The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-15
With Prominent Visitors
to and Citizens Of Houston
Who Have Something In
teresting to Say.

the stand The Post has taken in the prem.
Uses. mat J am not the only one who an
preciateS IL is shown hy the fact mo- Nv vrab
AMY twenty Posts are sold and cirrplates
m beaumont TO one copy Of any other pa.
Mr.. Smith, by the way. was a member n,
the committee which represented tho oil
interests before the committee on taxation
OF the house ,of representatives. when the
Shaw oil tax bill was NJ during the recenf
special session OF the legislature
Both Mr.. smith and Mr. Park left for
beaumont yesterday evening.
~
ITO what may be attributed the recent
advances in the price Of diamonds? Ths
increased demand unquestionably. said
Mr. Leehenger, to whom the question opot
ed was put by representative of rba
| fost Yesterday. There is nothing in tho
stories that the production is decre,sln, a.
( mat the South African war has tied nm,
ihe INDUSTRY to any apprecable extent me
advances which have occurred In the dla.
mond market for the past year or two arc
so lar as | have observed due entirely 10
the tact that the people of the world are
wearing more diamonds and moro COSTLY
ones The orders placed with London Inn.
porting houses by American firms last wear
2
ohiy ABOUT Sl4.eOOUO0 worth Of the precloIIs
stones was shipped acre. The larger nor
! ZION OF them came IN the rough pr1cticnllv
All OF the cutting being done here AK
not informed as 10 the figures so far tbls
year, but ! have no doubt that an even
/ larger percentage OF Increase In The dc.
unhu over tne supply Will be IN evidence
1 Inc supply, mind you, remains practically
the same from year To wear The diamond
mining Industry is controlled bv the lie
bt%res mining COMPANY watch handles tut
/ a fna al
concern gets out about as many diamonds
one year as another. OF course n h pos.
slole that ii might be able 10 get ont a sui.
hcient supply to meet the demand hut MS
you can readily see, that would NOT be- the
Dest sort of good business. Prices would
decline, OF course, aud, too, IL is not ato-
oGi,9trr unllkely mat the diamond mines
might become exhausted sooner than Is de.
sirabie This of course Is a remote con.
tipgency and is hardly worth while ,onsld-
ering In connection with the matter am
speaking about
The whole matter resolves Itself down
to the fact that the present generation is
wearing more diamonds than did the last
one and tAe one before that in q propor.
| tionate degree, and that the stones are not
only larger and handsomer. but are set tn
manner which is more artistic aud more
| costly at the same time. The reason for
all this2 Don't ask me. Perhaps MS On
account Of the advances Of civilization or
because the people Of the present day care
more for display than ala their ancestors
!
| fact, just the same.
MIR. p c. Bitgood, who represents one NJ
the biggest Insurance concerns IN the coun-
try, was in the city YESTERDAY guest Mt
the Rice. Mr.. Bitgoods company pays
particular attention to the insurance Of
steam boilers, and with view to bringing
ont his opinions ms to the effect Of the
% pT Up
numerous plants which he visits. repre-.
sentative of Tho Post called on him and
questioned him about the matter.
II am very glad 10 be abe 10 state,
said Mr. BitgoGd. that the u.s. of crude
oil as fuel instead Of coal has abso ut 'ly
no deleterious effects. When pet o cum
was first discovered az Beaumont aud some
Of the fuei users in this immediate sec
tlon began to nut oil burners in their
plants there was some apprehension that
the boilers might be harmed eventually.
but sufficient amount Of time has now
elapsed 10 demonstrate that nothing
of the kind Isl to he feared on he 9th Il
hand, we fnd that the oil is pre- cradle
to coal so far as the effect on the HE Of
the boiler is concerned, inasmucn as there
is no necessity at plants where oil burn
ers are installed for the opening and clos
Ing Of furnace doors which. while II may
result In no immediate harm. is not calcu-
lated TO do the boiler any good on account
Of the rush Of cold air each time the door
is opened.
u nave made no dllpct Investigations
with regard TO the use of the oil on loco.
motives and the remarks ! have Just made
apply entirely to stationary boilers 50 far
as my personal knowledge Is concerned.
have good reason 10 believe however. from
what | have seen and heard that the re-
suits attained by the railroads have been
emiRntly satisfactory. both as to the saw
ing in the cost Of fuel and with reference
10 the effect on the boilers.
while not n greal deal has appeared IN
print regarding these matters, consider
able amount Of interest has hccn manifest
ed therein, especially by the companies
which insure steam plants aud which, NJ
course, are more than a little Interested
In knowing inst how the use OF the 9il will
settled | believe that an additional factor
VIII be set to work on the widening Of the
market for fuel oil In addition Ia the many
others that have been in evidence for some
time past.
Mr.. A. G. Toilet, Jr., one Of Neiascos
principal merchants and Brazoria county
best known politicians, was seen in the city
last night and says that the Guffey well
at Bryan Heights Is certainly wonder
and that every one who has seen II firmly
believes that it will prove like spindle TOP,
"A world astonlsher."
"Why, for more than three weeks 1t has
continued 10 blow that steady flow Of gas
about $50 feet high and incidentally, as II
were, for a change 1t mixes a little water
with It. then little black sand, little
gravel little white sand and II seem
most any old thing that comes along. Eaeh
one is discharged with the gas separately
Tor a few hours, then II VIII chanse on 70
some one of the other things without los
SEEMING the gas flow for moment, lcster.
day afternoon it commenced ia blow ouL
rock most Of them from the size of l'ul
fist 10 size that would choke me ppe
| for a few seconds. 100 or mora laeI hirl
and In two or three hours h0H Discouraged
ten 10 twelve wagonloadS. All aa driHeIs
oil men and everybody else down mere are
looking for It 10 turn into 2lsa'r ~ OH
] at any time.
/ Il don't know anything ahou =
things except what those who do know i'll
me. and they say that enough gas has heen
| lost there to light Houston for twelve OF
/ fourteen years could IL have been turner
10 that purpose; and it is certainly tan IAN,
tnlizing TO people that laye pasSoog,,pI
through the calamitles Of the last TOUT
,-.o.g9 that 40 bova and who need n saving