Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-11


its size in the state, that town Is GER
tainly Taft.
Starting with nothing a little more
than a year ago and almost completely
wiped out by flames October 22i 1909,
Taft now boasts of 1900 inhabitants,
about 300 houses, and new buildings
are being erected at the rate of three
every day. Exclusive of rig builders
and carpenters employed on the leases
between 1875 and 150 carpenters are
now at work in the Midway town.
The town lies at the northern fooE
of Twenty-Five hill, and from the slope
of this celebrated landmark-the old
time center of the Midway field-one
sees the whole place spread out be-
fore him. TO make the 300 houses, II
is true, some house tents must be IN
cluded, and a large percentage of the
structures are of the shanty order OF
architecture. But rising above the clus-
ter of smaller buildings are galvanized
iron roofs of the four supply houses,
the Union Tool company, the West
ern Pipe and Steel company, four or
FIVE quite pretentious frame hotels,
and one concrete store building
Two Towns Together
The town covers, in all. close to a
section of ground. The older portion
is on the slope from Twenty-Five hill
to the Sunset Westerns railroad res
ervation, and farther north, jumping
a wide space for the right of way. the
newer section of the town begins. II
is close race between the two sec
tions and not little good humored
rivalry exists between them. The new
portion offers investors the advantage
of deeds to town lots, while those who
build on the. south side of the track
q leases.
Whether 1t is due to the belief that
big oil gushers may lie under the town
lots or whether the amount OF business
done in the town gives them strength
to charge, the owners of Taft realty are
not over diffident when it comes TO
naming a price. Around the corner OF
Center and Fourth streets, which is
the heart of the new section. a 25-foot
lot will stand you from $1,000 to $1,000.
other business lots along the principal
streets run from $1,000 to $500. Every
time they change hands, ii is SAID, the
price goes up about $500. lease on
25-foot lot on the south side costs from
$40 to $40 a month.
Real Estate Booms
The railroad has sold or given con-
tracks to sell practically all the lois In
the new town, and an addition along
the north is to be placed on the mar
ket in about two weeks. 1t is said
that one man in the Southern Pacific
land department at San Francisco does
nothing but attend TO sales and trans
fers of contracts in Taft. The new ad-
dition will contain about $50 lots. and
according to predictions they will not
last long 1t Is said that j. w. Heard
OF oil Center will build ten or a dozen
neat bungalows for renting purposes,
and another man whose name was not
learned will build five or six.
The work of grading streets Is going
on i'm both parts of town. When the
grading is done oil will be applied, the
expense being apportioned between the
county and the property owners. a
committee was sent from here to en-
list the cooperation of the railroad
company in this Improvement, with the
result that the latter is paying its as
sessment on all lots owned by 1t at the
time the grading and oiling we're or
dered.
The Taft Public Utilities company
Is now building its office on the north
side of the track. Water is to be
shipped from Kern by train as now,
but two 500-barrel tanks will be bullt
on the slope of Twenty-Five hill and the
water will be piped by gravity all over
the town. Fire hydrants will be placed
at the street corners. The cost OF
tanks and mains, exclusive of house
connections is estimated at $4,000. 1t
is possible that one 15O0-bar tank
may be added to the water system
later. At the present time good drink
ing water, shipped from Kern in tank
cars, sells for so cents barrel
The need of a bank to facilitate the
growing business of the Midway field
is shortly to be supplied. S. V. Noble
of San Diego and c. l.. Morrell are
Interested In the proposed institution
and have purchased a site for a 30X50-
foot concrete building. Mr.. Morrell is
now at Coalinga working ON the
franchise for the proposed electric line
to that field, but he is expected here
before long to hasten the preliminaries
of starting the new bank.
The Bank of Hanford and one or two
other institutions have considered the
advisability of establishing branches
here. Probably but one bank will be
started, but one is considered assured.
Autos Arc Numerous
Ten autos are owned in the town,
besides those belonging to oil COM
panies in the adjacent fields, and sew
eral in the auto stage business. II. A.
Hopkins is expecting a new Stude-
baker machine shortly, and others have
either made or are contemplating pur-
chases that will considerably increase
the towns total. Ramsey is building
a 50x100-foot galvanized iron garage to
take care of the business
Moron or Taft boasts OF four of the
best stocked oil supply houses in the
state, namely, the National, Lucey,
Union and Fairbanks & Morse. The
Union Tool company has a well
equipped machine shop, and the West
ern Pipe and Steel company is also well
fitted for business in it's line, which in
cludes the building of tanks.
The great demand for rig material
and oil we'll supplies occasioned by
the present excitement has badly de-
pleted the stocks of the supply houses
and the Union Lumber company, but
the former claim to be able to supply
nearly or quite anything that is called
for, although the amount of some
things ON hand is not very large. Lum-
ber and supplies are coming in by the
trainloads now.
Teamng Business Heavy
1t is estimated that not less than
900 head of horses and mules are haul
ing material and supplies from Taft to
different parts of the Midway field.
Two hundred and fifty head of stock
came recently from Coalinga field, and
have come fro melsewhere. Teamsters
for hay, $42 for barley and cents a
drink for every head of stock they
own.
one result of the activity of all