Semi-weekly herald., 1917-11-15
BUSINESS MEN DISCUSS BASIN RESOURCES AT EXCHANGE MEETING

had come into the southern country
down the valley with the determine
ton to test out the oil possibilities
there. This company leased all the
school lands in New Mexico that II
could secure for this purpose and put
up bond for $4,000 to be forfeited
in case they did not live up to their
agreement. About the time they got
the work lined up the company struck
oil in three of its Oklahoma wells.
and deliberately forfeited the $780,
600 and pulled out of this section
because they had found big thing
at home and decided they didn't want
to fool with any more wild eating
propo positions. 1t looks like the pros
pecting of the oil possibilities is to
30 ahead again, now that the COM
pany OH the field is preparing to go
down to 1000 feet in more than one
hole, and have standard rig on the
| ground.
Principal Snyder Of the Fl. Lewis
school, came over with his illustrat-
ed slide lecture on the subject Of
roads. He is an authority on road
building.
Mr.. Snyder:
The two greatest educators in the
world are said to be the school teach
ers and the roads. II the road be-
tween FIT. Lewis and Durango 10 an
educator of anything-it is an educa-
tor of profanity" opened up Mr.. Sny-
der. He said that when they return
ed home from this city that the ra-
dius rods on their cars broke, and
that the ruts in the road this side of
Lightner Creek were from six TO
eight inches in depth and were al
most impossible and impossible for
a car. He said that it was no pleas
ure to come to Durango, that is, the
ride was anything but pleasant. He
appreciated the help of the Durango
business men in securing what work
they have on the road. He spoke
of the technical construction work in
building real roads. and added that
while the dirt and the clay roads
could be kept in fair condition by
carefol attention, the only real road
Is one made of macadam or concrete.
While concrete road would cost
from $4,000 to $4,000 a mile, he
pointed out that it would soon pay
for itself in the saving on vehicles
of all kinds that are continually being
battered to pieces over the roads. II
was useless to talk Of concrete roads
as long as the world has william"
at large with great army, who is
making necessary an immense ex-
pcnditure Of money to overcome him.
He hopes to see the day when the
military necessity will have been
finished and the time arrive when
the government will get TO work
building real hard-surfaced roada ov-
er the country. A team that can
pull 1000 pounds on level road can
pull only 900 pounds on a road that
has grade Of one foot to the mile;
can pull only 720 pounds on . road
that has grade of two feet to the
mile. and on grads of 10 feet to the
mile, it can pull but $50 pounds. This
is Professor Snyder's clincher in his
argument for hard-surfaced and min
imum grades for roads. The pic
lures he showed on the screen illus
trated his talk, and showed the con-
struction Of macadam road, and
showed the contrast between the old
muddy dirt roads and those with q
hard roadbed.
The orchestra gave another 3elec-
ton, and the meeting was broken up
for the evening. Those who attend
ed are very enthusiastic over its
outcome, and are anxious that here
after the Durango Exchange shall
call a get-to-gether meeting at least
once month and let the professional
men rub elbows and wits with the
business man. As some Of the speak
ers said, the spirit Of get-to -gether-
ness is not only a local necessity,
but national duty in this time Of
stress.
We have around us the wonderful
San Juan basin. Its resources are
almost without limit. Is it not worth
the effort to try to more fully de-
velop them at this time when our
country, even the world, Is crying for
our minerals, our live stock and our
foodstuffs?