The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-04-27
w. B. SIOssOn, Immigration
Agent Of Santa Fe, Talks.
Discusses the Oil Situation at
Beaumont.
TEXAS is PROSPEROUS
Says the Rice Growing Industry
is In It's Infancy.
Santa Fe Has Spent a Million in
improvement of Texas Lines

s'There isn't a place to lie down at
night in Beaumont" said w B. Slosson
yesterday in discussing the situation in
the newly developing oil territory of
Texas. Mr. Slosson is southern imrni-
grafton agent of the Santa Fe railroad,
and by his work is brought in close con-
tact with the commercial interests of
the south coast country.
Special trains have to be run morn
ing and evening from Beaumont to Port
Arthur and Houston for the visitors
that cannot find accommodations in
that city" continued Mr.. Slosson- Spe-
cial trains carrying capitalists from New
York Chicago and other eastern cities
are arriving all the time The excite
ment is the most intense
The region near Beaumont, Texas, IS
just now worked up to an exc1taDle con-
which has been discovered within the
last few months. It has been but snort
time since the first strike, of which any
notice was taken, was made. since then
companies have gone in and secured
privileges for sinking deep wells until
now there are z guSherS in the Beau
mont district. The number IS rapidly
increasing over that country, and al
ready in the city of Houston four COM
panies have been organized for the pur-
pose of boring wells 1t is now believed
that the whole country has a sheet OF oil
under it which makes the supply prac-
tically inexhauStible. There is a large
lake near Houston that it is claimed,
contains a great quantity OF oil IN It's
waters; sailors discovered it years ago
and whenever storms prevailed brought
their craft into the Oil-ladeu waters ana
thus avoided disaster.
The railroads seem to have much faith
in this country as a producer of oil,-for
they have ordered the construction of
tank cars, in the hope of transporting 1t
to points along the lines where II can
be used as fuel in the engines A NUM-
fasox
changed from coal to oil burners A
month ago the Santa F'e placed an order
at Topeka shops for $50 tank cars, OF
5000 gallons capacity each, TO De USED
largely in handling the oil product. The
Santa Fe has for some time had OH
burners on its California lines in the
sections where the wells We're located.
A number of Santa F'e shop men went
west two months ago to make the
changes necessary on engines for con-
verting into oil burners those formerly
consuming coal as fuel The railroad
men say in the matter of cleanliness
coal has a little the advantage over the
oil, the smoke from the combustion OF
the oil being the most Objectionable lea
ture to its use. But for convenience and
saving Of labor the oil is nanifestly in
the lead. The fireman is relieved of
much hard labor, for instead of being
required to exert himself IN keeping up
the steam, it is only necessary to see
that the supply of oil is maintained, be-
sides doing his ordinary duties.
A brewery at Houston has ordered 3d.
900 barrels at As cents per barrel 1t has
been found that the company could re-
duce its fuel expenses little more than
one-half by using OIL
Mr.. Slosson is especially sanguine in
his expectations of what Texas is to at
tain as a rice producing state He says
that the rapid development of this in
dustry is remarkable, although it is still
young.
The first year of rice cultivation in
this locality to any extent was in 1893.
In the year 1900 1t is claimed that on an
average Of $50 were the proceeds per acre
for the crop. This, too, on land that cost
the owners only SIS per acre. The pro-
ductiOn of rice is in most respects sim
liar to that of wheat One man with a
team tends, 100 acres, until harvest
time comes. The ground is broken in the
spring, the grain sOwn and the water
from the irrigation canals is turned on
and the grain remains submerged for
two or three months Then the land IS
allowed to dry out and by the time the
crop is ripe the soil is sufficiently drTn
to support the wheat binder used IN har-
vesting it. After this it is thrashed the
same as wheat, the product barreled up
and sent to market. Just now the
United States does not supply nearly
enough rice for consumption IN this
country, a great quantity coming In
each year from the Orient. The govern
ment has sent A H Knapp a rice ex-
pert to the Texas fields to collect such
Information as he can, and to publish
IL III a DCOEA MI AAAA1AJR 10y eA4oA1 WIZ
the Texas soil ten times as much rice
can be productd by one man and team
as the same force in South Carolina The
CarOlinaS do not possess a soil which
dries out in time to use harvesting ma
chinery hence the crop must be reaped
by hand, which makes the process very
slow.
The Santa Fe has made an appropria-
ton for book descriptive of rice Gull
ture in this locality More than that the
company observing the growing traffic,
both passenger and freight, spent last
year nearly 81, 900 600 in the betterment
Of its Texas lines