Rock Island Argus., 1901-06-24
OIL AS GOALS RIVAL.
Ambitious Hopes Based on the
Texas Wells.
LIGNITE MINES ARE AFFECTED.


lean Coal supply Now The Oil
Land Craze-swIndIes In the OIL
Territory.
Since the discovery Of oil near Beau
mont, Tex. less than four months ago
many millions of acres of lands scatter
ed throughout the state have been pur-
chased or leased by oil prospectors. 1t
is the opinion of geologists who have
made a study of the situation that the
oil belt extends from Beaumont down
the gulf coast TO the mouth of the Rio
Grande and even beyond the latter
point far into Mexico.
The wild demand for land on which
oil indications exist has led to n new
form of swindle, that of sailing wells
with oil. An instance OF this kind was
brought to light at Austin n few days
| ago. says the New York Sun. \ stir
had been caused by the report that oil
had been struck in n well that was be-
| ing dug for water not many miles from
Austin. The well had reached n depth
| of 80 feet when the alleged vein of oil
was struck.
According to the farmer who was
digging the well. who was corroborated
by two MeXicans who We're helping
him, the oil poured into the well so fast
that it was filed TO depth of several
feet within a few minutes. There was
big rush to the supposed oilfield. The
farmer placed a guard around the well
and exercised great caution in letting
visitors look at the oil. His land was
worth So an acre when the alleged oil
strike was made, but when the crowds
began TO arrive he received offers of
SO. then $50 and finally 500 an acre for
the farm, which embraced 200 acres.
The farmer accepted the 500 offer. and
with $4,000 cash snuSly slowed away
in his pocket he left for parts unknown.
The purchaser of the farm found that
the well was one-third full of oil He
sent n sample Of it TO DIR. W. II. Phil
lips. GeolOgist at the State university at
Austin, 10 be analyZed. DIR. Phillips
found that the fluid was pure illumi- |
mating oil and cOttonseed oil in about |
equal parts. The farmer had dumped |
several barrels of kerosene and cotton |
seed oil into the hole and had got rid of |
the property before the fraud was dis |
covered.
Another oil we'll deal OF n different
character is said TO have been worked
in the Beaumont field recently. An eX
pert oil man from Pennsylvania OF
Ohio who was drilling outside of the
oil territory decided to shoot his we'll
Il had every appearance of being n dry
hole. and he thought that possibly 10y
shooting It the oil strata might be
opened up. He quietly had the nitro
glycerin go devil brought 10 Beaumont,
and one afternoon he let the explosive
drop into the well.
Those who are familiar with the gas
and old fields know the result TO be eX-
pected, but when the oil novices saw n
great stream of water and rocks shoot
from the well the report quickly spread
that oil had been struck or at least a
great volume OF gas had been found
which was considered a sure Indication
of oil farther down. The shooting of
the we'll really produced no results. but
the owner made no explanation of the
phenomenon, and when a fabulous sum
was offered for the hole by II syndicatel
OF Texas oil noviceS he accepted the
offer and turned the duster over to its
new owners. The latter have learned
by this time that they did not know
what they were buying. as the well has
been bored to great depth and no oil
found.
The present and prospective magni-
tude of the oil output of the Beaumont
field is almost beyond comprehension.
There are now Il oil gushers. The ac-
tual daily output OF the Lucas well as
shown by tests is 10000 barrels. 1t is
asserted that the capacity of each of
the other IL wells is as great as the
Lucas, and if such is the fact the pres
mt daily capacity of the II wells ag-
yregates $4,000 barrels. Multiply this
oy 365 and the result is 306, 100000 bar ,
-els as the output of the IL wells for
,ne year. At the present rate of devel-
,pment there will probably be 100 pro-
lucing wells in the Beaumont field 10y
he first of next year.
The annual coal production OF the |
United States is approximately 253,-
100000 tons, valued at the mines at
;25G, 100000. A series of tests have
shown that it requires three barrels of !
Beaumont oil to equal one ton of coal 1
or steam purposes. The BOG, 100000 I
,arrels of oil which the IL wells in the
Beaumont field are said to be capable :
# producing in year is equal to 1O2,-
100, 900 tons of coal. A little more than
vice the present number of wells with
he same output would give supply
# fuel oil equal to the coal supply of
he United States.
1t is estimated that the Beaumont oil
an be sold at the wells for 20 cents a
,arrel. leaving the producer big mar
lin of profit. The large oil operators in
he Beaumont field are already prepar-
ng for competition with the coal pro-
lucers of the United States. Already
he Ignite coal producers of Texas are
that manufacturers are re-
using to renew contracts for fuel.
Many of the large coal dealers of the
tate are securing the agencies of Beau
mont oil companies. a number of large
of Houston and other
tiles of the state have already substi-