BP happy with early results from cap on gulf well

BP was encouraged early today by results from an experimental cap shutting in oil from its busted Gulf of Mexico well, saying everything was holding steady 17 hours into the effort. BP vice president Kent Wells said on a conference call that there was no evidence of a leak in the pipe under the seafloor, one of the main concerns. Wells spoke 17 hours after valves were shut to trap oil inside the cap, a test that could last up to 48 hours. He said pressure continued to rise inside the tight-fighting cap, a sign that oil was gushing into it, instead of out through any undiscovered cracks, and staying there. The reported pressure was more than 6,700 pounds per square inch, above the minimum BP is hoping to see, but not yet in the preferred high range of 8,000 to 9,000 psi.