The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-12

eNA . SOpoi dSOO dIlQ the 1uel OH
for shipment. One barrel Of crude oil at
20 cents is refined into 81 50 worth of light
oils. They have storage tanks to the
capacity of 100000 barrels at the ter
mlnal of their pipe line at Port Arthur
and own 100 steel cars.
Another Of the largest companies now
prepared to do business is the Higgins
On and Fuel company. Their land was
mostly chosen by Mr. Higgins himself
and really is the cream of the field. The
company owns twelve large steel storage
tanks, loading racks, oil cars and a pipe
line through the City of Beaumont, con
Meeting with all the railroads which cen
ter there, and also with the Neches river.
which is navigable and offers an outlet
to the sea.
Among the companies organized by
Northwestern people the
United States Fuel Oil Company
seems to have the most valuable hold
lngs and prospects.
The company owns the only gas well on
the field, which is in itself worth double
the assets Of some companies which are
capitalized for three times as much. The
gas pressure is 367 pounds per square inch,
while the ordinary commercial pressure
is about ten ounces per square inch.
There is gas enough in the well to light
the city of Beaumont for many years.
That the gas is suitable for Illuminating
purposes was proven only two weeks ago.
w. A. Hall and T. F. O'Neil, both of
St. Paul, connected an ordinary Wells
bach burner and mantle to the outlet Of
the well, through necessary pressure re-
ducing valves. The light was perfectly
white and burned as steadily as does the
artificial gas of the Twin Cities. This
test was witnessed by a large number of
Minnesota people, including the Pioneer
Press correspondent.
Arrangements are now being made 10
pipe the gas into the city, and the mains
are now being laid.
The United States Fuel Oil company, In
addition to the gas well, owns a six-inch
oil well and has a third well being drilled.
All three are paid for. The company also
has five other locations in the very best
locations on the field and holds the title
to oil lands in other parts of the coun-
try.
1t is beyond dispute that there is ar
infinite quantity of oil in these Beaumont
wells, but it has little value unless it can
be used. Therefore the question is what
can be done with this endless supply Of
oil? An analysis of the Beaumont product
shows that it contains thirtytwo COM
mercial products besides pure asphalt.
This latter when mixed with equal parts
of sand is worth twice as much as Trinl-
dad asphalt. BY one refining process 50
per cent of pure Illuminating oil can be
obtained, or, by another process, so per
cent of a high grade lubricating oil can
be obtained. 1t is therefore evident that
this oil is as valuable as any on earth.
When used as fuel in it's crude state three
barrels will equal in efficiency one ton
of coal. While crude oil can be bought at
the we'll for from 10 to 20 cents barrel,
the immense saving by using it for fuel
in place of coal at So per ton can easily
be figured. For fuel purposes it is as near
ly perfect as any fuel found in nature,
and is perfectly.
Safe in Its Crude State.
Railroad companies are the first to put
the Beaumont oil to practical use. The
engine which drew our party from Pales-
tine to Houston was burning crude oil
for fuel. The engines on the Santa Fe,
Missouri, Kansas & Texas, Southern Pa
cifc and Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf
roads are having their freboxes replaced
by oil burners as fast as the shops can
make the changes. 1t is reported that
the Santa Fe road has made a contract
for 100000 barrels of oil to be delivered
within a year. Storage tanks are placed
all along their line. We were informed
by an engineer on the Missouri, Kansas &
Texas, that on the old coal burners he
used to coal up once between Houston
and Galveston, Z run Of 800 miles. With
one tender full Of oil he now makes
the round trip, or, in other words, one
tender of oil will last him as long as
four tenders Of coal. The road pays AZ
cents a barrel for its oil, delivered, and
three barrels will do the work Of one ton
of COAL Another great advantage to the
railroads is that the risk of fire along the
right-of-way is absolutely eliminated, and
another advantage to the patrons of the
road is that there are absolutely
No SCOT or Cinders.
The large engine which runs the ma
chinery in the Southern Pacific shops
has been changed from coal to an oil
burner.
Though the railroads are making the
most rapid advances IN the use Of oil, they
are not by any means the only people
who are saving money. The Rice hotel
at Houston uses oil exclusively 1t runs
their electric light plant, pumps their
water, runs the elevator and heats the
building when necessary. All meals are
cooked over oil ranges. The other man.
uf&cturing industries at Houston are
changing their equipment to permit the
use of OIL