Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-31
PLENTY OF BREA.
A Most Valuable Discovery
Made.
An Immense Deposit Near
Westlake Park.
Asphaltum, Brea and Other Hydro
Carbon Substances.
The Great Value OF the Find-what 1t
Should Mean to This City--Un-
limited Paving Material.
Cheap Fuel.

The discovery OF q large body OF brea
adjoining the city limits on the west is
one of the sensations OF the hour. For
more than 100 years brea has been
mined by Angelefios along the banks of
the little creek that meanders past the
other side of Westlake park. The sur
face supply seems to be inexhaustible,
being constantly renewed by the petro-
leum springs on the hills. Brea is one
of the residuums of petroleum, being
what is left after the lighter and more
volatile parts have escaped or evapor-
ated.
Several years ago gentleman bored a
we'll in the vicinity OF Westlake park
and discovered subterranean, solid
body OF brea 30 feet thick. As he
was prospecting for pure water,
which be failed to find unmixed
with oil, he thought nothing
more of the brea deposits. Last sum-
mer one OF the wild schemes of the
city council succeeded in opening deep
sewer on the west line OF the city limits
as we'll as the purses OF the taxpayers.
There was no more reason for sewer in
this thinly populated vicinity than there
is to have one built to the moon. In
making the cut for the sewer q small
subterranean body of brea was discov-
cred. From the formation and the dip
of the strata it was concluded by OBJ
serving people. interested in the oil
business, that there must be very large
deposito of brea, together with asphaltum
and other hydro car bon substances, lying
in an unbroken formation, just to the
west of the vicinity of the oil springs,
or seepages, which always exist in bro
ken formations.
Accordingly, all the ground south of
the Baptist college was thoroughly
prospected. The result was the discov-
cry of a body OF aspbaltum and one Of
| the largest deposits of brea in the world.
! The discoverers do not care to tax the
credulity of the public by disclosing the
exact figures OF the actual extent of this
vast deposit. All the ground in the
neighborhood has been leased for term
of years to new oil company, which
will begin operations next week, and
develop the brea for market. Brea
makes much better fire than coal, and
price OF coal. 1t burns readily in CRATES
for years by many of the
principal factories OF the city.
A few of the latter have discarded it
for the more convenient but costlier use
! of crude petroleum. The principal sup
ply has heretofore come from the Han
cock rancho.
This brea is strongly impregnated
with liquid asphalt, large veins of which
exist at various depths. The two,
properly combined, treated and laid,
form the finest pavement in the world.
Eastern contractors eagerly buy all that
can be found, and pay the highest spot
cash price therefor.
There is enough brea and asphalt in
this one deposit to pave several cities
the size of Los Angeles. The owners
propose to place these products on the
market at bedrock prices, and "force
the fighting toward cheap fuel.
Samples OF the fuel will be delivered
anywhere in the city on one condition:
No burn, no pay. A sample pavement,
sidewalk and street, will be laid as a
test.
Los Angeles city now has two golden
opportunities: First, to pave every
street within her limits with the finest
paving material in the world second,
to encourage the development of sup
ply of cheap fuel sufficient to run all the
factories that her commerce will bear.
The pavement can be laid at figures
that will open the eyes Of all contractors
and city officials, and at such low prices
that there will be perfect freedom from
any taint of official bribery and public
corruption. There is enough cheap fuel
in sight to furnish sufficient number
OF new factories at the most encouraging
prices. Within year from this date
the number OF skilled workmen carrying
their little tin-pails," from their own
suburban cottages to new factories,
should be increased 10000 more.
The shoe trade of this city alone
amounts to over $1,000,0O0 per year.
The number of cattle annually slaugh-
tered here for beef is enormous. There
are thousands of acres of oak bark near
by in the mountains, besides hundreds
of tons of chemicals fit for tannin at
hand. Yet not hide is tanned nor a
shoe is made in Southern California, ex-
cept by the local shoe makers and one
small tannery in this city. A score of
similar instances could readily be cited.
A great home demand is met by an alien
supply. No country can long prosper on
such false foundations. The complaint
is made that there is lack of cheap
fuel. The cause for such complaint no
longer exists.