The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-04-03
OIL WE'LL AND
SULPHUR HIVE

past seven O'clock, . w Bryan and
". y. Thompson, Of the Echo, in
company withDr. WIN. Il. Kirkmar.
Capt. Green Hall. Mr.. Thad. MAYO,
Mr. Jacob Ryan ami lady, and Mr..
Adolph Meyer, left Tie ferry wharf
bound for the Sulphur Mine, 10 In
4 vsstigate for themselves she flow Of
oil as reported to us, and Of which,
we only had time to make brief men
ton IN our last issue. Orr road led
of to the west, through a somewhat
broken country, of wild and roman-
TIC nature. The scenery was varied,
~ now we passed through 4 skirt u
woodland, where breezes laden with
the fragrance Of early spring flowers,
famed our cheek, and where the wild
turkey stopped for a moment TO
glance at our fast approaching vehi-
cles, and then hied him away to more
distant haunts Of his native forest
Next we enter the prairies which
stretches away to the south, ia almost
unbroken line to the Gulf of Mexico.
while to the north in the dim distance
may be seen the line Of heavy timber
which marks their limits there. Occa-
sionally we pass the sequestered home
ofsome thrifty farmer where the calls
TO his pillow team, as he turns the soil,
the new made rails, well worked gar
den and blooming orchard, all indi-
cate the industry and progress, of the
happy ruralist.
After pleasant drive Of two and
one-half hours, amid scenes but poorly
depicted above, our party came to a
halt among the reflects Of former oper-
ations, and hard by the present exper-
mental station, where success seems
to have at last answered the call of
persistent effort. Here we found Mr..
A. F. Davis in charge Of the work in
the absence Of Capt. John A. Grant,
the contractor, assisted by Mr.. John
Ole and engineer N. L. Frederick,
While Mr.. w. B. Allen keeps regis.
tel Of the behring's as they proceed.
Right here we would return thanks to
the above named gentlemen for cour-
tesies extended US while making our
investigations.
We were not at all disappointed in
onr anticipations, to the contrary, we
found a better show for
PETROLEUM AND SULPHUR
than we had hardly dared expect.
Last Thursday week the men reached
a depth in the second well of abont
400 feet, at which point they struck
the rock bed, and all at once the drill
which was being forced down by about
forty pounds of steam in addition to-
the weight Of the pipe, which aggre.
gated 800 pounds, began to rise,
andahe pump which supplied the wa
ter failed to work. AS cap on the
pump was removed the heavy accumn-
lation oftgas and oil in the pipe and
pnmp gushed ont, knocking one of
the operators down and creating quite
a stir This gas escape lasted for
while, throwing the oil some thirty
feet high. When the accumulation Of
gas had been exhausted, the oil set
tied down to regular flow and per-
haps reached its minimum in forty
eight honrs, since which time4it has
continued without cessation.
The flow Of this crude petroleum
has been estimated at twenty-five bar
rels per day, and we do not think that
IL an over estimate. The boring has
been resumed, and the depth Of the
oil,bearing rock found to be seventeen
feet. This bed rock is Immediately
underlaid by q stratum of mari, and
just under this mari, former borings
show the
auLpuIfR 1.Kn