El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-16
NOBODY SLEEPS
IN NEWOIL TOWN
Ranger Is Converted From
A Small Village to Over
run City.
By NETTIE VI. VAN EPPs.

mineral " els. Tex. Aug lev hen
I reached Ranger. Texas, 1 was not
/ expecting TO be met with a brass band
because 1 took the precaution to wire
/ several days ahead for room reserva-
ton at the new big hotel named after
E the discoverer Of an oil well. but I did
look for someone TO be at the depot
when the train arrived to carry my
luggage.
1 stepped from the train into dust
I ankle deep. and found myself in Just
/ a plain jam Of all kinds OF people
hurrying and scurrying in every di-
rectiou.
Through the crowd 1 saw a Quick
I Service Car" sign, made my way TO il.
asked 10 be taken TO the hotel.
The driver answered. "Hotel2 Why.
it's only four blocks up the street.
we 90 10 the oil wells"
There were no other service cars. no
red caps" not even a Mexican boy
who looked as though he would carry
a grip. so 1 started up the street" for
the hotel
Crowds Everywhere.
About half way there I spotted the
postoffice and stopped for my mail
people were in line 10 the street door
general delivery window where 1 was
quickly waited upon by a slip Of
girl not more than II years of age
While in line waiting my turn
learned that the postoffice Is a fourth
class office and the postmaster is
having the time of his life The oil
boom wished a job onto him that he
does not want, yet cannot get rid OF
and he has his whole family working I
The revenue from the office is so
III -Ha
and all complaints for lack Of service I
that are turned into Washington are {
kindness TO him
Hotel Filled Up.
At the hotel I found a tall woman /
dressed in khaki in charge Of the Of
flee. / asked for the room I had wired .
for She flashed a page of the reg
ister at me and said: There are no .
rooms here See this list2 These are
not names OF people who have rooms
it is a list Of old men from New
York who are waiting for rooms
All the cartoons I've ever seen or
when a fellow needs a friend"
chased through my mind. ! felt like
the boy and was reminded Of his
mother and quickly realized that no
one who was not an 'oil man from
New York" had a ghost OF a show 10
get a room at that hotel in Ranger
L was allowed TO leave my grips in
the AQLEl 4ODUE WINE 1 went into the
dining room for dinner.
seated myself at a Jable-thick
plates were turned down over paper
napkins on tables that had been
painted white but dried so hurriedly
that the paint was in "gobs' all
over them Ragtime usic was fur
nisned by q girl at piano and the j
assortment Of waiteresses divided
their time between serving the
patrons snd singing en- chorus with
the piano; those who could not sing
whistled. Dust blew into the win
dows-and all over everything ]
amused myself looking into the
kitchen where the orders were being
served-this being a part OF the view
10 be had in the dining room
OIL Drives Everybody Mad.
From here / went to the long dis
lance telephone company's office for Z
the purpose OF sending out an :. o. \
might get TO Eastland ,
or Ciscoe or some place where real Z
money was appreciated even though
not from oil men from New York" {
This office was the worst Of all I
places / had been. Men and women
were waiting TO get calls started
Every bench was filled and window I
stills were used as seats, chairs at a
premium, operators doing their best
but just TOO much work 10 be done for
the force employed. I concluded that
---l AA- - Il gin HALA " a. 0AAAg HdAAH
ton. sun Juggling my grips I went 7
to the depot and bought ticket for
Mineral Wells
While 1 was waiting for my ticket '
man came up 10 the agent and
'bawled out over my shoulder that
his car OF water melons had been on J
he track there three days and II he
Gould not get II placed he was going :
70 turn them over 10 the railroad I
company. The agent. smilingly, an
iwered- BE careful about that; you
understand that the food administra-i {
ion will handle the matter If YOU r
To-" a gutteral Hugh" was all I I
leard from the man with the melons.
a Great Boom. 2
Take Il all in all. Ranger. Texas. q
s great place. One year ago there =
we're about 500 people there. Today :
here are between 1000 and 5000 T
Every one means TO do their best. 1 :
m sure, but an hour and 4 half spent y
here in the middle Of a day in August :
With two heavy grips TO lug around =
Nth you will leave a memory never "
o be forgotten
Water sells in Ranger for 80 cents I
barrett has not rained there, I
as told, for nearly a year. The oil
-ells are in and all around the town
early every country man has sold
some royalty and has an automobile "
there are hundreds Of them parked y
long the streets. Teams are hauling "
eavy lumber, boilers, oil well ma "
linery and casings-just as busy as Il
is possible for them 10 be. Tanks p'
re being built-in fact everything 70
lat goes to make up one OF the e.
.rgest oil fields is being done IN a in
tile country town. that is as dusty ti
s dusty can be. where there is no ca
ater, except as It is hauled in in al