The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-31

practlcal knowledge OF oil regions, the FRESNO
Erpositor makes these sensible remarks:
''The discovery of oil at Livermore adds one
more important find TO the many which have
rewarded the efforts of Calffornia petroleum
seekers during the last few years. Oil is now
produced in paying quantities at Los Angeles.
Coalnga, Summerfeld, Santa Paula ana pos
siply at two or three other points, though IL is
by no means certain that the greater reser-
volrs which undoubt exist have yet been
tapped. The number of points where good IN
dicatlons appear are many, but in the past
and, to some extent, in the present, eircum-
stances which might easily be changed have
retarded their development.
what we refer to is the fraudulent boring
that has been going on for years, and which,
through the disappointments II has caused,
mas put stop to oil prospecting III many
promising localities. The Livermore discovery
was deferred for decade because OF we'll
borer who was after the money OF his hackers
ana not after oil. He sank pipe to depth CT
zoo feet, struck nothing of value, and received
$4,000 for his pains. With the failure OF the
wen popular belief in the presence OF petro-
leum under their feet died out among the
people of Livermore. who did not know that
an honest experiment had not been made
But for resident who had a notion or two
OF geology they would yet be doubling lnom-
asses. This man went TO work to hnd OIL ana
got II at depth of nine feet. Now Llvermore
is reported TO be in "a flutter of excitement
confidence men have found no more profit
able trade Tor years than 10 start out Win
BORING apparatus, convince some farmer OF
community that they had found signs OF Pc
troleqm or gas, and then, if contracted with,
proceed to sink we'll in any handy place
Knowing nothing of geological formations
these swindlers usually hit spot where
discovery OF anything except powders or pet
r1hed shells would be impossible, put tnat
mattered nothing to them. They were porlng
Tor the contract price. mile away there
may have been oil fields, or there may have
been none in the county, but the record OF the
boring failure becoming known had It's de-
terrent effect upon oil prospecting all over
the State.
eff this danger of fraud could be avoided
we believe general scientific exploration OF
oil would follow, and that great good would
come OF it. The case is one that might well
enlist syndicate of responsible capltansts,
who Tor share in any paying well olscov-
cred would stand ready to investigate, through
geologist and an honest boring party, any
promising oil land in California. IN this way
there would be systematic and thorough WORK
done and no fraud attempted, while IN the
long run the oil resources of the State would
come to be properly understood and their
commercial value utilized"
Il. G. Harvey Wray, an all-round journalist
and short-story writer from Australia, has Sc
cured an interest in the Santa Clara Magazine,
and will at once assume the business manage
ment of that publication.
The surprising growth of Tuolumne County,
as revealed by the registration of 1896, is
shown forth in the Sonora Union Democrat.
The productiveness of its mines has made it
one of the most prosperous counties in the
State. An increase of 3400 in population in
less than two years and during period when
depression has been more or less universal is
something Tuolumne County may well boast
over. Here is what the Union Democrat has to
say on the subject:
'In proportion to population or in equal
ratio no county in this State, so far as heard
from, can equal much less eclipse, Tuolumne
in the increase of population or in the pros
peritv that it has been the good fortune of its
residents to enjoy since 1894. Out of q total
number of twenty-seven voting precincts
twenty-five show a substantial increase over
the vote of 1894. One remains the same and
four show an aggregate loss of forty-one votes,
as figured at the ratio of votes to population,
which is one to five. The four precincts OF
Algarine, Browns Flat, Shaws Flat and Santa
Maria reveal a loss in population OF 205, while
the twenty-five precincts that show an increase
show a voting gain of TIA and gain in popu-
lation of 1870, leaving net gain in votes for
the whole county of 6S2 and a net gain in pop
ula ton of 3410.
Those figures, it must be understood. are
considerably under the mark, for the reason
that no especial effort was made to bring out a
full registration this year, occasioned by the
absence of local ticket in the field. In addi-
ton to the loss of registered voters such apa-
thetlc conditions necessarily create, there is a
large percentage of the miners employed in
the county who are not citizens and could not
therefore be placed on the register. 1t is safe
to estimate the number as high as 20 per cent,
which seems to show the conservatism of the
estimated increase of population. It. of course,
goes without saying that no such increase
could be possible unless there was presented
an inviting field for the business man and the
miner to protitably employ themselves in the
forthcoming banner county of the State
which Tuolumne is destined to be-"