The herald., 1896-03-08
A Second Start to Be Made
With the Cargo of Oil
EXPERIENCE AND MONEY
Eastern Capital to at Once be Placed
10 This Section
Illuminating Fluid to Be nade From the Local
OLA New Era In the 1anufacturing
Industry of the State

The tank vessel. Enoch Talbe:. which is
now at anchor off San ?e4.fo making re-
pairs of damage dor. curing the recent
storm, will today move to the wharf at
Port Los Angeles and take aboard four
more carloads of oil, about 600 borrels in
all. The Talbot put to sea on her in
itial trip to San Francisco with cargo of
crude petroleum last week, but encoun.
tered the gale as soon as she reached the
open water. For two days she was buf-
fete6 about, and finally sprung leak.
One of the oil tanks also leaked slightly,
and the bilge water and oil mixed to a
fearful mess.
When the vessel was discovered to have
been strained and taking water the pumps
were put to work. They discharged onto
the deck the liquid mass of oil and water,
which quickly sneared the vessel from one
end to the other. On her appearance at
anchor she was boarded and presented a
dilapdated aspect. No serious damage
was done. however, and matters have now
been Strengthened out. Not over ten bar
rels of oil were lost by leakage, but now
that the boat is over the San Pedro bar she
will dock and complete her full cargo,
which would have put her too deep in the
water to safely attempt its passage before.
1t is expected that the Talbot will sail
for the north this evening. The price now
obtained at San Francisco for oil is about
&1.15, and, although her cargo was sold at
q reduced rate, the shipment is expected
to prove eminently satisfactory to the con-
siRnors.
As mentioned in THE HERALD some
days previously method of refining the
local oil has been found. Eastern oil ex-
perts have been experimenting with the
crude oil Of this section since December,
and have succeeded in producing the most
perfect water-white illuminating, smokes
less oil, of any fire test that may be de-
manded up to $50 degrees. They have
organized a company, and with their own
capital will at once begin the erection of
works to refine the local crude oils.
The head of the company is W. E. Clark
of Cleveland, whose father induced Rookie
feller, Payne, Senator Price and others of
the Standard Oil magnates to go into the
business. and with them made a large for
tune. This was James H. Clark of Cleve-
land, who was the head of the old firm of
Clark, Rockefeller & Andrew and of Clark,
Payne 4 Co., which firms were succeeded
by the Standard Oil Company. The son
has spent all his life in the oil business.
He came to California five years ago and
looked into the crude oils at Santa Paula,
in Ventura county.
II became much interested in the
promise them" said Mr.. Clark to
a San Francisco reporter, though
the industry was not nearly SO ex-
tensive then as it is now. l have kept q
close eye on it ever since, and when I
learned of the large increase of production
of the Los Angeles, Newhall and Puente
districts l quietly sent out here and got
some of the products and at my leisure.
from time to time, experimental with the
samples. l soon discovered that the oil
could be handled. During December of
last year l took a quiet run out here,
in oil nd
manipulated the crude oils of all the dis
tricts mentioned and produced ilIuminat-
Ing oil from all grades of crude oil as fine
as any ever placed on the market.
81 am going to my home at Cleveland,
O.. to buy the latest approved machinery
and to engage and send out experienced
oil men to assist in the manufacture of
crude oil and it's products. We have Sc
lected q location and have secured the
site, but for the present do not care to di-
vulge it's location. have also contracted
for an adequate supply of the crude pro-
duct. We will not organize a company
here, and will not ask for California money
in any shape. We have ample means and
every confidence in the future of the in
dustry in California. l will be associated
in the enterprise with E. J. Johns of Cleve-
land, o., who is here with me, and George
H. Bartlett of San Francisco, who was my
partner in the oil business in the east for
many years. While Mr.. Johns and / 90
east, MIR. Bartlett will represent us on the
ground and prepare the buildings for the
machinery. We will push the work with
the utmost vigor."
Those in Q position to know say that the
successful treatment of the states crude
oil, so as to transform it into satisfactory
illuminating fluid, will mark a new era
in the business. For dozen or fifteen
years costly experiments have been made
to accomplish this. but until Mr.. Clark took
hnI hau irua rtah foil Iad hn
ting oil produced by him, however, is az
clear as crystal, and oil men like Thomas
Bard and others, owning millions in oil
property, have been immensely pleased
with the results that have followed the
easterner's experiments. The ilIuminat-
ing oil is made from crude oil of % gravity
and upwards.