The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-09
SOU HERN
OIL FIELD
Grows Increasingly Import
ant as Others Decline.
Especial to The Times.Dlspatch.

in this weeks issue of the Manufacturers
Record throws interesting light upon the
increasing Importance of the South in
oil production as the older fields tend to
decline. From Beaumont. Texas. comes
the following:
Shipments of Beaumont and Sour Lake
petroleum by water and rail- during the
month of September aggregated l.500,OO0
barrels, Of which 100000 barrels went BY
tank-steamer and barge from Port Ar
thur and Sabine Pass to New York, New
Orleans, Philadelphia, Port Tampa tId.. Z
and Plymouth. England. The other
100000 barrels went by tank-car from
Sour Lake and Beaumont, more than
100000 barrels being shipped from the
former point.
Under the arrangement now In effect,
the Southern Pacific hauls fuel oil for the
Santa Fe Railroad from Sour Lake to
Beaumont, where the Santa Fe has Its
own tracks In September the Santa Fe
received 10000 barrels of Sour Lake oil
for its own use as fuel on its locomotives
on the Gulf division. The Southern Paci-
fic is getting vastly more oil out OF Sour
Lake than is any other one company.
Every effort Of the management Is oil
rected toward filling the companys stor-
age tanks along IT'S lines from New ora
leans to Ell Paso, and while oil Is at the
present figure it is especially to the
roads advantage to get as much into its
tanks as possible for future use. Proba-
bly, 5000 barrels a day are being hauled
out of Sour Lake by the Southern Pacl-
flc for its own consumption.
LOUISIANA FIELD.
1.-THE Louisiana fields are Showing up
better. In the latter part of September
the Jennings Pipe Line shipped two
solid trans of oil from Jennings to the
sugar planters In Louisiana. y great
amount of 'wild-catting' is In progress tn
Texas und Louisiana. and strikes from
several wells at different points are re-
ported, though no confirmation OF thesv
rumors has been obtained. The largest
tank-steamer in the world, the Pectan.s
owned by the Shell Transport and Trad
ing Company, of London, took cargo
for England OF 5000 barrels of desul-
phurlzed Beaumont and Sour Lake petro-
leum from tho Guffey refinerles at PORT
Arthur this week. This is the biggest
single cargo Of Texas oil that has Yet
been shipped"
STEADY INCREASE.
During September, too. there have been
encouraging Developments In the Ken
tuc1y-Tennessee field. Correspondence
from Barboursville, KY, describing con-
ditions Of the field. still in its first stage.
though millions of dollars have been IN
vested there, says:
"The new production Is steadily increas.
ing, and productive pools outside OF tho
regular developments are being proVef.t%
Increasing activity is apparent In all the
older divisions, especially where the mar
ketng of oil has been progressing for
some time. This is due partly to the de-
sire OF operators to get as big produc-
ton as possible before winter sets in and
partly to the advances In tho prices OF
oil tina at month there
have been no less than a hundred wells
completed. Several rich strikes In Wayne
county are attracting considerable atten-
ton to that section, which is AT present
leading in production. One OF the best
strikes in several months was made In
the steubensylle territory, ! came N
in the upper formation and Is good Tor
$50 barrels. Down In the southeastern
part OF the country. work Is equally ac-
tive Operators who are now at work
In the Richand division han from inc
North and East and consider well, u
1t produces but TWO barrels daily as a
paying proposition, To this class of ope-
rators tho field owes more than to any
thing else, During the past few weeks
number of contracts have been let for the
drilling of new wells Tests for deep oil
continue to be made. and several wells
of that class are going down.
1.-THE past few weeks have witnessed
large Increases in the pipe line runs from
tho various divisions, both OF the lower
and central fields For the third week
in September the runs We're l5io5 barrels.
This is an increase of about 5000 barrels
over the runs of the preceding week, The
runs for the fourth week In September
wore 1891 barrels. At this rate OF IN
crease 1t will not be long until the
kentucky and Tennessee Held viii con-
tribute largely to make up for the de-
rransine, nroduction In the older fields.
On the whole, the oil DEVELOPMENTS IN
Kentucky have already resulted in great
good as far as industry is concerned,
Towns have doubled in size. land own-
ers have realized a great deal by leasing
their lands and capitalists have come
In to make the business cepters their per.
manent headquarters.