Production - Domestic - Oil and Gas Development in West Virginia during 1941

The expansion of the previously discovered gas pools and an intensified search for additional pools in the Oriskany and deeper sands were the principal petroleum activities in West Virginia during 1941. One small oil pool was discovered and another was considerably extended. One small gas pool was discovered, several isolated well discoveries were expanded into definite pools, and various recognized pools were substantially increased. The proved oil territory of the state was increased about 600 acres and the proved gas territory about 45,000 acres. The new discoveries of oil did not equal withdrawals but gas reserves added were greater than gas withdrawals. Oil activity, as in the past several years, was slight because of unfavorable crude prices. Most operators prefer to leave oil in the ground rather than to drill for it without a better return. Gas activity increased greatly because of better demand, even though the price of gas did not improve. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other reporting services, shows that 838 new wells were drilled, resulting in 114 new oil wells with 2606 bbl. of daily new production; 558 new gas wells with 949,226,000 cu. ft. of daily open flow; and 166 dry holes. Also, 86 old wells were drilled to deeper sands with 9 bbl. and 56,030,000 cu. ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 22.86 bbl. per well per day; and the gas average was 1,701,000 cu. ft. per well per day. On new wells the ratio of dry holes to completions was 13.61 per cent. On deeper drilling to other sands the ratio of failures was 15.12 per cent. From an exploratory standpoint one strictly new oil pool (Higginbotham Run) was opened in Kanawha County and one strictly new gas pool (Lost Run) in Taylor County. One entirely isolated wildcat gave commercial Oriskany-sand gas production and may open a pool. Various other wildcats greatly extended the boundaries of known Oriskany-sand gas pools and various others may have opened new pools in the shallow sands. On the other hand, various Oriskany tests in Harrison, Monongalia, Roane and Wood Counties were dry and all five tests to the White Clinton sand (Sil.) in Boone, Harrison, Kanawha and Wood Counties failed to find commercial production. The principal oil wells completed, by counties, were: Calhoun, 24; Clay, 7; Gilmer, 6; Hancock, 9; Kanawha, 9; Pleasants, 10; and Ritchie, 14. Production for the year was estimated by the Oil Weekly as 3,421,000 bbl., compared with U. S. Bureau of Mines final figures of 3,444,000 bbl. in 1940. The leading counties in gas-well completions were: Boone, 32; Braxton, 19; Cabell, 16; Calhoun, 46; Clay, 20; Gilmer, 37; Jackson, 94; Kanawha, 82; Lincoln, 17; Putnam, 46; Ritchie, 33; Upshur, 20; and Wayne, 33. Production for the year is estimated by the author as 210,000,000,000 cu. ft., as compared to the U. S. Bureau of Mines' final figures of 188,751,000,000 cu. ft.* in 1940.