The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-04

GREAT excitement exists in the
state of Vera Cruz over the discovery
of petroleum. A correspondent writes
as follows about it:
"From Papantla to Tampico, and
from the sea to the mountains, a tract
some $50 miles long and fifty wide,
known as the HuaSteca, is dotted with
petroleum springs all over the coun-
try, not apparently following any par
ticular surface formation, but as rich
by the lagunas On the coast as among
the foothills of the eastern range. At
some places, notably at Juan Felipe,
two days ride inland from TuXpan,
the surface deposits OF bitumen, or
'chapopte,' as it is called, are simply
astounding, large, black fields and
streams having spread out in the
course of ages, and being now as hard
and smooth as a well-made asphalt
pavemant, while the little springs
are innumerable, the whole ground
seeming full of it. These
large deposits are the residue caused
by the evaporation of the petroleum
and the other volatile portions Of the
tar-like substance which eXudes from
the ground, and under the tropical
sun, it imperceptibly spreads out into
| the forest until lost under accumu-
lated leaves and earth. There is al
ways soft place in every deposit
where the fresh chapopte comes ooZ-
ing up, and through which large bub-
bles filled with a highly infammable
gas rise and burst. The oily scum, if
skinned off, burns fiercely, and dur
| ing rain storms the water is highly
iridescent from the oil floating on top.
| Thus there would seem to be no
doubt of the richness of these springs,
and the excellence of the oil is shown
| by that produced at Papantla in a
small refinery which has been opera
ton for some years, where it is pro-
| duced as clear and white as water and
with strong kerosene-like smell
giving strong light.
The labor all through the Huasteca
is cheap, about 81 or so cents day
but the difficulty is to persuade the
men to work. On a feast-day their
religion gives an excuse to their lazi-
ness, and it is almost impossible to
get any one either for love or money
unless the ''parde" has been favora'
bly, interviewed and properly propiti-
ated, when he will throw his int1u-
ence in favor of nobility of labor, and
! the difficulty ceases. On other
days the laborers are constantly
| changing, for as soon as a poem has
got his dollar or two Of pay he has
got enough andhe takes rest for a
couple of weeks. The idea of work.
ing to lay up money for the future is
something which they do not under
stand; it is enough for the poem if he
! has hat, machete, sandleS, two shirts
and two pairs of trowsers; house.
keeping only requires bamboo hut
which the forest gives him, and few
earthen jugs or pots, which he makes
himself; the dogs AID children, with
out which an Indian hut is not "com-
! pletely furnished" come of them
selves.
The only serious difficulty at pres
ent is that of transportation; with
those springs which are situated near
the Panuco and Tuxpan rivers, as
Chapopote, where the Boston and
Mexican company is at present work
ing, it is easy to pipe the crude oil to
the river and thence carry it down the
stream in tank boats to the refinery,
or to run the pipe itself to the refinery.
But to work the springs situated back
from the sea, the machinery, pipes,
ETC., would have to be muled or carted,
and in the latter case the expense
would be greatly increased by the Ia
Dor necessary to prepare road.