The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-01

RADIO and Texas. and seeps into the
Gulf of Mexico.
There have always been indications
to bear out these statements. For
many years there has been an oil lake
| in the Gulf of Mexico, in which the
! coast wiseN vessels would find safety in
a storm. 1t covers about twenty-five
acres OF surface, and the oil is about
three or four inches deep over the
fWates. Il IS located twenty-seVen miles
west OF Sabine pass, forty-five miles
I east of Galveston and s fifteen miles
out from land. After a storm great
quantities of oil come 10 the surface in
the locality, which seems to indicate
the presence of q large body OF the
same below a disturbance of the
water never fails TO bring 1t 70 the
surface Along the coast there arr
great quantities of pure asphalt, which
was known before the war as sea
wax" The natives use it for chewing
gum. The site of the Lucas we'll has
long been known as a locality where
the indications of oil were favorable.
There is a small hill there, which is
the only perceptibie elevation for miles
I around. Near this bill there IS pipe
sunk into the ground of seven or eight
feet. A strong smell of oil comes con-
stantlysfrom the end of this pipe, and 4
lighted match viii ignite it. There are
several little pools filled with sour, oily
water, which never go dry IhlSs vi
cinity was named Gladys City by a
prOSpectOr years ago, VINO gave 1t that
name in honor of Miss Gladys Blng-
ham, a young lady of Beaumont.
Despite ali these favorable indica-
TONS the numerous attempts TO strike
oil had failed. Wher Captain Lucas be-
gan work on the same spot where, so
many others had failed, the people of
the Vicinitw did not take him seriously
one man who had some land near by
came over often TO talk with the CAP
tain. One day he said: say, Captain
Lucas. if you strike anything here ii
would make my land worth something,
Wouldn't 3t?''
The captain assured him that it
would, and the fellow became an en-
thusiast at once. Finally. to test his
sincerity, the captain said to him I.
when / left home this morning / left
all my money in my other clothes
owe one of my men 81, and want to pay
him off. Won't you loan me that much
until tomorrow" The fellow lost mis-
rage, and said: NO id eastern
shark is goin' to skin me out of any
ST. Another neighbor took a liking
to Captain Lucas, and came over one
day to give him little fatherly ad-
vice He said: Now, look here, Lucas,
you seem to be d pretty decent sort
O chap. an I hate to see you THROWN
your money away. There ain no use
diggin' rOun here for oil. It's been
tried time an time again. and every
man that's tried has squandeTed his
pile The captain told him he be
Iieved he would stick to it a little while
longer, anyway
that is just about the way the situa-
ton stood 1t looked like there was oil
in the ground, but no one was willing
TO spend the money TO get it AT IN
tervals some straggler would come
along, enticed by the surface indica-
lions. and spend his scanty means try
ing to find the wealth he felt certain
was near. After he had failed and gone
sorrowfully on his way, the denizens
of the neighborhood would say: L told
YOU so" and hold his experience up as
a horrible example to the next conner
Before Captain Lucas made his big
strike he was either an object of sus-
picion or pity but afterward he was
the biggest man in Texas SeNeral
babies have already been named after
him. and he Will doubtless be the next
candidate for governor