New-York tribune., 1901-01-15
THE PASSING THRONG.

Frederick H. Tappan. of San Francisco. in speak
Ing of the recent discoveries of oil in California
which have been causing much
THE OIL excitement. said at the Holland
WELLS OF House yesterday: IT have not been |
CALIFORNIA. down in that part of the State since
oil struck. but 1 understand
that it is principally being found in the San
Joaquin Valley. near Tulare Lake. This valley
which is some $50 miles in length. with
a varying width of from ten miles UP. is most
curious place. 1t lies between the Coast Noun
tains and the Sierra Nevada range, was in a sur
fornia for the Southern Pacific Railway early
] and TeT d bs TeT s it's seaa @ the e vsrR sR
Ts6 9se co6tr1 snd that % part f.0d Of is now
seend the valley until you reach Lake Tuare. near
a country as could we'll be imagined All the coun-
try surrounding Lake Tulare. which is very shall
eaStus act ,1t no snimal exists @ there except the
to ourish like green ~ bay tree When Mas
there they 9g Were n dTng aTesan wells in Of
% eeh the we9 at ont e ya M and
from the straticatlon the location of the wells
that that were we're struck that there must be sunken
among the snowclad Sierra Nevada Mountains.
valley begins to grow more fertile until Bakersheid
at It's foot Is reached; where good and well watered
81 was through there during the great land
boom which eliminated dsastrously in 1887
Running surveys would
THE LOS frequently come across pegs in the
ANGELES ground and then we knew that
LAND BOOM. had found a town site
The law requires town site to be
plotted by a surveyor and be pegged out. The
pegs we usually used for fires, did the
signs. which would read: Town of Bunco. Block 1.
Lot 2 When came across these pegs we knew
that far away in San Francisco there beau
TRULY drawn map of that town of Bunco. Pictures
were hung about 1t of academies churches schools.
banks and other buildings. labelled in large
iaring letters while above in nonpareil type would
be the word proposed A glib tOngued real estate
agent would be there sell the lots If wild fore
the truth could do This the great Los
Angeles boom during which the additions Los
Angeles were run out far the top of San
Bernadtno Mountain, which bears about the same
relation to Los Angeles that the White Mountains
or New-Hampshire do to New-York City. The
methods OF the boomers were breezy and Western.
Every day they had free excursions to
other OF the alleged town sites. Everything
free, the best of eatables and drinkabes sup
pied, ana a band was always component part OF
the outfit. An orator of ability would
depict in glowing terms the possibilities that the
future held for the thriving town of Bunco. These
real estate orators in Western parlance known
as bull con artists, and their gift of speech is
and then the lots would be sold like cakes The
| chances were that in the sale of lot pro-
| moters would pay for the entire town site: the
second lot would cover the expense of surveying,
cost of the excursion All the other sold would
| be so much clear profit. I've seen those wretched
lots bring all the way from sl0O to 5000 apiece. The
entire town sites not worth the smaller price
to-day. The Los Angeles land boom the most
| wholesale. SINFUL scientific and complete fleeing
of suckers that ever perpetrated In California
| and the memory of 1t is stil fresh. but not fra
| grant. on the Pacific slope"