Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-29
FACTOR IN PROGRESS
THE NEW OIL FIELDS AS AN Ell
EMENT OF ECONOMY.
The Over Production of Oil Likely to
Force Upon Capital the Indus
trial Revolution.

] Beaumont, Tex, letter. Aside from
the public interest in the new oil dis
| tricts, there Is picturesqueness about
life and conditions and local environ
| ments in those quarters that Is con-
| trollingly fascinating to the adventure
some young spirits who follow the oil
business, as mechanics, laborers and
watchmen The organization and con-
| troll of these rowing, desperately cour-
ageous, but thoroughly disciplined
young men is a model of which theI !
are few examples to be found elsewhere
than in this country. When q great
corporation gets an option on oil lands,
or buys up tract that is held for flu
! ture exploitation, these well-provided,
well-paid well-watched thoroughly
| tried and wellarmed young men go
from one desolate region to another, at
tending to repairs" sharpening tools,
| doing nothing, patrolling an important
survey. making friends with the farm
| ers," drawing their big pay, taking
| their day off, living on the fat of the
| land--always ready, a troop of Jani-
| Zarles, indeed, who know their business
| and who it is that pays them, and whose
| expense account the corporation never
| haggles over. Little goes on without
| these young men being present to pro-
| tect the company property and watch
| out for the company's interests.
Sometimes in the saddle, sometimes
afoot from the nearest railroad station,
| the oil-region JarZary is never at a
certain place, where there is "repair"
shanty, without the full knowledge of
the home Office. And woe betide the
luckless wight caught "monkeying"
around that shanty. The Janizaries in
the oil business in this country are
numbered, not by hundreds, but by
thousands. When they tire of the
lonely patrol, and the dangerous spy
system, and the desperate expedients
sometimes necessary to circumvent one
of the company's enemies, they are
brought home and provided with good
job, or cast adrift after protracted de-
bauch, to lie about their late employ
ers and benefactors.
When millions are at stake the COM
pany prospector and his attendant ere
pail" gang are in the heart of the lone
ly, illsmelling oil and gas fields. with
blankets and always with firearms
quite often with a notable commisariat.
They live life more adventuresome
that that Of the trapper for big game in
the pioneer days They get into trou-
BILE now and then; but, if they hit the
wrong man or spot the wrong farm for
oil-which seldom happens-the com
pany takes care of them, or a neatly
laid plot Matched in the home office and
carried out by complacent rural officials
with the help of the whole countryside
bar, turns the scales on the injured
party so decisively that the latter is
glad to cry quits.
But, of course, the oil field Janizaries
do not live forever They are not as
bold as they used to be. They are grow
ing conservative. Still, the Beaumont
people have had an instance or two of
what they will dare to find out a rivals
secret. 1t is believed they have learn
ed few of the secrets of Beaumont.
How is it?" | asked veteran pros
pector, at Austin on his way back to the
East. How is it that men like your
self connected with the original survey
of these valuable oil lands seldom real
ize oil The knowledge thus obtained?"
"The knowledge is not ours" re-
turned the old-timer. And ! want to
say right here that the people at large
have very many false notions about
what is known as striking oil. The
general idea is about like this A
farmer notices strong smell of 'kero-
sene' while digging fourfoot ditch to
spite his neighbour or he is digging
30-foot WELL tries to light his pipe down
there the day it is finished, and finds
strong smell when he sets his chin
whisker ablaze; or a Normal school
graduate, home for the summer, and
full of geology, examines a bucketful of
the stuff brought up. and finds il is an
| oil-bearing shale; then you or or some
meddleSome party comes along, meets
Mr. Farmer on a road, bids the time of
| day; the two of us step over to the rail
| fence and talk while we lean back and
| take his measure Then you or say to
| the farmer, How much for your hull
woedpatch, Mr.. Leascrackthrope? Mr.
I l.. smells a rat. He sends for the Nor
nal school young man, who congratu-
| lates his farmer friend on his narrow
escape from selling, for the Leashcrack-
! thropes are usually tired from birth,
are hungry for money all the time, and
! this was a sore temptation. Instead Of
| belling, Farmer l.. becomes million
| are,
The fact is, capital has many agents
everywhere. Paid, hhed, retained?
| Oh. no; not necessarily. Not country
cross roads, school district or timber
settlement in the Union but has at least
one man always looking for chance
TO serve the great. A great corporation
interested in oil lands would hear OF an
oil indication before any OF the press
association. Mark you, this type of
rural toady and husyhody is not looking
| for pay. He just wants to be busy, to
be first to know things, to stand in with
even lowly servant OF n great corpora
ton While he lives important news
go percent misleading-will leak out.
] need not tell you that for the sake Of
the other 10 per cent all the alleged oil
! indications are closely, secretly and
| thoroughly examined.
Sometimes the owners OF the lands
know they are being watched; but us
ually their farms standing as possible
areas of exploitation are known to in
terested capital, sooner and much more
definitely for purposes Of Investment,
| than they are known TO themselves.
! How this Is done is knowledge that rs
/ N viyp even ~ I