The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-01-01

sersed the oil covering the ocean for
miles in the sea south of Point Con-
eencion. living upon the water in such
quantities as to have an appreciate
effect in moderating the force OF the
waves there during the winter season
The development of the Pennsylva-
MA fields led to the initial attempt to
s,1rr1 the California mineral oils to
profit. and it was a Pennsylvania man
who first tried to exploit what has with
IN the past ten years become one OF the
greatest of the many sources of the
wealth of the Golden Coast. 1t will be
remembered that immediately following
the war Colonel Tom Scott began to de-
vote TO the Pennsylvania railway that
marvellous administrative ability which
.asIIIted IN LAYING the foundations of
what has since become one of the great
Isl of American roads That was when
the oil business was IN its first glory,
and the Pennsylvania road owed not
little of earlier prestige to its success
m handling the oil carrying trade and
the good fortune of its management IN
dealing in oil lands.
Colonel Scott, in fact, was one OF the
Srst Americans to foresee the great tu-
eure of the American oil industry, and
one of the first, also. perhaps, to see
that the Pennsylvania oil fields would
one day become exhausted. AT all
events. he was among the earliest OF
those who began reaching out for new
6eIds and the very first to attempt the
exploitation of the California territory.
Colonel Scott, like most men of great
administrative genius, was a good judge
of men. He selected as the man to rep
resent him in the new oil region man
who had served in his Office as president
of the Pennsylvania railway, a young
surveyor of Chambersburg of the name
of Thomas r. Bard.
That man is now United States Sena-
tor from California, and the posseSsor
of a fortune estimated to be we'll up III
the millions, which fortune has been ac-
cy1nsulated largely as the result of oper-
stions in the oil fields of California.
Hon. Thomas R Bard was at one time
the president, and is still large stock
holder in the Union Oil Company of
California But that is to anticipate the
tale
SCOTS FIRST VENTURE.
Colonel Scott had purchased several
large Spanish land grants in California,
believed to consist of. oil bearing lands,
aud the Young surveyor, Bard, was sent
10 Southern California as his agent,
~v;tt, instructions TO test the ground
thoroughly and report as to its value as
an oil territory to come IN and supply
she Mace of the Pennsylvania fields
when those should be exhausted. This
--as Immediately at the close of the
Civil War in 1866.
8ard was not himself practical well
SsriIfer. but he was a practical man, with
: large fund of hard common sense, and
he rad seen much of the oil business.
E--o;no at once to Southern California,
y he had been instructed. he took up
nc residence at the town of San Buena-
ventura and proceeded to test the oil
fields. He put down SIX wells, after
sbe most approved Pennsylvania man
-,e- fhe first OF these at distance of
.ha,,t eight miles from San Buenayen-
s,,ra Il, region where great quantities
AZ oil are prouuced to this day In fact,
III tbe BARD wells are in land that IS
.-,,5J,,ct,ve now. The Bard wells all
nroduced oil. but it was a heavy black
stutT with base of asphaltum, ertlre-
+ different from the light green OIL that
e1,,si,ei from the sand OF the Pennsyi-
wanna hills ts
s;ng OF oil after it had been produced
pard had demonstrated that there was
a:n Southern California. he was NOT
MIST, and he could not show tilas