La Junta tribune., 1910-03-12
ARRIVED here ON . SLOW
train through Arkansas Sat'
urday night and II was safs-
IL a slov train. for ve weR0

train through Arkansas Soer
urday night and It was sars-
3 ly q slow train: for We were
four and one-hAlf hours going forty
miles. I had stopped at Bradley. Arb.
for two or three days. Visiting With
MIR. John Carl. q brother OF our Oh
friends. Joe q. and VIM. H. Carl. q
Holbrook. Mr.. Carl. like some otAee
good people I know. In an old bachs-
lor. but he has an advantage over Q
few Of these a. he has = large farm.
\ Southern. unpretentious cottage ano
= Niger cook.
The county II = dense timbero0
country Of various oaks. hickoriss.
ash and pine. etc. 1t was . great
pine forest. but large mountains a
sawdust here and there are all that
are left Of these great majestic ev-
ergreen trees This country vas once
full OF sawmills. A few mills are
still remaining. Here is where great
fortunes have been made within the
past dozen years. for eastern Texas.
northern and western Louisiana and
southern Arkansas were one great
pine forest. save only the rich river
lands and the fiat. swampy oak lands.
Twelve years ago pine lumber sold
at the mills at s. and So per thous-
and while today II sells at $50 and
higher. These lands were taken up
In various ways some OF which
would not bear looking into-at a few
cents per acre. sometimes at ~
much as $3.50 per acre. There was
constantly rising price. hence. every
body who touched timber made money
BraAlsy r hncdly large -ssssGA =
be called . town. There are three
or four stores and two dozen houses.
The people are intelligent and hospit-
able-real southern hospitality. where
you are invited home TO dinner or to
stay all highland good careful bust.
ness men. All Bradley expects to
ge' up some morning and find them.
selves rich and the fame Of the little
town making the wires and cables
hot. over the land and under the sea,
for they all believe there In . great
lake Of oil under them and all that
Ii wanting IL the simple matter Of
= little round hole In the ground.
Well. II looks - though they may be-
guessing right. for the surface indi.
cations are similar to the nearby
oil district Of Caddoa. just across the
Louisiana line. and there are seen.
now and then. an oily film on The
water. and occasionally = viscid oily
substance on the ground.
OF course. ~ the Colorado miner
says Of gold. "oil 10 where you find
H." That 10 - far ~ any one can
safely say. A hole Is being sunk.
At this time. only about SIX miles
southeast Of Bradley. but everybody
At Bradley tells you this man. sav.
age. Who is shaking the well. is In
the employ Of the Standard Ou Com
Dsny and that he has been the first
man In several oil fields. but that h.
has never brought In . weli-mesn.
ing that even II be finds oil be caps
bis ven. never lets aayoas see any
oil and finally abandoas the firld and
says there 10 10 oil.
TIE goo1 people os Bradley are no
fools iet ne tell you. and they may
be guessing right again. for rode
over TO this slow descendinG hole In
the ground with Judge Mcrfiman and
JoAn Carl and ! assure you did not
zee anything but the derrick. an en-.
CINE. . lifsless boiler and Idle. rust.
lag drills. and Q eans Of men who
tried 70 make ~ believe they were
doing something when they wore. In
fact. only "putterinx" and making
pretense Of being busy. They claim.
ed they were stopped 10 patch the
boiler. did NOT hear . rivetinx ham.
mse. nor any one ssiag Q cold chisel
or drili. nor did any one show any
intention Of nendiax the much need.
ID boiler. Alter dinner. and they too
a. Spicurs's time 10 eat their dinner
of course they must have had
feast way out there In those Arkan.
san woods. and they must have been
awful hungry. too. after such siren.
uous labor-they returned to the drill.
A couple went 10 . boz Of junk and
tossed the irons about - though they
we're vsry busy. Nobody did any.
thiAs Not word Of Attenuation
would thsy givs ost. One sah. This