The San Francisco call., 1896-04-12

II F the capital that is being used to
enable science 10 pierce to the outly-
ing precincts of the universe through
II the illimitable heavens were turned to
the purpose of exploring. in meas
ure, the interior of the earth, does it not
seem likely that the result would be vastly
more profitable in practical and mate
rally helpful way?
We gaze with unfeigned awe at the OBJ
servatory on Mount Hamilton, and we
consider with wonderment the vast amount
of speculation annually raised through the
glimpses obtained py the eve of scholar
into the regions of the stars, which, to a
majority of the inhabitants of the globe,
appear but little more than dim candles of
the night.
Verify, the study of the heavens is SUBJ
lime; but far more important study to
the bulk of humanity is the unbeautiful
one of bread and butter. Every now and
then some millionaire immortalizes him
self by giving few hundred thousands of
his hoard to aid the Investigations into
other worlds. 1t Is a grand thing for him
TO do, of course; but would it not be a
novelty, with an immortalizing tendency
as well, to have somebody with great
riches provide goodly sum, not with the
object OF discovering the color of the hair
of the people in Mars, but of boring down
toward the center of the earth in order to
find what wealth is latent therein order
10 encourage all manufacturing industries
by bringing UP from the hidden depths
the natural gas and the oil that may solve
forever the problem or light and fuel and
benefit mankind to degree unexcelled in
history2
Well-boring may be a rather prosaic oc-
cupation; but the well-borer is, perhaps,
destined 10 enrich the general run Of
mOrtals more substantially than any other
artisan. He may not push through to
China ana permit OF pneumatic tube line
between here and the stronghold of the
heathen-he may not do the Christian
missionaries that amount of service; and
he may not even go far enough to decide
whether or not hell is located near the
earth's center; but he may bore sufficiently
far to get at the wells from which gold in
various forms may be pumped up 10 an
eager world.
Z. NJ. Hoagland, one of the leading we'll
borers of the West, while engaged IN drill
ing in the Puente oil district in Los An
geles County, eight years ago, learned some
things which he esteemed of great value
judging from his experience in the oil
regions of Pennsylvania. The Puente dis
trict is thirteen miles southeast OF Los An
geles. Careful observation convinced Mr..
Hoagiand that Puente was part of great
oil belt which extended through the City
OF the Angels. This idea he communi-
Gated to some capitalists, who were much
impressed with il. All the land in the
''oil belt' could have been taken up on long
leases. if not purchased outright, and a.
comparatively small figures when the
present day is considered.
AT that early stage of the proceedings
an expert, or professional expert, appeared
on the scene. He knew all about the Penn
sylvaria oil lands and was able to scent oil
indications from atar off. He was en-
ployed by the capitalists to look over the
Los Angeles field. He did. His report
condemned the scheme, and he declared
that, as far as oil indications were con-
cerned, they were merely seepages from
the mountains or surface showings brought
down by the waters. The experts de-
cision was that the oil story had ''nothing
in it," To-day these capitalists are be-
moaning their failure to act eight years
ago, when they might have secured con-
troll of all the oil in the city of perfumed
zerhyrs and orange blossoms. Two years
ago the predictions of Mr.. Hoagland were