The San Francisco call., 1898-08-12
Southern Pacific Rob-
 bery Resisted.
RIPARIAN OWNERS AROUSED
BRAzEN ATTEMPT TO DRAIN
 THEIR WELLS.
Company Builds Wharf to Bore Into the Ocean Bed and Angry Citizens Chop Down the
 Piles.

| SANTA BARBARA, Aug. n-Ihe l whole town of Summerland, five miles
 east of Santa Barbara, is under arms ready to protect it's interests against l Southern Pacific encroachments. For three days a number of armed men have been employed chopping down
 piles and otherwise destroying South ern Pacific property, and as yet they 1 have met with no resistance from the | company.
 For some time past 1t has been known that the oil wells drew their
 supply from the rocks or ledge dipping
 at a well-defined angle. Lately II was shown by actual experience and tests that the real reservoir bottom was
 some little distance below low-water mark, and to reach it one must go even out into the waves to bore. It was also known that a well out in the waves would soon exhaust these inland wells
 This is what has caused the fight be- tween the riparian owners and the Southern Pacific Company.
 J. B. Treadwell, a mining expert, who has openly asserted that he is working under the Southern Pacific Companys instruction, obtained a wharf franchise from the Board of Supervisors of Santa
 Barbara County and has run a wharf out 400 feet into the ocean, which he claimed was for the shipment of oil by steamer and also to ship or land other commodities for the town of Summer land It now develops that this wharf is solely to be used as a platform for drilling oil wells and also as a means to enable the Southern Pacific Company to get control of the rich oil fields.
 TreadWell has run out arms parallel to the coast from the end of the wharf, about lOw-Water mark, and threatens to extend them along the whole front of Summerland. a distance of 2000 feet, thereby cutting off all the riparian owners from tidewater facilities, with the intention of boring wells which riparian owners claim will drain their wells This will also enable the South ern Pacific Company to run their road in a straight line, saving many sharp curves and grades. If they are sue cesSful Summerland will be at their mercy and they will secure all, the oil necessary for this division of their road.
 Treadwell left to-day for San Fran cisco, and 1t Is supposed from remarks he made that he has gone for the pur- pose of securing the aid of the Attor- ney General to ene ble him to run over State lands below high-water mark
 This Is regarded here as the most brazen attempt at seizure of property without compensation ever attempted by any corporation. The owners of property on the beach have men con- tinually on the move resisting Tread wells attempt to build his barrier In front of them. TreadweIPs pile-driver, which has been used for building plat forms for oil wells on the arm of the main wharf, stands this evening a soli- tary monument in the ocean, the piles having been chopped down between it and his wharf by the riparian owners.
 Among the riparian owners are Thomas B. Wood, son of the Iron King of Pennsylvania. who has unlimited capital behind him, and William M. s. Moore, an Eastern capitalist, who has invested $16,000 already, which if Treadwell and the Southern Pacific are successful will be loss to him. Charles Newman, H. L. Williams and A. Hope Doeg are others who are interested and have much capital invested.