The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-08
OCEANS OF OIL,
at BEAUMONT, TEXAS.
A Pioneer Press Correspondent Visits
the Texas Oil Fields and Verifies
the Wonderful Reports Which Has
Been the Worlds Great rlarvel.


Owing to the great number Of advertis- |
ng and news items which have appeared |
eeently regarding the City Of Beaumont,
Tex and owing to the general belief by |
he people of the northwest that a large
majority of the tales were greatly ex-
Lggerated, the Pioneer Press decided to
END a representative to that city for the
ole purpose OF Investigating the oil fields
ind making an impartial report on them.
Though it recently came into promi-
lence, Beaumont is city seventy years
I'D and has grown from log cabin oc-
,upted by Noah Tevis in 1882 to pros
porous town with population estimated
% be at present 25 900 or 80, 900 Rail
way tracks now run through the streets
n all directions. The streets are crowded
rom early morn till late at night with
Ill sorts and conditions Of men, from mil
ionaires to negro laborers. The constant
stream Of wagons and pedestrians re-
minds one of a country town during fair
Tine rather than in the performance of
It's every day duties Accommodations
are everywhere overcroWded as the rush
Of population in the last few years has
been so swift that building has not been
able to keep up with it. The city is
80 An Ideal City.
in many respects. It has many churches
large and up-to-date office buildings and
large manufacturing interests, which Of
fer inducements to outsiders who do not
care to speculate in the oil feature. It Is
the county seat OF Jefferson county, forty
miles north of Sabine Pass, the nearest
point on the gulf and $50 miles from New
Orleans. Among it's large buildings are
the new postoflce, built about a year
ago at cost Of SIC, 900, which has every
modern convenience, but which is already
almost too small for the inreased bust
ness, and the opera house, which is the
finest south of Chicago. 1t has a greater
seating capacity, and is more complete in
every respect than any opera house in the
twin cities. Theatrical companies of all
kinds say that the business is better in
Beaumont than in any other city in Texas.
Three large office buildings, one seven
stories high and the other two five
stories high, besides numbers of smaller
buildings and Vulnerable residences are
now in process of erection. The city is
situated on the bank of the Neches
river, which gives ample supply of water
for all purposes. The climate is very
agreeable, the winters being short and
the summers not unreasonably warm. It
is very seldom that the thermometer
reaches 100.
In 1901 the assessed valuation of prop
erty In the City of Beaumont was three
and one-cuarter millions.
The first impression as one alights from
the cars in the business center of town is
that the paving and drainage Of the city
is very bad. There are only few blocks
of paved streets at present and owing to
the fact that many streets are now torn
up for installing sewerage system the
outlook from the visitors point Of viek is
mot bright. The soil being mostly. clay
affords the worst; possible kind Of mud as
soon as rain has fallen for few min
utes, or even after heavy dew. Large
paving contracts have been let, however
and itais expected that before the coming
summer is very far advanced, the business
portion Of the cityawih present a ~
Much Cleaner Appearance.
The educational interests Of the city
of course. have not kept up with the in.
crease in population, The public schoo
system consists of Ave schools, two 0.
which are for negroes. There are also
five very efficient private schools.
Beaumont does not depend entirely upo1
the oil interests for support. as It ha:
two large iron works, where every kin(
| of heavy machinery is constructed, ant
whose put is sold all over the south
There are three sawmills, three planin!
| mills, and two Single mills, besides on
! large factory, which is devoted to thu
| manufacture of sashes, doors and interio
woodwork. The largest creosoting plan
| in the south, three brick factories whicl
make very good quality Of building
brick, and a marble yard are among tn
other important industries Of the city
I An enlarged plant for the manufacture o
| ice is Just being built, being q part o
| the Citizens Ice. Light and Power com
pany. The annual. capacity of the saw
mills is 100, 900 900 feet, and OF the plan
ling mills, $4,000, 900 feet. The surround
! ing country is largely devoted to the cul
| tivation of rice. here being three rlc
3, mills in the city and many store nouse
in the vicinity. The largest grain ele
vator in lthe south is located at Po1
Arthur, sixteen miles from Beaumont
/ The completion of the Port Arthur ship
Iping canal makes%it possible for
! ocean-Going Vessels
1 to load, within sixteen miles of the grea
oil fields of Spindle Top. This canal
4 seven miles long, which opens directly INT
the Gulf of Mexico. Sabine Pass is ais
seven miles long and: from ? 900 to 4,ol
feet wide. The deep water chann'
Through the pass Is about 500 feet wild
4 and at no point less than. twenty-one fet
deep. The United States government
Inow spending s1,Oo0,000 in improving tn
ue Il was asa a little n over year ego that tn
town sprang into a prominence great
; than that Of the Klondike when II
. famous Lucas gusher was announced
1.-THE newspapers all over the countr
Since that time oil wells without numb
, have been put in and others are no
, |nearing completion and still others a.
= being started. Notwit hstanding a gre
amount. of newspaper advertising and II
: Immense number of news stories regar
, ling the wonderful force and capacity
, the oil wells, no one can conceive al
= adequate idea OF the
Immense Output of These Gusher
until he has seen them in operation. u
beautiful spectacular gusher spouting
foil high into the air is thing of t
past The large number of fires On t.
field has increased the danger to such I
lextent that now all the wells are pr
vided with spoutAparallel to the grou1
so that the oil does not spread to al
great extent.
To Patillo Higgins, native of Bea
: mont, belongs the honor Of locating t
= oil fields Of Spindle Top. He said in 1S
that in ten years, the property would
worth millions Of dollars, and Won
. startle the world with it's greatness.
: Immediately organized the Gladys CT
J Oil Gas and Manufacturing compan
Several attempts were made to sink
:, WE'LL but owing to the inferiority of t