NEW YORK:
In the Oriskany sand area of southern New York, 52 wells were completed during 1940, 19 as gas wells with a combined daily open flow of 95,825,000 cu. ft., and 33 as dry holes, of which 24 were wildcat wells. Three new producing areas were discovered, located in Steuben, Allegany and Chemung counties. All of these fields appear to be small and do not equal the depletion suffered by older producing fields. Only one test in the area was drilled below the Oriskany and was dry through the Medina sands (Silurian) at a total depth of 6,825 feet.

PENNSYLVANIA:
The Bradford area continued to lead in oil production in Pennsylvania, producing 14,285,000 barrels, or 52.9 per cent of the Pennsylvania crude production, the greater portion of which was produced by intensive water drive. The limits of the Music Mountain field were defined during the year with a total of 210 oil wells and 14 gas wells producing from the Sliversville sand (Upper Devonian). In the Summit Oriskany gas field located in Fayette County, 3 gas wells were completed and 2 Onondaga chert wells were successfully deepened to the Oriskany. The field is now 2½ miles in length and 2,400 feet in width and trends N. 30 E. To date 8 producing wells and one dry hole have been drilled. In Beaver County the first test to penetrate the Medina sand (Silurian) was completed as a dry hole at 6,823 feet. In this county a wildcat well is being drilled to the Oriskany and another in Mercer County. In Erie County a St. Peter test was recently abandoned with a show of oil, gas and water in this horizon. In the Oriskany producing area of northern Pennsylvania no new fields were developed.

OHIO:
During 1940, 1,228 tests were completed in horizons ranging from upper Pennsylvanian to lower Silurian. Of these, 327 were oil wells, 491 gas wells and 410 were dry holes. The oil wells averaged 13.7 barrels, and the gas wells averaged 582,000 cu. ft.

WEST VIRGINIA:
Practically all of the deep drilling in the state during the year 1940 was confined to the Oriskany sand (Lower Devonian) gas fields of Kanawha and Jackson counties. The Elk-Poca gas field was extended west and north, and 106 wells were completed with 479,987,000 cu. ft. of open flow developed. Approximately 50 wells were deepened, some of which encountered new gas pays at deeper zones in the Oriskany sand. Two tests below the Oriskany encountered water in the Newburg sand (Silurian). In northern Jackson County the New Sandyville Oriskany gas field now has 9 wells scattered over a narrow north-south area. In other areas in the state deeper drilling was not particularly encouraging. Seven hundred eighty-two drilling permits were issued during the year, 439 were gas wells, 70 oil wells, 22 combination oil and gas wells, and 134 dry holes. The others were either commercial water wells, pressure wells, abandoned locations, or unreported.

KENTUCKY:
In eastern Kentucky during the year 1940, 223 wells were reported, 74 as oil wells, 99 as gas wells, and 50 as dry holes. Oil and gas was produced from beds of Mississippian, Devonian, Silurian, and Ordovician ages. Two million, fourteen thousand, one hundred forty-one barrels of oil were produced, coming mainly from the Weir sand. Recent production of oil and gas from the Brassfield (Silurian) is encouraging. Two deep Knox tests are reported as dry, and 5 were drilling at the end of the year.

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Fig. 1. MAP SHOWING DEEP SAND EXPLORATION PENNSYLVANIA

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