davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The herald., 1897-02-14
FROM A SANITARY STANDPOINT
Deadly Fumes Which FIJI the Air With
Microbes

NuCrODcS
The deleterious effects of the oil on the
health Of those living in the vicinity Of
the wells cannot be questioned.
In many respects the method Of sink
ing the wells, adopted in majority Of
cases, has been unscientific, to say the
least. When all is in readiness for the
boring, engines are set up and crude
petroleum used for fuel by most waste
full and reckless process. The oil is not
entirely consumed and the fumes fill
the air with noxious gas and SCOT. In
damp weather this settles down close to
the earth, forming what the Londoners
call "smog."
POISON IN THE AIR.
These fumes are charged with car
bonic acid gas, Or rather, carbon diox-
ide, which, as is well known, is deadly
poison. The injurious effect has been
entailed upon residents throughout the
hills to such an extent that many have
been driven from home, but only after
a series of diseases Others have s>sf-
fered from headache, lassitude and nau-
sea, wondering, seeking and finding the
cause as here set forth. At the Temple
street school one-half Of the pupils were
absent during one term because Of sick
ness directly attributable to this cause.
The teachers complained of feeling Ill
and were all obliged to brace up on qui-
nine. At the present time 700 pupils who
attend the Union-avenue school are
compelled to study in close rooms, as
the smoke from the pumping engines
precludcs the possibility of leaving the
windows open for ventilation.
NERVE DISTRACTING.
Another thing which is bad for people
of nervous temperament is the deaTen-
ing noise. The squeaking of the machin-
cry and the blowing off of steam from the
engines make it almost an impossibility
for nervous and sick people to sleep.
The region is full of sump holes. Or
more properly speaking. cesspools
These are natural depressions in the
ground into which great quantities of oil
have flowed.
In the preliminary process Of boring
the pumps are drawn up and the sand
and oil are emptied on the ground. Thus
the oil flows into the holes, converting
them into dangerous cesspools, where
worms are bred. These worms, or mag
gots, really exist, as has been proven
beyond the peradventure of a doubt.
The latest scientific theory in regard to
petroleum shows the truth of this state
ment. According to the scientists, petro-
leum is a fish oil, squeezed from vast
beds of mollusks, which encrust the
earth and combine with carbon and 9TH
er mineral substances to form what is
called petroleum.
MICROBE INFESTED.
If fish oil should be poured on the
earth and allowed to tester in the sun, it
would breed maggots. That is exactly
the condition of affairs found in the
sump-holes. 1t is not supposed that
these maggots do much harm. In fact,
they were sent by divine providence to
carry off carrion; but the fact that they
The herald., 1897-02-14

who had good word to say for the oil
industry. OF course, there were some
who had obtained work through it, but
even they were not loud in their praise
Several persons who were approached
refused to allow their names to be used
but freely admitted they had nothing
to say in favor of the enterprise. :"
Others who did not care to talk for pub
lication said with significant shake of
the head: I'VE are moving out" One
woman had her household effects all
packed awaiting the van, and said she
wouldn't live another day in the region
for any consideration. In fact, there is
a general exodus from the pestilentiai
district, and no one is remaining who
can seek residence elsewhere.
HEARTILY SICK.
Mrs. Viola Steward of No. 1886 Rock
wood street, when interviewed, was en-
tertaining callers, it being her day at
home. Learning the reporters mission,
she excused herself from the drawing
room long enough to exclaim impetu-
ously: II shall be glad when every one
is so rich that they won't need the oil.
Oil! Oil! Don't mention it. / am heart
lily sick of the stuff. There was a man
here today to have a petition signed
against crossing the streets with wires.
I am opposed to that. 1 think we GER
tainly should be allowed one street which
is free from the curse"
Next door to Mrs. Steward the family
was moving out" and the mistress of
the house declined to talk.
T. W. Lord Of No. 131 North Union ave-
nue. was not at home, but Mrs. Lord and
her daughter united on the following re-
marks: There is nothing too mean to
say about it. 1t is a pest to the COM
munity. Our property has been dam
aged, as has all other property. 1t is a
good deal lower in value. Then the
noise and smell are particularly OBJ
jectionable. No sir, we are not in favor
of the oil.'
INTERNAL NUISANCE.
Thomas D. eomans of No. 215 North
Union avenue expressed himself fore
IDLY: II simply think they ought not to
be allowed to erect derricks in neigh
borhood where there are fine residences.
The Internal nuisance is mixed up with
fine houses There is not a shadow of
doubt but what the depreciation in value
Of property hereabouts is due to the oil.
The sale of property is impossible. Why,
I paid $4,000 for this lot here, and don't
suppose 1 could get two thirds of that
today.
Then the fumes of the stuff are un-
healthful. They make me sick as a
horse. There is nothing like pure at
mosphere, and l don't like it adulterated
with any vile smells. The noise and
all that sort of things combine to make
it q great nuisance. The banging of
the drills disturbs ones slumbers. OF
course one can get used to it, but tits
very unpleasant. There is also great
danger of a serious conf1agration. I
think the location of the Union avenue
school. is very dangerous, and it is ridicu-
lous to allow it in such a place. The
sump holes are so close to the school
that the children are likely to fall into
them. The law ought to be able to get
The herald., 1897-02-14
How the Oil Business
Wrecks Homes
1ALEOF THE CRUDE PETROLEUM BOOM
ALuckless Investment for Many
People
IMMINENT RISK FROM FIRE
Germ BreedIng Stump Holes Not Good
Neighbors
IMMINENT RISK FROM FIRE
The Long Antie.r - Profits Which Have
Never Materlalized
Pom Pictures Of Blighted Community Cursed
by q Nuisance Prom Which Relief Is
Prayed-Scenes Of Desolatlon
and Tales Of Woe

The Infant industry" Of Los Angeles,
as many are wont to designate the bust
ness of boring for oil, has had it's inning
and the result is an appalling condition
of affairs. One of the finest residence
portions Of the city has been transformed
into an area of unsightly derricks, filthy
and noisome tanks, creaking machinery,
cesspools of murky oil in which death
dealing microbes lurk and abandoned
houses.
The oil-sa turated buildings are a con-
slant menace and this section of Los
Angeles is in danger Of being devoured
by the fire king, whose reign Is sure to
begin in the oil region unless heroic
measures are Immediately taken to re-
lieve the dangerous condition Of affairs
now existing.
People who were, before the oil dis
covery, secure in the possession Of COM
Portable homes, ar now raking and
scraping to pay off the mortgages they
placed on them in order to obtain money
with which to bore for OIL
Not satisfied with confining their opera
ations to the blighted vicinity in which
they began, the oil men are preparing to
extend them to another choice residence
tract, the vicinage of Westlake park.
Already the waters of the pretty lake are
defiled with the Nubian black fluid
which has trickled down from the city
OF derricks.
The foregoing will no doubt be receiv-
ed with incredulity by many, but The
Herald has made a thorough investiga-
tion of the situation and the result is
herewith narrated. Interviews have
been obtained with people who have suf-
fered from what they please to term the
accursed oil. In short The Herald is
enabled to present the true condition of
the Oil question to the people of Los An
geles and let them judge whether or not
the city has been benefited.
The herald., 1897-02-14
Then the only resource of the owner
was to either abandon the we'll or pull

out the casing and bore deeper, a pro-
cedure entailing heavy expense.
The original cost of putting down a
we'll to the depth of 800 or 900 feet was
from $1400 to $4,000. The deepening pro-
cess increased the expense by SO per cent
Generally, after the deepening the pro-
duction fell off greatly. Added to this
handicap, the promiscuous marketing
Of the product caused a reduction in
market price, which at one time fell to
30 cents per barrel
Many people who had not the ready
cash mortgaged their property and used
the money to sink wells. The outcome
of the craze is that the majority of those
interested have suffered financially.
Some of them have never secured the
amount they invested. and will doubt
less loses their homes. One man was
The herald., 1897-02-14
OILS shows that the

thrive in these cesspools shows that the
petroleum is decaying organic matter.
If it is organic matter in the process of
decay it must certainly be giving off the
fumes of putrefaction. and filling the air
with poisonous bacilli.
In proof of this may be cited the epi-
demic of diphtheria, sore throat and ma
larial fever prevalent during the last
year, such state of affairs as was be-
fore unheard of in the hill sections.
Numerous families, who could not en-
dure the nuisance and dared not brave
the danger of sickness and even death
which might come, closed their houses
ana moved out of town or to another
portion of the city. Many abandoned
their own houses and hired others.
Throughout the entire city the percent
age Of sickness has been vastly incrsas-
The herald., 1897-02-14
A LAWN DECORATION

oil fiends say, move the school house!
And the city council of Los Angeles
city that boasts of its foresight and
erudition, is really thinking of moving
it's school buildings to make room for
more sump holes.
''The oil business within the city linn
it's should be stopped. and stopped for
ever Either do that or else move the
entire city out into the country-until
the Puente-augur gets through with this
territory"
A PHYSICIANS VIEWS.
A physician who would not allow his
name to be used, said ''The oil has
been a great d,etriment to the city. The
most injurious phase of the thing is the
unconsumed oil which forms gasses. The
sump holes are not healthy by any
means. City property has deprecated in
value and can't be sold at any price, The
oil fellows don't buy but lease property" "
PROPERTY VALUES.
Fred Eaton, who lives at the corner
* Ne Mar rsyrlss.;:sd avenue and Westlake W ave-
The herald., 1897-02-14

the school houses he had builded, were
as nothing compared to the cent per
cent profit which the outside oil men was
to make on his leased lot! Like the shiv-
ering boy of Tom l-alones, the hum
bier citizens were told to move out and
move on-and some Of them finally
moved to Rosedale. And now we are
told with a fanfare of newspaper trump
cts that our parks are in danger.
Something must be done! Won't
somebody please hurry up and bring a
test case?
(which is the most important to city,
its people or it's parks?
Upon Union avenue the oil men have
completely surrounded the city school
with derricks. The doors can't be left
open nor a window raised. Seven hun
dred pupils literally imprisoned to ac-
commodate the Crude Petroleum COM
pany from Newhall.
"Ask them what's to be done. These
The herald., 1897-02-14

spectral structures have usurped the
places of flower gardens and lofty trees.
Nearly every front yard contains a der
rick and generally there is another one
at the back door. Around each one there
are two or three "sump-holes." The
sidewalks are bespattered with the
sticky mess. Oil has been thrown pro-
miscuously around and the sides of the
houses are spotted and streaked. Even
the roads are black with the vile stuff,
and little rivers of it trickle through the
cutters.
GOBS OF OIL.
Pedestrians go to their homes and find
that huge gobs of the oil have clung to
their boots, but this discovery is rarely
made before the imprint has been left
on carpets. Women drag their skirts
in the sticky daub and ruin expensive
dresses.
But the &sidents of the pest-ridden
district are not the only ones who suffer
The herald., 1897-02-14

Scene Of Devastation Amid the Der.
ricks
One cannot help being impressed with
the scene Of desolation presented in the
oil district; and to even the most casual
observer 1t is plainly evident that blight
has fallen on the community.
Thousands of derricks daubed with the
filthy black product greet the eye, and
on nearer approach it is found that these
The herald., 1897-02-14
HOW THE PEOPLE FEEL
Residents Of the OIL District Express Them

Residents Of the Oil District Express Them
selves Freely
From the subjoined interviews given
by people who reside In the oil district
true insight of how the matter is re-
garded by them win be obtained. Nearly
everyone whose name is given is prop
erty owner and taxpayer, and they are
free In expressing themselves on the
question. 1t was like hunting for a
needle in g hsystscls to and snysne
The herald., 1897-02-14
DANGER OF A BIG FIRE

Slump MsIss Afford Excellent Fsod for
Planes
The sump-holes in the oil district are
so numerous that it would be useless to
attempt to describe any separate one.
but the most dangerous one of all may
safely be said to be that of E. L. Doheny.
This place, according to one of his own
men, is $50 by 1870 feet in size and con-
tains at the least calculation $50 barrels
The herald., 1897-02-14
I'm infant INDUSTRY AND ITS BANEFUL EFFECTS
RUIN WROUGHT To HOMES

ed, and from the oil district hundreds Of
people have fled from the pest.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

pressed the true spirit of ambition
well-directed when he said that he
had no time to fritter away in
making money. Ambition that is
actuated by the sordid motive of
acquiring wealth for the pleasure it
gives, or is supposed to give, has
no value to mankind, nor can it
bring happiness or contentment to
the one who centers his desires on
attaining it.
Ambition that is noble and gen
erous and which aims to accom-
plish something that will reflect
honor and a good purpose fulfilled,
has little regard for riches, or the
vulgar adulation it brings. What
ever is done we'll. conscientiously
and with unselfish motives is al
ways rewarded with suficiency,
and whatever exceeds that is a
temptation to misuse the whole.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

never did anything but malign
the deserving and conscientious,
and the fraudulent hotsam and
jetsam of humanity in general that
drift in the way Of earnest effort
and tries to blacken the character
of people by the smudge of their
own low moral standard. are fully
entitled to the watching, the con-
tempt and the kicks of every lover
of justice. of decency and of the
sense Of propriety that demands
that the low, the base and the lying
remain beneath the waves of their
own vileness.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28
WEALTH AND AMBITION.

The desire to be wealthy is
natural to all men. and if it were
not a component part of human
nature. mankind would still be
cropping in the first stages of civil
zatiOn. This desire creates the
ambition for engaging in enter
prises which, while they enrich
the promoters. are of common
benefit to all men. Every extern
ton Of commerce, every industrial
enterprise and every work specula-
tive in its character originates in
the desire to increase fortune and
add to the power it's possession
gives.
In this age of wealth getting, it's
acquisition has come to be looked
upon as the sum total of all earthly
desires, as the one thing that am
bition should strive for and as the
full measure of it's reward. But
ambition. to be noble and of use
to the world, must aim higher than
the acquisition of wealth. Riches
alone can not bring honor. power
and the grateful remembrance of
fellowmen. Every name in history
that appeals to sentiment, gratitude
or the reverence of mankind gained
eminence in fields of endeavor far
removed from the avenues of
notwithstanding. Cresus lives in
history because of the wealth he
possessed, but around his memory
there is clustered no virtue. no at
tribute of manhood. of inherent
worth or Of nobility of character
and no lesson that can be drawn
from his life other than monitory
Every name that adorns literature
the arts and the sciences is there
by virtue of the services they have
rendered in their respective fields,
and in all the factor of wealth sell
dom appears. Prof. Agassiz ex-
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

THOSE who have experienced
the ups and downs of life, who
have rubbed up against the rough
side of the world and who have
known the miseries of adversely.
are usually the ones most respon-
sive to the cries of the unfortu-
nate. But, quite often, someone
is found. who by some fortunate
circumstances is enjoying meas
ure of prosperity, that assumes
superiority over the friends and as
sociates of less prosperous days.
This is the singing adder of
human kind that combine in one
nature the worst qualities of the
migrate and the vain parvenu.
From those who never knew
wretchedness, little sympathy is
expected, but from its rescued vic
tins aid is looked for. and when it
is not forthcoming the feeling of
bitterness is far more intense than
that felt for the person or thing
that may have caused the wretch
edneSS
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

The value of regular habits can
not be too strongly impressed upon
the mind of a young man entering
the years comprised within the
critical age. By regular habits is
not meant simply retiring and ris-
ing from bed at precise moments
of time. but that order of living
that sets aside certain hours for
certain duties and attends to them
without deferring until necessity
forces attention to them. The
mind can be so trained that it will
turn to any particular duty to the
exclusion of all others. Knowing
what to do at certain times contri-
butes largely to ease and comfort,
is conducive to that feeling of
freshness that comes from diver
sity and gives greater capacity for
work because method is employed.
Irregular and confused habits null
tiply the cares of labor and cause
vexatious delays in what orderly
methods would accomplish with
dispatch.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

WHEN you find man denounc-
ing every one who disagrees with
him politically as a traitor, mark
him we'll, for ten to one he is a
scoundrel. He cries ''stop thief .
in order to divert the attention of
his contemporaries from his own
devilishment. Such fellows need
watching. Progressive Age.
Exactly SO. They need some
thing more than watching: they
need handling that is the reverse
of gentle. The hypocrite, the ca
lumniator, the carping critic, who
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

Signing for opportunities that
are wished for, but never come, re-
veals character fatally weak and
one that has all the elements of
failure. The opportunities within
reach are what gives entrance to
the avenue of success. By i'm
proving what We have that which
is out of reach is brought nearer
and the chances Of being able to
grasp it increased. Whining at
the superior opportunities of some
one whose position we envy, but
magnifies their value and narrows
our own view of what is in.reach.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28
ORIGINALITY.

EVERY person is possessed of the
element of originality, weak in
some, but strong in others. In ma
ture, in individuality and in in
tellectual endowments. no two per-
sons are exactly alike. All have a
degree Of originality that influences
opinion, action and personal char
acter and gives distinct point of
difference between any one indi-
vidual and everybody else.
First in Importance, and withal
the most valuable and worthy of cul-
tivation, is intellectual originality.
Generally speaking, a mans every
action is largely influenced by the
good will OF opinion of someone
else. His natural inclination is to
follow beaten tracks, to initiate
methods that have proved success
full before and in this he must be
guided by the advice which ex-
perience teaches is safest. If he
follows this advice habitually,
without striving to improve what
it suggests, he becomes mentally
dependent upon the conclusions of
others, grows imesolute in his
thinking and expression of opinion
and sacrifices his will-power to a
stronger and more energetic men,
tality. But, on the other hand. if
a personal opinion is formed on
every affair of interest. the inher-
ent originality of the man is re-
hected in his thoughts. Mental
independence and force of char
acter, together with the pride their
possession impart. follow the
habit OF forming ones own Opin-
ions and draw out what is distinct.
peculiar and original in intellectu-
al ability. No great mind ever
became 50 without the gift of orig
inality. In fact, all genius may be
said to be originality highly devel-
oped, in which some truth has been
presented in new and attractive
form, free from the mouldy flavor
of WORKOUT theories and the same
ness Of crude methods.
To be guided in matters of minor
importance by the opinions of
others is perhaps wisest for those
of light mental calibre, but in the
graver concerns of life where the
interest of self and those depend
ent upon self are affected, the en-
ergy of the man must be aroused
to originate his own way out of
difficulty. Originality develops
best under difficulty. 1t is then
the full mental activities are en-
gagged in the task of devising
methods for regaining what is lost
and safeguarding what is threat
ened. By drawing out what is
original in thought, action is in
huenced and with it the general
character.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

THERE is always hope for the
one who is willing to listen to the
advice of mother OF sister. .They
are the mentors whose advice is
the wisest and best, whose
love follows the erring one when
father and brother have abandoned
hope and care and whose belief in
his final redemption ceases only
with life. That man who scorns
to listen to their pleading, has in
him the full measure of human
depravity.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28
rump card of popularity.

The man who goes through life
with the mistaken notion that sue
cess means going through friends
and relatives. may be lucky enough
to have someone write his Obitu.
airy notice when he dies. but there
will be no one to buy tombstone
upon which to display it.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

ONE great trouble with the poll
tics of this country is that too
many young men entertain the
idea that the right to vote implies
the right to copy the bad habits of
the people whom they vote for.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

If TRUTH prevailed, great deal
of what passes for philosophy in
this world would be classed under
the head of ingenious excuses for
not doing what ought to be done.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

HONESTY would die of neglect if
it depended upon the support of
what loose virtue there is in ways
that are simply Legitimate. De-
Tending a course of action with no
better plea than that it is lawful,
betrays ii natural bent for what
needs but courage to follow the
course
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28

THE MIRROR is weekly paper published
In the Minnesota State Prison. 1t was founded
In 1887 by the prisoners and is edited and man
aged by them. Its objects are to be a home
newspaper; to encourage moral and intellectual
improvement among the prisoners; to acquaint
the public with the true STATUS of the prisoner;
to disseminate pathological information and to aid
In dispelling that prejudice which has ever been
the bar sinister to fallen mans self-redemptiOn.
The paper is entirely dependent on the public for
It's financial support. If at any time there should
accrue surplus of funds, the money would be
expended in the interests of the prison library.
The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28
N 0 TIC E..

THOSE receiving copies of The MIR
ROR who are not subscribers will
please consider them as sample cop
les. If, after reading them, you should
conclude that THE MIRROR is
worthy of your patronage, send one
dollar to this office and we will enter
your name on our books for a
years subscription.