The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-03

There is a strong and exceedingly earn
est movement on foot in this city to pry
into the geological mysteries of the earth
to see what can be found. Tho result. in
all likelihood. will be that a proposition
will be submitted to the citizens to vote
$4,000 worth of bonds to carry on the ex-
periments.
A number Of enterprisinR citizens form
the neucleus of the movement, and they
are enthusiastic.
w. d. Mccormick, the well known resl
estate man was seen last night concerning
the subject and he said: "Yes, there is
such movement On foot and / believe
the public should be deeply interested
in it.
what is the primary object?"
''The primary objec, is TO get gas. In
cidentally we may De able to strike coal,
oil or some other valuable discovery"
"Do you think these elements can be
found heres"
"Yes, one or more of them, undoubtedly.
God aud nature made Wichita the seat of
great metropolitan center aud
resources for it. Besides we are
in the gas belt without question Gas
and oil aud coal are in the same latitude
that we are in to the east aud to the west,
and there is every evidence that the vein
| is continuous Some say that there is no
coal here, and that coal and gas are always
co-eXistant. That Is a very grave mistake.
The most powerful gas-fows in Pennsyl-
vania, Indiana aad OHIO are, in some in
| stances, 100 miles away from coal. This Is
true also in other PLACES. Nature is quite
+, economical in The distribution of its gifts,
and she very often gives gas where she
does not give coal aud oil where she does
air hsr ThSsp
elements in the production OF steam aud
electricity, aud these are the principal
factors in this industrial age. That one or
more of these elements exist beneath Us
there is no doubt, and they ara awaiting
Us to discover them, il we have the nerve
and the enterprise to do so, and $4,000
is small outlay. compared TO the results
that would accrue to Wichita from the
discovery of oil, coal. gas or any other ele-
ment beneficial to our aspirations. That
Wichita is, and forever Will be, the COM
mercial center OF the southwest Is now SO
well established that no one Will deny 1t:
all We have TO do now Is to secure that
other factor in making = big clty-manu-
featuring OH a large scale. Wichita Is
still young. but it is growing aud this Is
just the time aud the opportunity to give
1t fresh impetus OH, coal aud gas are
being discovered short distances away aud
it is not nece ssary for me to point out the
Importance of getting our work in early
before anything like rival has time to
build up adjacent to US to divide honors
with US. / could give you some figures, il
had time, that wouid astOuish the people.
Goid. silver and copper are valuable unde1-
ground elements, but you give the peerless
princess tue element that will make
steam to turn the mill wheel and
it will be more valuable to her than a
gold mine. A golG mine enriches few,
but the discovery of gas would make
every foot of property in Wichita double
its value; it would reduce the cost of do.
me,tic living aud would give permanent
labor to thong ands of people. The dis
covery of gas in Wichita would be of
greater value. proportionately, than ct any
other place in the southwest, for it Is an
established ceuter aud enterprises would
start uD hers that would not think of
locating in remote small places"