The St. Louis Republic., 1902-06-15
Sunday. June ~
NEW COMPANIES
In OIL FIELD.
(SHnddv. June ~
KING CROWTHER CORPORATION
LEASES SMALL TRACTS.
Opens Portion of Its VAST Holding to
Other Companies, Which VIII Aid
Development-JudRe Lewis Mt
Crowther.

Karnes City, Tex, May 3l.-(Special THE
ing-Crowther Corporation has set apart
| 1000 acres of its holdings at the town OF
Crowther for a townsite and for railroad
terminals. This action insures the speedy
building Of the proposed San Antonio and
Crowther Railroad from San Antonio, and
will aid in the more rapid and profitable
development of the oil fields in McAIullen,
Atascosa and Live Oak counties.
The surveying and plotting Of the new
townsite will be commenced as soon as sur
veyors can reach the ground.
The corporation has recently closed a
lease contract whereby 800 acres of land in
this field is transferred to the Big Four Oil
Company of Beaumont, Tex, which will
inaugurate the work Of development In q
short while.
still More Leases.
The corporation has also closed contract
for the lease OF an additional 800 acres to
another company, the name of which the
Express correspondent could not learn to-
day. The King-Crowther Corporation owns
and controls over 10000 acres in this field.
Sam Crowther, manager for the corpora
ton. who had been in SAP Antonio for sew
eral days looking after additional engines
and machinery, came out w euneSQdy after
noon to superintend the loading of some Of
the recently arrived machinery on wagons
to be taken to Crowther. where the corpora
tons work il being conducted on larger
scale than has heretofore been undertaken
in any field in the State by single COM
pany. In addition to the three cars OF ma
chinery which arrived here Monday from
Beaumont, several cars of piping and other
equipment have arrived from Pittsburg and
other points. and there Is work enough to
keep large number of teams busy for sew
eral weeks.
Loading the Machinery.
Manager Crowther directed the loading of
a quantity of machinery which is required
for immediate use, and Thursday morning
he was Joined by Judge o. Z. Lewis, vice
president of the King-Crowther Corpora
ton, who came down from San Antonio,
and the two proceeded by private convey
ance to Crowther, where Judge Lewis will
remain until Wednesday next. going over
the ground and looking after the details of
the vast work that is in progress. Judge
Lewis is also vice president of the San An
tonic and Crowther Railroad Company, and
one of the purposes of his present visit to
the field is to select the ground for ter
minals. switches. depot, etc. He expects
the surveyors, who are now engaged in rum
ming the preliminary survey, TO reach
Crowther in about five weeks, and they will
at once return TO San Antonio and begin
the work of permanent location nf the line.
in readiness for the work of grading and
construction.
The extent of operations being conducted
by the Kins-Crowther Corporation in this
section is attracting attention among all the
people of this territory. and the recent dis
covery of oil on tract of land beyond the
holdings OF the corporation has inspired
confidence in the area of producing terri
tory and several parties are preparing to
sink prospecting wells on their own ac-
count.
The recent visit of the directors and
stockholders of the corporation from the
East and the increased activity that has
that visit together with the pur-
chase and shipment here of such vast guam
titles of material and machinery, las i'm
pressed the people with a strong conviction
that the corporation is preparing for a
rapid realization of the value IF its hold
ings and for demonstration OF its purpose
to thoroughly develop the field and invade
the markets of the world with Ihe output
Of the wells here.
There appears to be no disposition to doubt
the good faith and sincerity Of the corpora
ton. and Its operations are expected to
bring about a marked enhancement OF val
ues and to induce the rapid settlement and
development of this section of Texas.