The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-06-22
WAS ONLYA MUD GUSHER.
The Well al Sour Lake Did Not Spout
Any Oil.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GuFFEy WELL
First Reports Were Due to an Honest
Mistake and Were Not In
tended 70 Deceive.

Beaumont Texas. June 2i.-The wen OF
the J, NJ. GuGey Petroleum company.
which was described IN dispatches sent
out from Sour Lake last night as being
gusher was n gusher. but 1t gushed
uluu and water with only a slight show
ing Of oil.
Reports were heard here last night thai
made II impossible that the well was any.
thing else than an oil gusher aud Beau.
mont oil mon went to bed feeling certain
that the field had been greatly extended
ny the ind at Sour Lake or course. 1t
had been known here for long time that
Oh was to be found at Sour Lake az a
depth Of 400 to COO feet, but last nights
reports placed that field In the gusher
class. Early this morning oil men and
others began leaving Beaumont in We
hlcles and many others left on the early
train. large number also came in
from Houston and points west and Sour
Lake saw its busiest day today.
The gas pocket was struck In the Guffey
well about o'clock yesterday afternoon
and the village Immediately went up in a
balloon The people had been looking
ana hoping for guSher for several days
and when the mud and water spontod
fifty feet in the air nobody thought OF
anything but oil. In fact. 1t seems that
IL did not occur to anyone except the
drillers that the substance was anything
hut oil For several days no one had
| been allowed to approach the we'll and
after the spouting began the guard was
still maintained For this reason spec
tatoSs could not approach near enough to
make an examination Of the flow and this
Is how the news WAS sent TO the world
that Sour Lake had gusher
The Post correspondent visited the wen
today and succeeded in getting close
enough to the derrick 10 examine the de
post left by the flow. On the "slush
pond there was slight showing of oil,
/ buy II was very evident that the How had
not even approNim0tCd that OF gusher.
In fact. there was not as much as mali
gallon Of oil la the pond. Neither was
there any sign of oil on the derrick. Re
/ ports that large quantities of oil came from
/ the well were even heard in Sour Lake late
J this afternoon, but these reports did not
| accord with the physical facts MS wit
/ messed 10y The Post correspondent.
The well which created so much excite
| ment az Sour Lake Is situated n the John
| A Neatchy survey and Is about 400 yards
| northwest of the Sour Lake hotel The
/ depth OF the well is considerably a matter
| of conjecture, but Il is generally supposed
/ 10 he between 100 and 500 feet deep.
/ When The Post correspondent visited the
/ we'll this afternoon the machinery was MOI
/ tuning and the cause Of its stoppag(
/ was said to be q lack OF water
When the gas pocket was struck all thC
/ water was blown out Of the we'll and a;
/ the supply was already short he driller,
were forced to stop the machinery.
Z The dow of gas mud and water plac
tcaly ceased for a time this morning
! but the disturbance was renewed Tor
/ Snort time this afternoon on a smaller
scale soon subSiding again. II is under
stood to be the intention Of drillerS L
proceed with their work as soon as sup
ply OF water can be obtained.
Nlr. j NJ Cotton and Prof r n. Lit
tie returned from ylsll to Sour Lake las
night They made a thorough examination
Of the new gusher reported at that point
and state that no oil was thrown out
rhe well is now down about $50 feet ant
has excellent Indications Of oil, but thu
far only gas and water have come forth
Drilling has been resumed, and those II
charge of the work confidently believe tina
the Oh vein will soon be penetrated. Whei
the well FIRST developed into a gushe
Thursday the people at Sour Lake, news
paper correspondents and all, Instantly
Jumped 10 the conclusion that II was spout
Ing oil aud proceeded to so inform th
world by telephone, telegraph and all othe
means In their power The well is Shu
on from the pablo by a fence which as
sisted in preventing an early discovery o
the absence Of oil In the fluid that gushe,
out.