Twenty-seven wells were completed or drilling by the end of 1947 in the Oriskany gas sand area as compared with 26 wells in 1946. There was one new discovery. Five new wells which produced gas had a combined open flow of 23,797 MCF. Gas produced amounted to 2,388,312 MCF. Figure 1 shows the Oriskany fields and drilling during 1947. Table 1 gives the records of Oriskany drilling Twenty three wells were drilled to the Medina with a combined open flow from the 13 producers of 5,900 MCF. In the oil fields there were 1,700 completions, a decrease of 39 from 1946, and the daily average production decreased from 12,828 barrels in 1946 to 12,349 barrels in 1947. There were only a few wildcat oil wells drilled and all failed to find oil in commercial quantity.

Oriskany gas area (Allegany, Steuben, and Tompkins counties):
At the end of the year 1947 in the Oriskany gas sand area of New York state there were 21 wells completed and 5 drilling as compared with 21 wells completed and 5 drilling in 1946. These wells included 5 holes which were successful in finding commercial gas, 8 wells which produced salt water, 6 dry holes, 2 wells which were abandoned before reaching the Oriskany, and 5 wells which were drilling at the close of the year. Of the producers, 3 were in the proved Independence field, mapped as D in Figure 1; 1 producing well, also mapped as D in Figure 1, was an extension; and 1 wildcat, mapped as 8 in Figure 1, in the Bath area, was moderately successful. The combined open flow of new wells, drilled in 1947 was 23,797 MCF, while total open flow of producers found in 1946 amounted to only 9,92 MCF.

The total footage drilled amounted to 85,860 as against 97,000 feet in 1946. The average total depth of completions was 4,252 feet.

Oriskany gas production for the year totaled 2,388,312 MCF, an increase of 157,312 MCF from the previous year.

Medina sand area (Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Erie counties):
There were 22 storage wells drilled in the Medina fields during 1947. One wildcat Medina test failed to find commercial gas. Figures on the total Medina completions are unknown as there are no scouting facilities available for the Medina areas. The total of 23 known completions can be compared favorably with the 15 wells finished during 1946. No thing new was produced from the Medina, but the combined open flow of new wells in the storage fields amounted to 5,900 MCF as compared with 2,000 MCF in 1946.

Oil-producing area (Allegany, Steuben, and Cattaraugus counties):
In the secondary-recovery operations of the Allegany field and the New York part of the Bradford field there were 1,700 well completions, of which about 920 were oil wells and 780 were water-in put wells. This represents a decrease of 39 wells from 1946. The total oil production reached a figure of 4,507,813 barrels, a daily

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Fig. 1. ORISKANY FIELDS AND WILDCAT DRILLING

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Table I. ORISKANY WELL DEVELOPMENTS IN NEW YORK STATE IN 1947

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average production of 12,349 barrels. The daily average decreased from 1946 by 479 barrels. The average price paid for the crude oil increased from $3.825 in 1946 to $4.212 in 1947.

Reports were encouraging about the possibilities of secondary recovery in the small Corbin Hill oil pool near Belmont, Allegany County. The sand shows very favorable characteristics for water-flooding operations.

Wildcat oil wells:
No new oil pools have been discovered by wildcat drilling in 1947, possibly because of the slight amount of activity. In the Town of Friendship, Allegany County, 2 unsuccessful wells were drilled with the hope of extending the old Nile pool. Failures were also registered in Granger Township, Allegany County, in Great Valley and Machias townships, Cattaraugus County, and in Hartsville Township, Steuben County.

Some geological work was done in the state in 1947, but as far as is known there was no geophysical exploration of any importance.

The New York State Science Service established an office in Wellsville early in the year with a geologist in residence, to aid producers in geological and production problems. At present the office is engaged in gathering well records, well cuttings, and other pertinent data.

Considerable constructive thinking has been done in the past year regarding possibilities of oil and gas production in the lower Paleozoic section with particular reference to Ordovician and Cambrian formations.

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