THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF MISSISSIppI 453 
 Construction started on the 630-mile, 40-inch Capline, designed to ultimately
transport 1,800,000 barrels of crude oil per day from St. James, La., to
Patoka, 
Ill. The line, which will be the largest diameter crude oil line in the United
States and the longest 40-inch line in the free world, will cost over $100
million. In Mississippi it will extend from Amite County to De Soto County,
a distance of about 280 miles. Source of the crude will be south and offshore
Louisiana, as well as Mississippi, the latter entering the line at a pumping
station near Liberty. 
The line will be operated by Shell Pipe Line Corp. for itself, and for Ashland
Oil & Refining Co., Marathon Pipeline Co., Mid-Valley Pipeline Co., Service
Pipe Line Co., The Texas Pipe Line Co., and Southcap Pipe Line Co. The latter
is a newly formed company owned by Clark Oil & Refining Corp. and Pure
Oil Division of Union Oil Co. of California. The oil will be moved by five
pumping stations, each consisting of 5,000 horsepower electrically driven
pumps, located at St. James, La., Liberty, Jackson, and Sardis, Miss., and
Clinton, Ky. 
 
REVIEW BY MINERAL COMMODITIES 
 
MINERAL FUELS 
 
 The combined value of natural gas, natural gas liquids, and crude petroleum
production increased by $6.0 million, or 3.4 percent compared with 1966.
It comprised 84 percent of the value of total mineral production, compared
with 83 percent in 1966. 
 Mississippi again ranked ninth among the oil-producing States. The seven
leading petroleum producing counties were, in descending order, Jasper, Adams,
Jones, Franklin, Lamar, Pike, and Smith. 
 Total drilling activity declined 13 percent, compared with a national decline
of 11.4 percent. Average depth of all holes drilled was 7,705 feet, 97 feet
more than in 1966. Total footage drilled declined slightly, to 5.6 million
feet. 
 The 22 new oilfield discoveries were 
Hilo, West Pine Ridge, Morgan Town, 
South Glen Aubin, South Jeanette, and 
Otter Lake in Adams County; Nancy in 
Clarke County; Morgan Fork, Tom 
Branch, Willis Branch and Wesley Chapel 
in Franklin County; Stringer and Verba 
in Jasper County; East Waynesboro in 
Wayne County; South Ireland, West 
Possum Corner, Alligator Bayou, North 
Ellis Lake, Crosby, South Day Creek, 
West Tar Creek, and West Ireland in 
Wilkinson County. 
 The Mississippi Geological, Economic, and Topographical Survey published
a report on the geology and mineral resources of George County.3 
 According to the Mississippi State Oil 
and Gas Bulletin, as of December 31, 
1967, the State had 343 oil pools and 
55 gas poois producing in 324 fields; there 
were 3,706 wells capable of producing, compared with 3,505 wells in 1966.

 
 Natural Gas.—Four counties—Marion, Jefferson Davis, Forrest,
and Walthall— supplied 76 percent of the State's natural gas production.

 Reserves dropped 71,856 million cubic feet and represented 0.6 percent of
the national reserves. Ratio of reserves to yearly production was 9.6: 1
(9: 1 in 1966 and 11:1 in 1965). 
 Mississippi Valley Gas Co. had a storage capacity of 1,150 million cubic
feet of gas in the Amory field of Monroe County; United Gas Pipe Line Co.
controlled 5,816 million cubic feet of storage capacity in formations of
the Jackson Dome in Rankin and Hinds Counties. At yearend, the State gas
storage capacity again totaled 6,966 million cubic feet, of which 5,738 million
cubic feet constituted working capacity. 
 
 Natural Gas Liquids.—Reserves of natural gas liquids in Mississippi
increased about 300,000 barrels, according to the American Gas Association,
and constituted 0.2 percent of the national reserves, unchanged from that
of 1966. Ratio of reserves to yearly production increased from 17:1 in 1966
to 20:1. 
 Shell Oil Co. completed the Tallahalla Creek plant in Smith County at a
cost of 
 $900,000. The refrigerated-absorption 
plant has a capacity of 10 million cubic feet of gas per day and will produce
41,- 
 Williams, Charles H., Jr., Theo H. Dinkins. J1.~, and Thomas E. McCutcheon.
George County 
Geology and Mineral Resources. Mississippi 
Geol., Econ., and Topographical Survey BulL 
108, 1967, 277 pp.