Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-06-09
gusnng Fnes 5arsballnn. u saurda aus q 1900

Salnfnde l11tR :, y9ul
CALIFORNIA;
LATEST BOOMS
Especial Correspondence Times. Repub-
lican.1
Pasadena, Cal, May 25.-The south
sern California boomers were not all
killed off by the little real estate epi-
ssode of twelve or thirteen years ago.
Now that they have recovered from the
shock resultant from the collpase Of
that boom. they are at 1t again. This
time 1t is not town lots and sand knobs
that are being boosted, but oil and oil
lands on the one hand and Belgian
hares-rabbits. if you please-on the
other. The whole southern portion OF
the state is crazy with the oil epidemic,
and a majority or those who haven't
got oil ON the brain have hares. But
the Belgian rabbit fad is another story.
was present at the funeral OF that
happily neither as mourner nor pail
bearer; simply as an interested OBJ
server Fortunes. hopes and ambition
We're inferred side by side at that flu
neral. Thousands of unfortunate and
injudicious spectators, of which num-
Der Marshalltown and Iowa furnished
more than Il just proportion, exclaimed
with due solemnty. Dust to dust, but
1t was their gold dust which was abb
sorbed by this peculiar soil. All this.
however, is ancient history. as in times
past southern California has been writ
ten UP or written down in every news
paper. metropolitan and provincial. Of
this continent. 1t is the California of
today in which your readers are inter-
ested. AS in the past, there is an album
dance of reason for passing eulogies or
heaping adverse criticism on the self
STYLED Land of Sunshine
No one who is q close observer will
galnsay that the boom was the making
of the southern California Of the pres
lent. Nothing else-not even the earth
lquakes and the sunshine and the flow
ers--could bring the free advertising
the. boomer and his boom gave 1t, and.
like all judicious advertising with
something good and substantial back OF
it. the benefits have been lasting. And
from all indications the history Of
southern California is repeating itself
in the matters of blooms. While the oil
fields are confined to certain localities
the speculative operations are appar-
emily limited only by the desert and the
ocean and the Mexican boundary line.
Companies are being formed, with cap
lital running--on paper--into the hun-
dreds Of thousands OF dollars, for the
buying. leasing or grand larceny OF
lands and the boring foroil. The whole
southern portion of the state az we'll as
some of the central districts. is being
prospected by oil experts for surface in
.dications OF the presence beneath of
petroleum. Every hill and dale with
shale and sandstone groupings have in-i
creased in value, at least in the minds
of the owners. The oil craze has just
recently broken out. and while a few
Coal Oil. Johnnies' have received much
.notoriety. nothing is said of the poor
devil who has sunk his last penny in
one of the many wildcat companies that
have not, as yet. even one little oil we'll.
He is in evidence, however. as the bar;
ter"colunlts of the newspapers are Of
fering shares of oil stock in exchange
for any old thing.
on the other hand there are several
productive oil fields. including one in
the heart OF Los Angeles: tina. are pro-
iducing fair quality of oil and making
their owners q fair return on their in-
5vestment. But the presence of oil here
is nothing new. as a few wells have
been producing for years. The bust
ness is being doomed simply because
the boomer had nothing else that Of.
fered such a field for speculation. AT
the same time the oil product is a grand
thing, taking the place. as 1t does, of
So to 81 n ton for coal that Is no better
than the Oskaloosl fields afford. The
railway engines engender their power
from petroleum, steam plants of all
kinds use 1t. the kitchen range is sup
piled with an oil burner and the we'll
to-do householder who finds his Cali
fornia blood chilled by the fogs of sum
mer and the ruin-clouds ofawinter uses
ii in his furnace. But the southern
California boomer. you know. isn't sat
isfied with the natural growth and de-
velopment Of even a good thing.
HARES AND RABBITS.
Another aifliction of this section. epi-
demic among d certain class, is the Bel
'gian hare fad. AZ for myself, l never
heard of Belgian hare until arrived
in.his land of sunshine. fogs and booms.
Without revealing my tenderfootedness,
i have gathered the Information that
the Belgian hare is nothing more than a
lhigh-toned rabbit. .Rabbitries are
now as numerous here as are the vine
riss. henneres, hoStelrles and sanitar-
iums. The animals, with certified pedi-
grees thrown In, pass as currency
among those who possess doubtful oil
stock. ranches without water rights or
high priced town lots on which even the
mortgages can not be raised. Their
meat is said to excel that OF the chick
en-, but fashion sometimes dictates
taste, you know. Time was when or
ganized raids were made on the Jacks"
and "cotton-tals" infesting this coun-
try, and some day, and that not far dis
tant, the hundreds who have gone into
the Belgian hare breeding business will
find Themselves long on rabbits and
short on purchasers. Just now, howev-
err, the Belgian hare is having his day.
The southern California dog will have
his when the former is turned loose TO