St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-05-14
Along the California Coast.
Editorial correspondence


best taken up the newly-opened coast
line, This division of the Southern Paci-
hc is full of scenic charms and those who
engage a sleeper miss some OF the finest
scenery on the coast. Before Santa Bar
bara is reached the railroad follows the
shore of the ocean closely, and for the
greater part of 100 miles you can sit in
car and toss a stone into the water.
One Of the strangest sights of the whole
trip is at SummerIand, where hundreds of
derricks are erected on wharves built out
several hundred feet below low water
mark. This is, believe, the only place
in the world where oil is struck below
the sea and all along the Summerland
coast the water is blackened by the crude
oil. AS business propositionit must be
more profitable than Rev. Mr.. Jernigan's
scheme of extracting gold from the At
lantic ocean. This was the only glimpse
of the much-advertised oil industry that
l had seen aside from a trolley ride
through the oil district in Los Angeles,
but | have heard a good deal about it
and in many places en- route. The oil
wells around Beaumont, Texas, are the
most profitable and it was there that
Ex-Gov. Hogg of Texas made his mil
lions. The crude oil at these wells is
selling at one to three cents barrel and
of course the Standard Oil Company gets
the cream and eastern stockholders get
the skim milk The Standard Oil Com
pany will run pipe lines to Galveston
and there reach tidewater. The best
paying oil properties in California are
located in Kern county and the Standard
Oil Company have arranged to run pipe
lines to San Francisco bay. distance OF
about 300 miles. The Santa Fe railroad
has large interests 10 Kern county and
both the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific
burn oil in most of their engines. Crude
oil makes desirable fuel and the saving
is about hall as compared with coal fo1
fuel The refining process is so expensive
that few companies can afford it, except
to make asphalt and low grade oils
called 10 the market distilates. Another
use for crude oil is for street sprinkling
purposes. few years ago fortunes WERE
made in oil and at least one Vermonter
w. H. Fletcher, formerly Of LyndonVilIe
struck it rich, but the oil boom is {
dream Of the past and the price Of thu
crude oil makes fancy profits impossible
except for a short time. The discovery
of the oil wells in California has helped
the railroads, but as yet has not brough
in the manufacturing that southern Cali
iornia expected.
The first sight that met my gaze as w
pulled into Santa Barbara was Presden
Harriman's special train of seven cars
When heard that DR.. Webb had visite
California in his train of six cars m
heart swelIed with native pride and
felt sort of sorry that Mr.. Harrlma
went DR.. Webb one better. But that
one of Mr.. Harrimau's speciallies, toryo
will recall that this was the man VIII
precipitated the Northern Pacific 'coi
ner" in Wall street last May and cause
]. Pierpont Morgan to suddenly lose a
interest in his proposed European triF
Mr.. Hartman succeeded c. M. Hays
now Of the Grand Trunk, as president
the Southern Pacific system and if Ii
rails on the FIVE railroads which he cor
trolls could be placed in line across COZ
tiuents and oceans he could ride almos
around the world in his special train an
never have to pay his fare, as you and
do, dear reader Figure up for yoursel
if this interests you, the mileage OF til
Southern Pacific, the Union Pacific, tn
Oregon Short line, the Illinois Centre
and the Chicago & Alton and see 1t al
not right. l am not very old, but l ca
remember when Senator Stanford, {.
Huntington, Crocker "et als.," starte
the Southern Pacific system and how
'73 the trains went as far as Redwoo
CITY, IS miles south OF San Francisco
On this road there was then only nv
engines-the Comanche and Apache wei
the names of two of them, and the re!
were named for other Indian tribes. A
: | am writing this letter am on a 1Ocs
train drawn by engine No. 2513, an
their line from Los Angeles to Portlan
of 1900 miles is about fourth of the
: total mileage. Mr.. Hartman, by tt
way, is a modest appearing little ma
: very affable to the newspaper men, ar
= the last man in a group that you won
Y say had a $40. 900 900 fortune. And Il
= best message that he brought to Ca
fornia was that the Southern Pac1
would cooperate with the people
= every way to make the Pacific coast [
easiest place in the world to reach al
3 the most desirable to live in.
I Somewhere in this rambling letter
= spoke OF reaching Santa Barbara. 1t
good to be here, if only for day. 1
city is charmingly located on the S
coast and literally nestles among t