The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-17
HOW Is THE HOLE?
WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE GAS,
OIL, COAL RAGE IN WICHITA7


Mayor Cox Says That the City WIN Read
vertlse for Bids on the Bonds which
Were Voted, and Also Believes That
Next Spring the Drill VIII Begin to Go
Down in the Direction Of China-New-
ton Gafst's Hopes are Stin Undaunted.
and He Hungers to See the work
Begin.
Some time ago Wichita talked moth
ing but gas. 1t was gas morning. noon
and night.
Then suddenly it stopped this talk
and ended right then and there.
What has become Of the gas bonds
and the gas hole? VIII II ever be put
down? Perhaps. And again. possibly
not Mayor Cox thinks drilling win
begin in the spring.
What are we going to do?" he said
yesterday. why. we are going to ad-
vertise the bonds for sale. Then we
will either cash them or pay them TO a
man who will contract to go down into
the earth and tell US what Is under
Wichita i think we will commence
work some time in the spring and then
we will know what the people OF this
city ought to have known years ago.
What is under the surface of the earth
here In this valley"
How Is the gas bonds?" asked q re-
porter tor the Eagle OF Mr.. Newton
Garst yesterday. And then Newt took
II ~ {oI &c,
look Disguised.
IF am still satisfied" he said. -in my
own mind that there Is coal under
Wichita. OF course If there is nothing
found people will try to make fun of
me because I was one Of the first agi-
tators in this movement that finally
led to the voting OF bonds"
W. d. Mccormick was one Of the
original movers-that is he was one of
the first to arise in the congregation as
it were and second Nevis motion. But
Mccormick has left Wichita and re-
turned to New York and IL the enter
prise fails he will not be here TO chafe
and smart under the jokes that will be
cracked about the .'gas hole"
And after all this gas business was
an after thought Of the men who in
duced the people to vote bonds TO pros
pie were almost persuaded TO go into
prospecting business gas was discov-
cred at Neodesha and then that was
used to bring the men who were halt
ing between two opinions around to
Newt Garst's side Of the question.
1t ought to be settled right now who
shall receive the credit Of being the
original mover in this enterprise II IL
turns out to be a success. Mr.. Newton
Garst will be voted that honor unani-
mously if the thing fails.
What will be the result II good
vein of coal is found at q reasonable
depth? All the engines in Wichita
would turn the steam into their
whistles and the railroad engineers
would join in the horrible bedlem of
sounds. There would be a running two
and fro OF the, people and property
would double in value In one day.
Then in that event provided this ar
ticle had never been written Newton
Garst would never have heard of his
being the original mover in the great
work. There would be host Of men
who kept in the back ground and en-
tered a mild or vigorous protest as the
case may have been and staid at home
in order to let the non-tax payers. as
the advocates of the measure were
called, carry the bonds, will come for
ward and shake each others hand and
tell how smart they worked IL TO get
the bonds carried.
After all there Is q something in
human nature that makes such enter
prises as this wild goose chase after
coal or gas or oil possible. 1t 10 the
same Unborn instinct planted in the
human breast but put into the heart
of no other animal, an inordinate de-
sire to fathom the unfathomable. 1t Is
ha iv,fc fv11 rav~fv, ~ v.1a
which inspired the children Of Palestine
to build the tower OF Babel to find out
what was beyond the blue sky set with
its diamonds of stars.
The strongest argument he ever
heard in favor of voting the bonds TO
prospect for coal was the remark OF
one advocate of the measure that he
would hate to live here in Wichita for
twenty-five years and ship his coal from
Colorado or purchance from Pennsyl-
vania and then some tender foot come
along and show him that he had all
these years been living 1.500 feet above
an inexhaustable mine OF coal.
The spring OF 1872 the business men
Of Derby each spent more money to
sink a public well deeper after they
had found plenty Of water In the effort
TO discover what was under the black
slate which they had dug into than al
most any tax payer in Wichita Will
have to pay, to nquidate these gas
bonds" as they are Called. II was
that same inordinate desire TO look be-
yond the not impenetratable wall that
bounds mortal vision and human
knowledge.
There are men I'm Wichita today who
raised their voices against the voting
of bonds 10 prospect for coal now ask
ing impatiently why the bonds are not
issued. They are just as anxious as
the man who voted for the bonds 10
LOOK 1000 or 5000 feet into the earth
and learn for a certainty what is under
Wichita. Then when they have found
out almost any OF them would give a
dollar out Of their own pocket to know
what is 1900 feet deeper. There is
nothing but an IN born fear OF the grim
monster that prevents progressive man
of his own 'yolition from marching
through the valley OF death IN order to
discover the new land and cline be
yond.
The priest may admonish and science
raise it's hand Of warning but man goes
on for ever. The miser may hord. but
the race will squander its accummu
lated wealth to conquer and penetrate
further into the realm OF the unknown
movable. There were men who said
the earth was fat and others who said
II vas round and by sailing west a ship
could reach the Indies. But Columbus
said he would penetrate the unknown
seas and learn for himself how IL vas
Columbu knew just as much OF what
lay in the sea before him as is known
OF what is in the earth under Wichita
Columbus would have been the same
indomitable spirit. the same material
OF which the worlds benefactors are
made IL he had persisted in an unknown
sea and never discovered this rich con-
tinent. So Wichita prospecting In the
bowels Of the earth IL the same young
live energetic courageous leader IN the
line Of modern civilization whether in