 
 Sand 67 1475 
 
 Lime, brown, hard 15 1490 
 
 Lime, blue 68 1558 
 
 Sand 65 1623 
 
 "Slate" 24 1647 
 
 Lime, hard 14 1661 
 
 "Slate" 19 1680 
 
 Lime 13 1693 
 
 Kirkwood Sand 29 1722 
 
 "Slate" 2 1724 
 
 Sand ( water ) 36 1760 
 
 "Slate" 6 1766 
 
 Sand, broken 6 1772 
 
 Lime 21 1793 
 
 Sand 40 1833 
 
 "Slate" 9 1842 
 
 Lime, hard 8 1850 
 
 Shale, red 3 1853 
 
 Lime 5 1858 
 
 "Slate" 3 1861 
 
 Lime 5 1866 
 
 "Slate" 2 1868 
 
 Lime 17 1885 
 
 Small show oil 1856-1881 
 
 "Slate" 4 1889 
 
 Lime 16 1905 
 
 McClosky Sand 74 1979 
 
18 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 
 Correlation: The base of the Pennsylvanian system is probably at 1475 feet; 
 the base of the Chester series is somewhere between 1853 and 1905 feet. Identifi- 
 cation of sands was made by driller. 
 
 A new well is being drilled by Bolton and others on the Des Boeuf farm 
 100 feet west and 7 70 feet north of the SE. corner sec. 7 (fig. 5, map 
 No. 11). 
 
 Prospects for New Production 
 
 In view of the steady production for six years from the McClosky sand 
 in the Hunt et al. Des. Boeuf well in sec. 18 (fig. 5, map No. 21), and of 
 the probable rise of this formation to the north, prospects for McClosky 
 production in most of the SE. 34 sec. 7 appear to be good if the sand con- 
 tinues porous. As it is probable that the McClosky sand was not tested in 
 the Titus et al. Des Boeuf well (fig. 5, map No. 3) there is a possibility that 
 McClosky production may be extended eastward into the SW. 34 sec. 8. 
 
 As commercial production from the Kirkwood sand was found in the 
 Shelton Oil and Gas Company Des Boeuf No. 1. (fig. 5, map No. 22), and 
 "rich black oil" was reported in this sand in the Titus et al. Des Boeuf No. 
 1 (fig. 5, map No. 3), there appear to be good prospects for Kirkwood pro- 
 duction in the same territory (SE. 34 sec. 7 and SW. 34 sec. 8) where the 
 Kirkwood sand rises to the north. 
 
 The presence of the terrace in the S W. 34 sec. 7 and the N W. 34 sec. 
 18 suggests the possibility that Kirkwood or McClosky production or both 
 might be extended westward from the producing wells in sec. 18. 
 
 In developing Kirkwood production in this area care should be taken 
 not to penetrate the water-bearing sand below the shale break. Because 
 of the risk of breaking into the water sand it is not considered advisable to 
 shoot the upper part of the sand if commercial production can be obtained 
 without shooting. 
 
 11 (89)