The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-01-20
OIL FIELD.
Increase In Production Hes Been Very
Rapid.
|flopMfNr OF ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY
:. WINS Considered n Pocket Until
II Has Become Factor in
the Oil World.

brsesns, Texas, January 1e.--The discov-
of oil at Beaumont has created a great
ot interest in this section, which owes
l. nsrt OF its prosperity to OIL DEVELOP
N during the past five or six years
tbeu oil was first discovered here in the
y part Of 1894 It was the general opinion
there was a mere pocket OF the fluid and
IL would soon become exhausted. En-
Rising investors. however, thought other
and they began putting down prospect
Is with the result that more oil was
Ia. ana the enlargement OF the field was
aually continued until 1t now covers an
Of country embracing many square
Is, with possibilities of It's boundaries be-
SAN greatly enlarged. In 1899 this dis
\ produced 66S ,4s9 barrels OF crude pc
cum The yield for the year 1900 was
4 producing wells in the district, and the
n number will probably be increased to
|ry 100 by the close of the present year.
he early part OF 1894, while local men
4 drilling a well in search OF water, oil
struck at a depth of 1885 feet. The
flowed from the well much to the d!s-
u Of the men, who were seeking to strike
low Of pure water. No idea OF the value
3the discovery occurred at that time to
people OF Corslcana. The spelling Of
trospcctive good arteslan well by strik-
4 a vein Of oil was looked upon as a m,s-
3une. The man who bad the contract
| drilling the we'll, however, happened TO
e had some experience in the oil fields
PENNSYLVANIA, and he realized at once
4 Importance Of the discovery. He kept
/ own counsel. however, aud did not give
opinion on the subject except to a
- ~. sNsNN Nj Ha
eeeded to lease the land adjoining the
Sndoned artesian well from which oil
raj IOg ID the drifting Of wells. and be-
"a the leasing Of land no progress in the
Ielorment OF the field was made In 1894
1885 In 1895 Ave wells were completed,
q COWS OF oil being obtained In eacn
the total production for that year
bunting To 1880 barrels. The production
III for 1897 was 65 ,eL5 barrels; 1898. -bt6,-
1899 SIS 1850. 1900, $4,000.
he principal difficulty In the early de-
bpment Of the district was the market
Of the product. The output was not OF
hclent quantity as 10 attract the at
zion Of outside capital, and the ind-
hal producers found it hard matter to
4 their oil to the market There were no
her facilities for handling the oil and
$moye 1t to the various points through
the State where IL was in demand foi
as fuel, There were several small
X lines operated by the owners of the
Gus wells Leading from the wells TO the
~eds and each person made the best
his own product. This lack OF proper ia
les Cor the prompt handling OF the oil
sed the pr.ce TO decline from 81 cents per
bel to 50 cents or less at the close Of the
b 1897 This low price caused many OF the
ducers to build storage tanks, and they
umuiated large stocks OF oil IN the hope
tea;zing better prl1's for II.
|he FIRST real impetus to the Industry oc
Fed In January. 1898, when the repre-
tative OF large oil syndicate arrived
b Pennsylvania, and after looking. owe
ground contracted with local Producer
the sale of $50, 900 barrels OF oil that wa
IN stock. This large deal attracted thu
tntiOn OF Eastern capitalists, and tue.
An investigating the situation here with
result that they invested a large amour
money in the erection OF storage tanks
establishment OF a complete pipe lln
tenn ard Inauguration of a Ene OF tanl
for the shipment OF the product. 70
me the crude oil was sent in these tam
10 refineries at distant points, and a
yield Of the field increased il beeam
Barent that a large refinery would haN'
be erected here. During all this tiln
by producers had declined to accept III
hes that were being offered for Oil, nm
storage stocks grew to immense pro
tions, With the completion Of the rehner.
1ut January l. 1893, better prices weE
red for crude oil, and the storage stock
hn TO move and were soon exhausted
fes continued to advance gradually unit
uary 70. 1900 when 81 .0S per barrel wa
for oil A rapid decline In price oo
red during the month of May OF last year
i has been selling lately below 81 pe
no 1t all a Raansllnn
ping the last decline.
be pipe line has been gradually extende
p the growth OF the oil field, until
covers large area Of country, with u
perry as the central shipping point Tn
producer has nothing TO do except I
has been brought in" All connection
the WELL ETC., are made by the Plr
sers OF the oil. The wells cost from $40
$500 each to drill, and soon pay 70
nselves many times over.
~
pc per cent Of dry holes and abandone
Is here is said TO be smaller than of an
Pr oil district in the United States. Mos
|he unsuccessful wells are located on IN
FhUts OF the producing district and Shout
properly be counted in the oil territory
ly fortunes are being made. The oil rel
ly cover the city Many men who ~tr
herly poor in this worlds goods and onl
ed little home managed TO secure metn
the putting down of an oil well N the1
or front yard, and are now reaping
" net proht OF from $40 to $50 from tn
stment, The owners Of acreage prof
surrounding Corsieana who were wort
few thousand dollars before the o
oNerles were made are now rapidly 0
road to become rillionaires Forme
ator Roger O. Mills is one OF these foi
hte men. He owns large farm in "a
center of the ol-producng district. II
many producing wells on his place. an
ones are being drilled constantly. III
income has been estimated from $1,000
per day. The effect OF this large o
uetlon here Is to be seen on every heu,.
ey Is plentiful and nearly everybou
rosperous. This general prosperity hs
yea ne opening up of new Industries an
OF business, among which is the esi'i
nent OF large cotton mill and oth'
ufacturing concerns. There arc abo1
NY moving gas wells here. and an aouf
p be had
IS generally understood here that ~
uafa Oil company owns and operates u
OF refinery and pipe line here. In q
to the shipments OF reAred u! M
eeing made daily from this point iart
uues Of crude oil are now being g
"a from here to Mexico, where refpsrl'
located. The Mexican government u
heavy duty on refned oil, but q
On crude oil is very light. THIS "a,
Cd the Standard oil company to estal
large rehnerles at Tampico aud Nel
where the crude oil is refined teio
placed on the market in that coun.r
lous 70 the development OF the CO
on held the Mexican market was SUI
IRON Pennsylvania and Ohio hels
held Is much nearer the market. Fl
Ieisht rates that much lower, sivii
company eorrespondingly greater prom
me sale Of the oil in Mexico.
OIL Fever mt Alvin.
i'in' Texas, January 10 There
Of q cnunpanv l,etn- aruant.ai he