Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-02-26
OIL AMONG THEORANGES.
Crude Petroleum In the Orchards
of Los Angeles
In . Moment of Desperation an Owner
Begins to Bore. and the Result Is
Something Astonishing to HIM
aeif and Neighbors.

Indications OF oil in and about Los
Angeles have been apparent for years,
and few instances are on record of
enthusiastic prospectors who sunk
Wells to the depth of from 100 to 200
feet, and actually succeeded in securing
an occasional barrel of crude petro.
leum.
The first cable car line was built in
Los Angeles in 1886, and it was natu-
rally conceded by investors generally
that a piece of land close i'll on the
cable line was about the biggest card
in their pack. This particular section
of town is made up of a series OF hills
crowded along us closely together as
prairie dog village and just about as
ny ailable for town lots. \ local real es-
tate dealer acquired some property an
the much-valued region. and then for
several years tried ,ainly Ia sell out
at almost any price. Finally. in fit Of
desperation, he decided to bore for OIL.
This was in August of las, year.
Encouragement and ridicuie met him
on all sides. and when 1.OW feet had
been reached without result, his wild
cat" scheme was the ta'k of TIE town.
Then something happened. Sudden,
~, in the dead waste and middle Of the
night, n tremendous burst of OIL and
gas shot out of the drill hole, flung
every portable object in its pathway
high in the air, literally soaked the
men in attendance, and satWnt.1 the
region roundabout with the grimy,
ill-smellinS substance. Dismay reigned
supreme, until the owner II the well
was enabled to turn the enormous out.
put into hastily-constructed tank.
At first universal wave of indigna.
ton swept over the community which
had in the passing of years taken up
its abode in this region. II was out
rageous that oifactories of the peo-
pie should be SO violently assailed--
their very hearth-stones invaded. II
was furthermore declared that the well
was menace to health, and applica-
tons TO abatc the nuisance were made
to the city council. .
Then there was a great calm. which
lasted exactly "a hours, after which
every adjacent property owner with
$500 in hand or in sight began to pre-
pare for boring. 1nnumerable agents
now appeared on the scene, eager to
furnish estimates on readiLg, casing.
Tubing, ETC.; to supply rig irons, en-
gines, boilers, or rand pumps, while you
waited; to take your measure for oil
proof overalls; to move your house.
Oil companie. and oil exchanges are
being organized and reorganized al.
most daily. Two pipelines nre con-.
pleted from the field to the railway
tracks, one having a 80 900. barrel stor-
age tank, and the other with a ca
pacity of $4,000 barrels. These lines
cost about $4,000.
4 pherc are over 400 wells in actual
operation to-day. and the drilling is
progressing RAPIDLY. What with the
purchase of plants and the cost of pip
ing the oil to the railroads, nearly 81
100000 capital has already been invest
ed in the industry. -
AS high as 300 barrels of oil have
been pumped from single well in
"a hours, although 100 barrels is con-
sidered an excellent daily average for
the best producers. The present out.
put is over 5000 barrels per day. or
this 800 barrels are required for local
consumption - breweries, laundries,
iron and steel works, printing Offices,
etc, and the Santa Fe and Terminal
Railroad companies being the princi-
pal consumers.-Harper.s Weekly.