Washington sentinel., 1901-06-08
u, t. SENTINEL
on Fields ia Texas

a sleepy Little Southern town, with
a population Of twelve or fourteen
thousand people, rather more back
ward and less advanced than the
average Texas town. Now it's a
city OF 700 or $1,000 persons,
and its only industry is oil. The
city is flooded with spectators
who have rushed there from all
parts Of the country, thousands OF
them from the North. Old men
who have been oil prospectors
since the boom days in Oil City,
Titusville, and THAI section Of
northwestern Pennsylvania, de-
clare that they have never expert
enced anything like it. The sup
ply seems to be practically mex
haustible. Foryears the seafarIng
men have noticed and remarked
about the smooth. glossy condition
of the water OF the gulf along the
coast about twenty miles away and
on Galveston Bay, and the evi.
dence oil oil upon the waters. No
one dreamed, however, that Texas
was destined 70 be the greatest oil
producing State and that the pro-
duct was so accessible to and near
10 tide water.
The discovery Of oil at Beau
mont is due to a man known as
"Cap" Lucas. For years he in
sisted that there was oil beneath
the surface and sought to prove
his assertion. Finally, he sue
ceeded some five or six years ago
in organizing a company tor the
purpose OF sinking a well The
machinery broke al,e. a superficial
boring, the company's funds be-
came exhausted, and the project
was abandoned by all save Cap
Lucas. All the time he talked
nothing but oil, and the sksp,ical
people Of Beaumont and vicinity
regarded him as a crank, and were
inclined TO think that the subject
had almost turned his brain
Several months ago his company
was reorganized and again began
boring. About I 400 feet down the
great tank was stru TX. It spouted
forth the oil in such velocity that
it was with difficulty that the we'll
was capped and the flow regulated.
In fact, so much Of it escaped that
it flooded a vast country and
formed a lake Of crude oil in q low
section nearby, and it was only by
the exercise Of great precaution
that dangerous CouAagTatiou
was prevented. For some weeks
the inhabitants OF the vicinity lived
in fear oil the oil becoming ignited
and uncomfortable Strict regu-
lations were enforced and no one
was permitted to approach this
lake OF oil with any combustible
substance. The news that Lucas
had at last struck oil spread with
great rapidiiy and hundreds oil
SPECTATORS were followed by thou
sands OF others. Land which had
been offered for sale at SIS, $40,
and Szs an acre and louno no pur-
chasers at once took an enormous
Jump, and In many instances mas
sold for-sf5eoo- an acre, and the
pas not considered exorbi-
Us sun oil exchange was opened,
luill-sPcCuIaters stood upon the
street corners oogdTy goods boxes
and offered their stocks and oil
lands for sale. A unique charac-
ter among them has been a young
woman who went to Beaumont
early, struck oil. and has already
amassed a fortune.
Many stories are told OF wealth
speedily acquired, and mushroom
fortunes, and those who profess 20
know declare that Cripple Greek
and Cape Nome in the heyday oil
their greatest bOOns never expert.
euced greater excitement than was
witnessed in the oil fields Of Texas
An old negro who was born a slave
had by dint Of great industry and
a mule acquired a little farm oil
thirty-hye acres. Once he was
a,ked what he would sell il for and
replied that he would take $50 an
acre. The prospective purchaser
went a mile beyond and bough,
better land for $40 an acre. Three
months ago the negro sold out loI
$500 an acre. He is going to moYe
to Houston and wants to buy an
automobile.
A Dallas telegraph operator
heard Of the oil strike when It was
first made, went to Beaumont, pur.
chased a number Of acres at $3.50
an acre, paid Szoo down, all the
money he had, and within an hour
walked down to the depot and met
man who paid him $1,000 an acre
for the same property. The opcr.
ator cleared sI8 900 on an invest
ment OF Szoo within two days, and
then went home. This illustrates
the manner in which the price OF
land has raised as a result oi the
oil discoveries, and the eager1ess
with which it is seized.
There are now many wells oper-
ating, with a daily capacity OF hun
dreds of thousands of barrels, the
largest, the largest drilling alone
having a capacity Of 75,ooo barrels
a day. When 1000 barrels we're
turned out Of a Corsicana well
where ex Senator Mills is inter-
ested in oil production, It gas
thought that a wonderful discovery
had been made. Beaumont now has
gallons where Corsicana has but
drops. The oil is quite crude, but
it is said can be refined. It makes
an excellent fuel, and is destined to
reyOIutonize industry in Texas.
There are now about 900 com.
panies organized and in process OF