Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-11-06
PETROLEUM..
Los Angeles Has Most Remark
able Oil Field.
OVER 300 WELLS in OPERATION
The Stencil That Arises From the Re-
fineries is Overpowering-oper
tors Say 1T Is Healthy.

notice and keep it going without any
extra pains. A few years ago they had
an epidemic of the gold fever. and
everybody turned to and began to dig
the shining treasure from under the
cobbles in the main street. and the
papers Jumped in" and helped the
thing along. Now they have an "oil
BOOM" and everybody who can pos
sibly beg, borrow or puIloin pump is
running a gurgling we'll to it's full
capacity.
To any one not resident of Los
Angeles the new project is quite sur
prising, to the citizens themselves.
there is nothing unique about 1t. 1t
is simple business proposition to
them, .and they go right on building
derricks as near together as possible
until the district has the appearance
of pile-driver mandatory. In
deed, one would scarcely be able to de-
tect the difference were it not the smell
that has been developed along with the
new industry. 1t is not an ordinary
bad smell, but an awful overpowering
OuOT budb JULIUS iIOlu buO IClbCiiCcs
and which is simply unbearable to any
one not native and to the manner
born.'
Few people not educated to the oil
business would care to 60 near il, in its
present unsanitary condition, but it is
said that the Standard Oil Company is
willing and eager to buy up the whole
district, refinery and all. at any time
the owners will sell out. No one
seems anxious to sell outright. how
ever, SO the Standard Oil people are
taking as much of the petroleum as
they can get at go cents barrel. The
industry has progressed to such a stage
that the producers are booming pro-
ject to build pipe line to the sea shore
and load it into tank ships for San
Francisco. The Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company, it is said, does not like
that means of transporting the oil, as
there is not as much money to be made
as on the shipments by rail. Hence
those who watch the course of events
between these two great monopolies
fancy they can trace connection be-
tween the Standard Oil Company's ad-
vent into the field and the Southern
Pacific's disfavor with the pipe line
scheme However, as the producers
were only getting 80 cents a barrel
before the Standard Oil people put in
an appearance they are not grumbling
much because prices have doubled
themselves.
AS there is evidence of a still
higher jump soon to come the producers
are giving all their time to the erection
of more derricks and bigger pumps,
and are giving little attention to the
big oil trusts rumored effort to gobble
up,th whole business. The local pipe
line from the wells to the Santa Fe
Railroad yards, having capacity of
1000 barrels day, is overburdened,
and even when the extensions are
made permitting $500 barrels daily to
be carried the output will still be too
great to be handled, so what matters it
if the oil magnates persist in their
efforts, to- buy the entire district as
long as they continue to take the
product at 60 cents barrel?
The oil district is not a very big
place, though being we'll supplied
with derricks gives it the appearance
ssbeing much more extensive than it
is. 1t it almost in the heart of the
city, being bounded by Temple street
ON the north by Second ON the south,
by Belmont ON the east, and Victor on
the west. In this little Stretch, which
is not over 1000 feet wide by 1000 feet
long, there are at present in the neigh
borhood of the three hundred produc-
tive oil wells, from which flows of from
a maximum of 1876 barrels day down
are obtained.
No one complains much against the
oil fields, except few of those who do
not own wells, and they are strenuous
in their objection to the refinery,
which up to the present has been at the
corner of Second street and Beaudry
avenue. The Boardiof Health has or
dered it moved and it will be re-erected
at the edge of the river near the foot
of Seventh street. The producers claim
that there is nothing healthier than
coal oil. and that the odor from the
refinery is benefcent and inspiring,
but still they have no objection to NOV
ing the refinery, not. perhaps, because
they were animated by a regard fol
the comfort of the public, but because
they found that their present place was
too small. and they could not get
ground enough where they were to
make the necessary additions.
In speaking of the capacity of the
refinery Manager Edwards said to ar
Examiner representative: "The plant
we have here now has become entirely
|, inadequate to the demands. Its capac.
!; ity is only hundred barrels day,
and we are trying to work two hun.
dred, and have demand for facilities
tor thousand. and in short time
think we will have facilities for caring
for 1000 barrels. The engine oil is
pronounced by experts to DE the finest
they ever handled.
The Executiya COmmitte of the Oil