, 1901-12-07
SL0SS0N
WRITES ON THE BEAUMONT OIL
FIELDS IN TEXAS FOR AMER
IcAN REGISTER.
Relative Of Member of Faculty of
the University Of Wyoming Tells
Of the Things He Has Seen Around
the Great Oil Fields in the Lone
Star State. :

In a ivepage article on Beaumont,
Texas, and Her Developments" in the
November number Of The American
Land and Title Register. w. B. Slos,
son, a relative Of Prof. E. E. Slosson
of the University of Wyoming, has this
paragraph:
The writer saw, last month. a test
of the Beaumont oil made in the lab
cratory of Prof. f. E. Slosson, chemist
at the state university at Laramie,
Wyoming, who has had eight years
experience with oils ia Wyoming and
Colorado. The twenty samples that
were distilled from a pint of Beaumont
oil under the heat were, first, a clear
light oil resembling benzine, the next
slightly darker and heavier but almost
colorless about thirty-one per cent Of
Illuminating Gil, then a light machine
oil for sewing machines and bicycles,
then a heavier machine oil, followed
about two per cent of good %varnish,
while nearly ten per cent of asphalt
for paving was the residuum. Messrs.
Hipp & Key, Of Houston, who are paw
ing our streets with asphaltum, said:
1.-THE ten per cent of asphaltum in a
barrel Of oil is worth n cent a pound
at wholesale. II a barrel of oil Is
worth As cents, the readers Of The Reg
lister can estimate IL there is a profit
in the Texas oil fields. These inter-
esting specimens can be seen at 220
Main street, Houston, Tex. at the Of
fee Of the writer"
In the article Mr.. Slosson touches
upon various phases of the matter at
Beaumont, giving something of the
markets, how to tell the value of oil
stocks, the present condition of the
field and kindred subjects. He enters
into some length on the value of the
field from an economical standpoint,
the value of the product as regards
fuel, and its possibilities in the mat
ter of shipping by vessels in bulk. He
says:
Cutting the fuel bill in two by our
manufacturing establishments and
railroads will cheaper goods and
cheaper f~reights. 1t does away with
the discomforts of coal smoke and Gin
ders on passenger trains. Instead of
the shovels of coal, the op-
ening and shutting of fuel doors on
engines, with the consequent loss of
heat, one man complacently turns the
faucet and the oily spray keeps a
steady, continuous heat. and motion
the train, or to the machinery. The
discomfort Of trains passing through
long tunnels is avoided by using oil
fuel. There has been an effort to show
that the pressure Of the Beaumont
wells is diminishing. This is only an
other effort Of "oil men" to discredit
the Texas oil field. The last wells
brought in" at Beaumont during the
last days OF October had a pressure of
lot to 40, as great as the Lucus gush-
er that spouted first in January, 1901.
Ships are being loaded at Sabine Pass
and Port Arthur already for the for
eign trade. The ship Cerdium, owned
by bankers in London, left Philadel-
phia q few days ago and will take back
to London 5000 tons of Texas oil, and
also use oil for fuel in transit. The
London papers see in this new move
ment q revival of shipping by vessels
now out of business, that will De
changed to bulk oil carriers. A mum
Der of barges are now being construct
ed In Texas to carry the oil to atlan-
tic ports"