The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-14

o. g. \ o. branch IS II miles: from Sour
rire lines now connect Sour Lake and
.s-rvI1lr SPECIAL.
Beaumont Tex. June ia syndicate OF
beaumont people headed by Maliy East
ham. receiver FOR Spindle Top. and COM
vcsad Of James T. Gossett. an Alderman
Charles Hageman. one Of the proprietors OF
G. h. crosby Hotel: O. +. Greeves. a rich
iron founder: L. y. Fletcher. also an iron
founder and capitalist, and John Dies. a
wealthy business man. has just purchased
ten acres Of oil land at Saratoga, Hardin
County. Tor $500 an acre. Development will
begin At once.
II IS the generally accepted belief that
this purchase is significant of early and de-
cisive action on the part of the Southern
Pacific Railroad. which controls very
large part Of the Saratoga field.
The gentlemen comprising this syndicate
' have inside information concerning South
,,rn Pacific plans If such information is in
the possession Of anybody. and they have
The capital and the experience TO enable
them TO act at the proper time.
The Saratoga field lies about ten miles
north and west OF Sour Lake. and is also
in Hardin County and 4 days journey from
kountze the county seat The Southern
FiAAalt ildS lDG several Iutilti> Attll IlIOi
Of less diligently pushing 10 completion a
branch railroad that is to start from Sour
Lake Station, fourteen miles east Of the
oil field. and pass through the Sour Lake
and Saratoga oil fields.
Bad weather has been given as the eX-
Cuse for failure to complete this work pre-
vious TO this time. but there has been a
general impression that the Southern Pa
citic, which is vitality interested In Sara
a..
inunicauon with the outside world at as
nearly possible the same time as Sour
Lake. in which the Santa Fe is heavily
Interested. was connected up.
iCOlouel ]. II. Polk and several other we'll
Eaown Beaumont oil men and capitalists,
made q trip TO Saratoga last week. looked
the field over thoroughly. and day after
their return Colonel Polk and his friend
and civil engineer. Mr.. Sanders. hurried 10
-. Louis.
There. it IS understood. they were in cop
ference at the Planters with Congressman
sam Bronson Cooper. who had preceded
them a few days enroute to New York, and
George J. KobuSch and Judge Ffsse.
Colonel Polk has been largely interested
ia street car properties here. and through
that business formed acquaintanCeShip
With MessrS Kobusch and Flsse. Colone.
Polk did not reveal his plans TO anyone
hire, hut 1t is regarded as extremely prob
able that, as the st. Louis gentlemen are
aready heavily interested in this section,
The conference had much to do with Sara
tnga, Sour Lake. and the problem of oil
those incipcnt oil cities.
DEVELOPMENT OF SOUR
LAKE DIFFICULT.
Both points are almost inaccessible at
pfesent. 1t is hard and sometimes dam
Ei-ous journey Of nearly four hours frop,
81 Lake Station to the Sour Lake oil
feeds: and it is almost three hours of a
similar journey from that point to Saratoga
After the FIRST few miles, the country be-
comes intentionally rough and is broken
by many creeks that are extremely liable
to rise overnight to the magnitude Of riv-
ers.
These things alone have combined to pre-
vent Sour Lake and Saratoga becoming
much more famous than they are. For
there is no possible question that there is
an ample supply of good quality of oil at
both places.
The Sour Lake field has been thoroughly
proven. although It's limits do not seem to
nave been defined as yet. There are more
than two score OF producing wells within
the vide area that extends, in general
way. from line Just west of the Sour Lake
Swings Company-ihe hotel property that
was bought by the Texas Company operat-
ing az an ally Of the Standard. for $4,000
spot Cash-to the town lots subdivisions,
some i,Gro or 5000 feet east and from the