Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-16
able to subdue the luxurious growths in

able to subdue the luxurious growths In
this fertile soil One of the most expensive
Items in railway maintainence is keeping
the track clear OF weeds. If they were
let alone the rails and ties would be hid
den in two months. They take old loco
motive tank with a sprinkler attachment
extending about ten feet on each side and
haul 1t slowly along the right of way. The
poison kills all vegetable life. and after
1t dries another old tank filed with oil.
instead of acids is sent over to burn the
debris.
Oil is burned In all the locomotives and
in all machine shops and it is brought
from Beaumont, Tex. Petroleum fuel is ex-
tensively used throughout all Mexico. The
Mexican Central road Is now taking $4,000
barrels month from Edward L. Doheny
and his associates of Los Angeles, who own
the oil fields In Central Mexico, and has a
contract with him under which this amount
will be gradually increased to 10000 bar
rels a month, 1t is rather unusual
contract. He has agreed to furnish the
railway all the fuel oil It needs for fifty
years st the rate of 80 cents a barrel.
Developing Oil Lands
Pearson & Son, who control the Te-
huantepec railway. intend to produce
their own fuel as soon as possible and
have discovered an abundance of oil near
San Cristobal on the Coatzacoalcos river,
about twenty miles from its mouth. 1t Is
recent discovery. although indications
of oil have been noticed in that locality
as well as In Yucatan. for many years.
Being aware OF that fact. the Pearsons
sent to Beaumont for expert prospectors
and had them make a thorough investi-
cation. The result was 50 satisfactory
that they at once acquired a large tract
of land and are now developing it. This
part of their business involves many pos
sibilities which have not yet received
much consideration, but it looks very
much as II the Pearsons who are rich
and enterprising. intended to grapple
with the Waters-Pierce Oil Company
which Is the title under which the Stand
ard OIL Company operates in Mexico. Mr.
Thomas j. Ryder, who for years has been
manager of the Standard Oil interests
here, has resigned In order TO take charge
of the Pearson oil interests, and several
of the most valuable members of his staff
have gone over with him Mr. c. D.
Rosenplanter. representing Sir Boverton
Redwood the famous British chemist
who makes speciality of petroleum and
has been engaged for years In the oil
fields of Russia. Persia. Java, Sumatra.
Burmah and other parts of the east i3
now testing the San CristobaI oils He
tells me that he has found an abundance
of high-class petroleum suitable for H.
Eliminating and lubrcatng purposes and
two or three entirely new qualities OF
crude oil containing elements that he has
never seen before. but it IS all too fine
for fuel. and that is what the Pearsons
need and want. Tbe prospecting will be
continued until they find It. Meantime an
experimental refinery viii be established
at San Cristobal. the nearest town OF i'm
portance to the oil fields. in charge of re-
cent recruits from the Waters Pierce
Company. This looks as If Sir Weetman
Pearson intended to go into the business
on large scale. and that Is usually his
disposition. He is developing several
other new industries also.
Efforts to Raise Jute.
one of them is tute. The firm has fac
tory at Orizaba. at which they manufae-
ture bags for sugar. coffee, grains and
other purposes. from imported material.
and they have large business. Sir Weet-
man Pearson, however, Is confident thar
he can produce his own raw material here
in the neighborhood of the Tehuantepec
railway and has employed Mr.. William
! Lowther, iute expert, to conduct the
experiments. Mr.. LowtheF spent wear
In India studying the subject and brought
back with him u quantity of seed which
he planted at OJapa, an experimental ha-
cienda on the isthmus.
Two young men from Chicago William
Duus Hansen and Frederick w. Gregory
are now cruising through the jungles
near CoatZacoalcos searching for new
abre plants suitable for the manufacture
81 fine stationery and similar purposes,
While they declare that they have ae-
compiished nothing practical as yet Mr.
Hansen says that their observations JUS
! tify the hope OF achieving something SUBJ
stantial In the future. They have sent to
Chicago for machinery and will set up an
experimental laboratory here. II would
| seem that there ought TO be enormous
wealth in the plant life of these junxles,