The news that the agent of an English oil company had found oil in the neighborhood of the Dead Sea was not taken seriously today in quarters closely connected with interests engaged in the development of the Dead Sea. Persons well-informed as to the mineral resources of the Dead Sea and the territory around it denied that oil had been found.
Some years ago a similar report became current but investigators who examined the alleged oil field definitely declared that there was no oil in the entire region.
The government permit under which D. A. Sutherland has been prospecting around the Dead Sea permits him to explore 100,000 hectares between Beersheba and the Dead Sea, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns. The permit, which appears to be the basis for reports that “black gold” has been found near the Dead Sea, expires shortly. Mr. Sutherland has previously explored for oil near Akaba, a town on the Eastern side of the Gulf of Akaba, which is the eastern division into which the Red Sea bifurcates at in northern extremity.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.