The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-04-09
AT. LUCAS INTERVIEWED.
A Talk With The Man Who Found Oil
at Beaumont.
SCIENCE TOLD HIM THAT OIL EXISTED
Tells Of the Long and Finally Successful
strunale--Was Deferred from
Giving Up by His Wife,

~ u. = Lucas the diScoNercr OF tue re
nowned Lucas Gusher," lu Beaumont. Al
'he 81. Charles yesterday afternoon.
f"r the present and Immediate future
we VIII have 10 be contcn 6ks with supply
ing tue world with fuel. We Will start In
10 educate the people Of the south to use
OIL Tor heating purposes ana then other
parts OF the world will be conquered by
the oil producers In similar manner. II
would not pny us to refine the Texas oil
ioF Illuminating purposes We are willing
l" let wei enough alone andshave IL used
exclusively for fuel purposes. Inter ON
we may produce luhricating and illumin.
ating oils
Mf' Lucas has returned from a trim 10
iultsburg. where he has been II, consulta
aiVu win Messrs. Gufy and Galley his
SG.sIDclates In the oil business in Texas. MIR.
u"l'! IL Just recovering from severe III.
ness aud the consultations I'm plttshurg
were held In his bed room Al that meet,
i,ls II was arranged To- cXpenu several mil
~ ~" oi unllarS IN developing the beaumont
"'i INTERESTS ny means of pipe lines, tanks
laHk steamers and hargeS and cars Galley
Nuu DuHy, VINO are the fnanCiers of the oil
o oiyIsdh started in and around beaumont,
huNlseu Mr.. Lucas To proceed with fine dc.
Nelopmeat OF their 10000 acres of oil land
property, regardless of expense
ar: Lucas t1lk very interestingly of the
99i' n1lds In Louisiana and Texas at the
81 Charles yesterday: He said
We have Wells at Beaumont that come
IN headS, or In other words the oil comes
IN ny spnrts which I'm my opinion assures
., '.i iTus ronllhneu low; Louisiana nm | Tex s
WIZ become the noted oil fields of the world
IN time. In West Louisiana the prosperts
are exceedingly bright. | bored a well at
hISauN btldge' La. year and half ago
ana Struck oil didn't finish that well. ms
the funds of the company backing mo suI
u"ulN ran short. There was no toubt nhout
my success In that undertaking. IL had
"mN ',eeh given the proper financial assist.
uiCe 10 carry my explorations through to
hnlsh discovered enough In that OK
pSrlencc to satisfy me that there was
plenty OF oil in Western louisiana
After we have developed our fuel oil In.
terestS in and around Beaumont l win seek
to discover other grades Of oil In either
Louisiana or Texas. expect to find enough
Of the refined products to light and grcase
the world. All this will take time-but I
am confident of success In my undertak
ing.
The fuel question in the South will
soon he eliminated. 70 that end We ara
nhlllhE M twenty ji.OoO-harrei tanks in
Fort Arthur, which port has already been
Connected with Beaumont by n pipe line
me diameter of those tanks Is 100 feet
ana their height thirty five feet each
,,,,M'enr are Npend!ns millions Of dollars in
a.
Wn,re, and have Just begun.
We nave placed ar order for 100 tank
GaaIIS win cnnacity OF leo barrels each,
plt'ed, We are having constructed many
oil harges.
some, q ,hCSc horgcs are of light draft
ana VIII he able to penetrate the hayous
ana rivers Of the gulf States where thGv
VIII supply me wants of the planters and
me saw NIL owners. We win he able to
iond 1000 ton steamer IN twenty-four
hours, We will soon be In competitlon
with the Baku, Russia. oil fields. which
were The most stupendous in the world
carry oil to Mexico. Cuba. Porto Rico
Italy SrHln. Central and South America
ana all other countries where fuel Is ex-
at is case now with us Of educating
ire people Of the South to substitute oil
Tor the fuel they are now using. We have
started 10 give practical demonstrations
OF the Use of the oil. II doesn't take Ion.
i9' the people on the plantations and in
tho saw mills to note At once one value
Of The oil for fuel purposes, from not only
2 useful hut an economical stnndpolnf.
Tho oil VIII soon he used by all people I'm
ms section Of the country who have boil
Mr.. Lucas In discussing the why's ana
vherefores of his explorations in Beau
mont observed:
chemistry is responsible for my hitting
It right In that country. Two years ago
science led me to believe that there was
oil in or around Beaumont expert.
mentcd around for year, boring here
and there until | Thought / had sir,1ck tho
Ncw Orleans capital IN my explorations.
Men Of considerable means in this city
IN my veniure-men who knew me- az 10
my qualifications Of thoroughness and con.
,eryatlsm, They failed 10 come In, Then
started in to interest Mr.. Guify OF PITTS
burg. who had bppu Interested Ia oil
In Pennsylvania. | was successful. for Mir
Gunv and his friend, MIR. Galley, nook great
ria backing, J started In to bore for oil
near beaumont SO sanguIne was I that /
would discover what was after that /
secured lease on 10000 acres Of land i'm
started
IT was hard task from the beginning,
fonnd out what was trying 20 Hccon.
Dlish for many had failed durin. the pre-
,eding Twelve years i was an abnormal
re fHG aG 6 asf S 9f 9ps69 to psP
lowr Into hard ground. and so made =
success where others had given mp easily
II bored and bored week after week
with no result, and am frank TO confess
That was becoming discouraged with
he work Things were looking mighty
lluc 10 me.
81 was on the point Of giving mp, when
ny wife stamped down her foot ana wouId
rot allow any such action on my part. she
'.ood by me day after day, aud encouraged
ne In my work. The months passed on,
md was beginning to despair more ana
more. | fancied / was wrong In my geo.
oglcal calculations after all. But nv wife
vas always on band 10 cheer me IN. or TO
make me ashamed Of myself for wanting 10
lult Thus, In Difference 10 NV better
lalfs earnest enireaties and prOtestations
continued 10 bore until that meInoraI,Ie
lay-January 10-when the famous t.nsher
.tarted TO emit Immense volumes N oiI
The well was only mile from our home.
watch was in plain view. There my yife
hood in the door watching rhp disnlav
md II was a heap Of satisfaction ~ see
ler form there. She soon came burrv,n,,
,ver 10 the gtIsheT. and the lont ~ ~
which lliumlned her countenanee was re.
ward sufficient for all the worry ana work
had gone through.
,AFtcr rhe delightful experIence ~ ,V,,.
,essing oil como forth from the ground ~
he rate " 5I,3th barrels day fresh var
les came 10 torment me. How 10 sion
hat oii from going to waste was the next
,lece Of hard work. There was no rest or
'ieep for me until the vel was r,,seS :"
vas fearful lest the discovery -t.e event.
late after all Into cnrse Instead ~
blessing. II that huid should take Are N
you'd mean the utter deinollshlneat ~ the
,ntire town. After ten days OF solid To-.
nent and anxiety. nv expefdence with nv.
iranlic schemes served me cell, and / sue
Mr. Lucas pnssessps renewed cona6a,c.
a the resources yet possible IN Eastern