The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-04-17
THE TEXAS OIL DEL OSITS.
How the First Discovery Was
Made May Give Cheaper Fuel


: government experts, biologists an,
Z conservative business men con 'Idcr tn,
, location Of oil in Texas and Calforni;
OF far more Importance than the dis
covery Of gold in California; In fact
II Is looked upon as IA development tha
| Will have tremendous economic in
ilueuce on all the industries of the
southwest. George +. Adams, au cX,
, pert of the geological survey, has been
sent to Texas to make an investigation
ami report upon the extent OF the oil
deposits and the manner in which they
are being worked. An official of the
geological survey in speaking of this
matter to the Brooklyn Eagles Wash
lrgton correspondent said
i" The oil is not the illuminating va.
ricty, but is used for fuel. 1t will
supply the one thing that was before
lacking to enable the tremendous re-
sources of that country to be properly
developed. Texas is nearly the rich
est State in the Union in natural re.
sources, but there are DO coal deposits
there. She has gotten her fuel in the
past from Indian Territory, and after it
had been mined and shipped to exas
it cost between IS and 50 a ton. The
excessive cost of fuel has done much
to rctard the operation of the deposits
OF cement, iron and other ores with
which Texas abounds. The discovery
of cheap fuel within her borders
will work wonders with Texas utter
ests.
The utmost excitement prevails all
through Texas, and excursions are run
from Galveston TO Beaumont to see The
big geySer. -Four thousand persons
recently visited Beaumont in Il single
day. AS may be supposed the town
has experienced tremendous boom
People are tlOckinG in and securing
the country prospecting for oil and
buying up land leases. 1t is almost
impossible to secure accommodations
IN either hotc or boarding houses.
and living rates have gone way up.
New wells are being sunk every week,
but precautions are always taken to
prevent waste of OIL. Improved ma
chlncry has been introduced, anG as
soon as oil is struck the flow is checked
until tank cars are secured. Pipes are
| being laid to Port Arthur. the nearest
| port, where ii will b. pumped ON
board oil ships. Lucas secured leases
OH 5000 acres OF land before he began
operations, and he pays royalty to
the owners on each barrel that Is sold.
AS before stated, the various rail- Dads
OF that section are preparing to change
| from coal to oil fuel. The main thing
That the operators are waiting for now
are tank cars to take their product to
market. Following the discovery the
price of oil in Pittsburg tumbled dan
gerously, but it has since been steadied.
Among those who have since learned
that oil existed under their farms is
cX Senator Roger 9. Mills, who is
sald to have been made independently
rich by the products of well sunk on
his land
One of the great advantages of the
OIL deposits is that they are right on
tide water, thus making Is possible to
ship it by water at little cost. The
government officials are very enthus-
iasuc over the discoveries and declare
that the oil will furnish cheap fuel
not only for the local industries Of
Texas and New Mexico, but for trans
continental transportation and for
! shipping interests in the gulf and West
Inlies.
The story of how the first oil strike
was stumbled on and the opening up
of the unlocked for riches roads like a
tale from " Arabian Nights y A. +.
Lucas, a Washington mining engineer,
was engaged as superintendent of the
Avery Rock Salt mines, in Louisiana,
but having a disagreement with the
management, he left and drifed over
to Texas. Reaching Beaumont, which
~ about three hours ride from Calves.
ton, he went out prospecting for sui
phur. lie struck some sulphur springs
and observed that small quantity of
natural gas was coming from them.
In putting down a well he ran across
slight deposit of oil, and this fact,
together with the presence of natural
gas, led him to believe that oil was to
be found there. He accordingly sank
well for OIL. About 900 feet were
penetrated and Il six Inch pipe inserted.
Inside of this section OF four-inch
pipe 72O feet in length, was dropped
The oil stratum had not actually been
reached by the drilling machine, but il
seems that it was almost touched at
the time the four.inch pipe was put
inside the larger pipe. Suddenly those
who were working the derrick that was
| lowering the smaller tube noticed that
it was acting quecrly. Somcthin'
lifting it from the bottom. Mr.. j
understood the signs and called TO g
men to run for their lives. The oil
had burst through the crust of earth
that separated it from the drill and
came spouting up with terrific force.
1t pushed the pipe through the derrick,
carried away all the machinery and
finally threw the 72O feet of pipe high
into the air. Fortunately, the pipe
came down end first and hurt no one,
but il buried itself deep into the earth.
1t has not since been dug out. Turn
ing about Mr.. Lucas saw a stream of
oil shooting out OF his six-inch pipe to
a distance of 200 feet in the air and
flowing off over the plain at terrible
rate. There Was no way to check the
flow of the valuable fluid, and as it
spread over the prairie aid was sent for
to build dams. Soon all tho male
population Of Beaumont was out on the
plains throwing up a wall of earth to
hold the oil. A monster lake soon
formed aud breaking through the dam
1 l.N.. : 4