Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1901-01-23
OIL WELL VISITORS
THOUSANDS VIEW THE LUCAS
GUSHER AT BEAUMONT.
The Vast Crowd Surged Through strong
Barbed Wire Fence to Get Better View
of the Twentieth Century wonder--A
Few Opinions.

Beaumont, Texas, January 90
With human energy and mental excite
ment as guages it can be safely stated
that today Beaumont experienced the
liveliest Sunday in the city's history.
Visitors from distant cities continued
arriving on the trains last night and
this morning and the streets were
thronged with a veritable hive of work.
ing humanity from early morn. This
afternoon at 2 o'clock a special train
from Houston and Galveston arrived.
1t consisted of thirteen oaches each
of which was loaded to the guard rails,
and the train crew estimated that there
were not less than 1900 people aboard.
The crowd was largely predominated
by pleasure and curiosity seekers. At
the earliest possible moment they went
they knew in advance that the spouter
had been closed, they expressed con-
siderable disappointment in not being
permitted to feast their eyes on what
has been ACKNOWLEDGED the wonder OF
the twentieth century.
To protect the well from the crowds,
Captain Lucas had constructed at
safe distance two barbed wire trochas.
These were guarded by twenty men on
horeback. The big crowd surged
against these trochas for awhile and
fh,rta Dir s.,.,,
the danger Of getting too close to the
well and immense lake of oil. Finally
few boys burst through the fence.
This seemed all that was needed. The
crowd of 5000 or 1000 men, women and
children then surged forward tearing
down the fences and were soon packed
about the we'll. Some of the more hot
headed in the crowd endeavored to
start movement to take off the valve
and unharness the geyser. This threat
would have probably been carried out
had not Captain Lucas taken the pre-
caution to bury the well under several
carloads of sand. One young Amerl-
cam more daring than the others,
mounted the derricks and waved his
hat from the top. When he came
down dowh ne looked as II he had
been ducked in an oil pond.
Captain Lucas is sorry that the
sightseers did not have their curiosity
gratifed. He said, however, that the
valve could not have been removed
from the well with safety, and he did
not propose to take chances. Then, too,
it had been announced that the we'll
had been closed and would not be
again reopened until there were re-
ceptacles to receive the oil.
So far as Beaumont proper is con-
cerned it was reasonbly calm today. A
report that Rockefeller was en- route
to the city caused furry for mo-
ment, but representatives of this dis
tinguished gentleman gave it out so
strong that never in his life had Mr.
Rockefeller visited an oil field that
this excitement quickly subsidized.
Next to the oil we'll, the amendment
to the rivers and harbors bill pro-
posing straight appropriation for the
Sabine lake channel is the most dis
cussed today. In this move Senator
Culberson has gone direct to the hearts
of the people of this section. At the
same time he is promoting an improve
ment that will put dollars into the
pockets of every man, taxpayer or 9TH
erwise, in the transmlsslssipp coun-
try.
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