San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-14
NATURAL GAS AND COAL OIL
EXISTS IN ABUNDANCE IN AND
AROUND SAN ANTONIO.
Being Made 10 De-
velop Those Resources and
TO Establish a Baptist
University.

III Will D6 TeHu6u UST6u Iudt buo CITY
council granted Mr.. A. Fitzgerald
permission to dig and explore any
land under control of the city in search
OF coal oil, natural gas, precious metals
and other values which he alleged
existed, and, in pursuance with that
permit, he worked for some time in
several places and claimed that he
hal verified his allegations. Mr..
Fitzgerald is an old man, IS years of
age, and has had a practical
aud successful career for 80
years as a mining engineer. He
is also an ordained minister of the
Bsptist church. By some he is re-
garded as q CRANK" and his ideas as
chimerical, but it must be admitted
that he pointed out long sgo that nat.
ural gas lay on the banks of the San
Pedro and San Antonio rivers, and
his views have been sustained by dis
cOveries of gas at the Santa Ross
hospital, Crystal ice factory, SchOlz's
well, and at Dullnig's ranch. How
| far his psesent conclusions are correct
must be left to the judgment OF the
reader.
In conversation with a LIGHT rep
resen tative Mr.. Fitzgerald said: my
work last year at San Pedro Springs
was most satisfactory ana furnished
| ample proof of my statements that
gas, oil, coal, silver and other valua-
| BILE materials existed here in abund-
| ance. uncovered the great volcanic
crater or foun tain bubLling up in
hundreds of places with gas and oil.
This crater is about Is feet long and
| 100 feet wide. Going down IL feet /
struck the pure gas rock and found
good traces or gold, silver, diamonds
and sea shells evidently deposited
here when this country was all
| under water. The water here which
has been tested by Mr.. r. Allen
the well.known Mexican mining
chemist also yields strong deposit of
silver. J have traced the passage of
this big oil stream to the San Antonio
river. where 1t makes a big stream
J and scatters. This leaves no question
that gas and oil exist here IN great
quantities and i'm q very short time
could get enough gas not only to light
the city and furnish the best and
cheapest fuel for the family and man.
ufactories that could be established
| in this section. The Importance of
this to San Antonio cannot be over
rated nor the value estimated. Once
let this be known and real
lied aid San Antonio will draw
factories of all kind for the cheapest
| and most forcible of fuels can be SO
cuIe ed right here at q merely nominal
cost. The factories will draw people
| and San Antonio instead of counting
her people by tens of thousand will
count by hundreds of thousands.
Under this Ia the great artesisn
we'll stream which / have located and
v hich will give San Antonio a sup
ply Of many million gallons per day
If needed and properly worked. This
water can be obtained at from 500 to
1000 feet and is pure and cold. This
Is another most valuable discovery
and can well utiisled for profit and for
public benefit.
am an old man now and do not
need much, so, beyond some legacies
to relatives and friends, L propose de-
voting the majar part Of the profits
of these discoveries to the cause of
Christ in erecting and maintaining
an International Baptist university
OF which several prominent local
Baptists will be the trustees: This
university will be for the education
and training male and female Bap.
lists for the ministerial work and
teaching, but 1 stipulste the
ducation shall be of the highest
character and English shall be
its standard. This will be a grand
thing for my religion, of great ad q.
van tage to the city and should be
productive of good in the service OF
the divine msster.
OF course considerable money will
be needed for the work In developing
gas, oil, water and other riches of San
Antonio and to set the university
going. For these purposes 1 propose
raising stock company with 500, 900
capital in shares at $40 or 500 as the
trustees shall decide, and 1 am quite
satisfied that among the good citizens
of San Antonio and the Baptists
of this country we shall have
no difficulty in raising all the
necessary funds: more es.
pecially as while the develop.
ment of San Antonio's natural re-
sources will make her the greatest
and richest city lin the south, the in
ves:ment, even though considerable
dividend goes to the university, will
be one of the most lucrative ever Of
fered to investors, and the Baptist
will have the satisfaction of aiding
the university, which is a most inn
portsDt element in the religion that
they believe and love. l cannot go
farther into details for obvious
reasons. Matters are being arranged
for the success of the work, and later
ON L ahall ha nlaRaad kn rive Won