The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1901-05-04
TEXAS OIL FIELDS.
Something About the LiveIiest Town
in the United States. The Boom
without q Parallel.

Noone who has not visited Beau
mont, Texas, can form the least
conception of the condition of af-
fairs. can have the least idea how
husiness is done in a boom town
the crowds, push, jam, jostle and
bustle.
Thousands of people arrive dali
IL. tillit is almost impossible to
secure accommodations.
Nothing is heard day or nightex-
cent s.land." s.oil," agushers, I"
..nropositions.v These are the
topics ON tho trains, on the streets,
on the sidewalks, in the hotels,
around stores, offices, everywhere.
Everyone has turned speculator
and fabulous fortunes have been
made here within a day.
This field at this time offers
greater opportunity for specula-
ton than any in the world, and all
the people who come here believe
the boom will continue. And it
will If new oil wellsar found and
the gushers continue to pour out
their great wealth Of oil. Hun
dreds Of derricks are going up,
and new well-boring outfits are
being installed daily. The excite
ment grows day by day, and the
people are wild, working day and
night. Nothing,like it was ever
known before. It's indeseribable
and no one who has not seen it can
be made to believe the half that
occur here daily.
Beaumont is congested with ex-
cited men--men who have either
realized large sums in cash or hold
large blocks of stock in the most
successful companies. Accommo-
dations are not to be had at any
Of the hotels or regular places Of
entertainment unless provisions
has been made weeks ahead. Fresh
arrivals are confronted with the
problem of where they are going
to sleep and scores of men leave
Beaumont for Orange or Port Ar
thur, spend the night there and
return the next morning. Evil
dence is everywhere of the lnabil-
ity to care for the wants of the
hosts of strangers that have in
vaded the city. AT the postoffice,
where a line of 80 or more men
can be found standing patiently
awaiting their turn at the general
delivery window at most any hour
Of the day; atsthe restaurants,
where people go eagerly and stand
up in order to get seats; at the tel.
egraph Offices and toll stations, in
barber shops and bar rooms.
Instead Of registering at the ho-
tells for rooms, men register, as it
were, for the chance of being next
when the rooms are vacated. The
new Crosby House, which is pri-
marily headquarters for most of
the rush and the objective point
Of oil operators, would-be inves-
tors, brokers in oil stocka and the
great hurly burly generally, pre-
sents eitherby day or night all the
crush incident to a political CON
yention. Here, in an atmosphere
fairly quiyering with electricity,
purchases of lands and stocks are
eagerly discussed, the prelimina-
ries of other deals arranged, tips
given, the news from the oil fields
dessimated. and gossip of eyerv
imaginable variety bearing upon
oil exchanged with a rapidity and
an utter disregard Of everything but
the passing moment that is fairly
bewildering. Men whose clothes
are stained with oil, Just in from
the field, brush elbows with new
arrivals who come to study the
situation or make investments.
During theon hundred days fol-
lowing the flow of the Lucas gcy-
ser, men representing more mon
led concerns aud big interests than
beaumnnt has people, have visit
60 the oil Mecca and have been d
part Of the crowd thatsurges back
and forth through the congested
hotel lobby hour after hour and
gay after day, all intent on the
onet thought of oil. Following the
rush for which the first big well
Was responsible, there was slight
lnll, when the stream of people
pegan to flow into Beaumont
agaln, continuing to increase al
ne Beatty well and the adjoining
gushers were struck. It Is esti-
mated that between | 200 and 1 SOC
slanslents are IN Beaumont, to.
getner with another 1000 who
nave come with the intention oi
remaining.
Az result of tIie inability u
sne u Two principal hotels, to han
=. ule more than about one-third 81
sne : crowd, many private fAmilie.
a'e aeriVlng considerable reve.
nue oy putting III cots and rent
;ng me-, them out fer the night. AL al
Illustration of this might be citec
NE = = case Of ! man who accommo
ner. - sa's n'a'l
ror months every man will
enough e legal knowledge e. draw
& ~ lease Of d contract has hat
plenty Of work TO do. and a 4 re
sult y the Offices of LAWYERS an
mont. t''Aves ~ oeau
u e \. gentleman Interested ID Cd,
B y, ~ 81. the Offices remarked to YOU,
correspondent that Is much d
s,,s' sooOu worth Of business lad il ali, beef i
sSs turned ~. away ID one day owing Z
S's Tha himappssihiity Of doing it,