The Neshoba Democrat. (Philadelphia, Miss.) 1881-current, 1921-08-11
A. G. STR|BuNG ON MEXICO.
AN INTERVIEW WITH A NESHOBA COUNTlAA ON
OIL FIELD THE AClMIkILED.

yiSit from the oil HetuS oi MeAiCo
The Zacimix tied field lies eighty-two
miles south of Tampico.
We hear much about Mexico these
troubled times, and Mr.. Stribltng has
given us some interesting news re-
garding that part of Mexico he saw
about the Zacimixtled oil field, Tam
pico and Monterey.
The oil field Is forty miles long and
u mile wide. A large portion OF thia
proven field is drained, and plans are
being made to open the field south
through to Vera Cruz. Three or four
paving wells have already been found
I'm the new field The Houstica Com
pany. an American Company, holds
leases in the new field. MeXicans hold
many leases and but for these
wealthy Mexicans, who have inter
ests In oil, Americans could not oper-
ate. These Mexicans need American
capital, and American brains. En-
plishmen know little about oil drill
ing and are at a disadvantage.
The producing oil wells are large
as a general run. Casing and piping
run high In long distance pipe lines
SO wells of 10, 900 barrels capacity, or
more, are exploited. If the wells are
smaller the expense OF handling 1t
make it Improbable.
10000 or Sc, coo barrel capacity wells
are considered good wells. One well
of u 125, 900 barrel capacity is the lar
eest In the world The average depth
of wells is 2200 feet.
Wages in the oil fields are high.
Mr.. Stribling helped bring in two
wells on drilling rig with wages OF
$500 per month In gold. Food, lodg-
ing and medical services are gratls.
But living expenses, nevertheless, are
high. Snits cost from $75 to $l0O.
work shirts $6, shaves 50 cents and
beer 80 cents bottle. Rooms In q
city like Taanpiea nase ~ to Sl5. q day
Times are usually, almostconstant-
ly. good in the oil field, but crude oil
is down in price and the Mexican
government has imposed such a
heavy export tax that when Mr..
Stribling left, June %, business was
dull.
Life ia pretty rough and tough In
the oil fields Money comes easily
and goes easily. Women, wine and
song, [mostly whiskeyl move along
together, much as we see 1t portray
ed in our cheap melo.dramatic NOV
ang pictures. The skum OF U. 5. A.
drifts over the border, criminals, fu-
gitives from justice, and since Ameri-
ea went dry, human derelicts drift in
with unquenchable thirsts for alco-
hol. According to Mr.. Stribling 1T is
no place for a white man. Most OF
them who are there are either Tor d
rough life or for the money that
there is in 1T.
Though the oil camps are sanitary
Mr., Stribling says he never saw more
filth. He says the Mexican poems
never get bathed except when 1t
rains. and that it is dry there ten
months in a year. Heavy rains fall
i'm July and August At other times
everything dries up. There is much
malaria during the rainy season.
Drinking water comes from the riv-
ers, and is all boiled before drunk.
Street cleaning in the smaller
towns Ia done wholly by. buzzartls.
They are very tame; roosting In the
thatched houses at night, and at
day devouring the rubbish and gar
bage that is thrown into the streets.
Soldiers bury the dead. A crude
manner of burial is practiced.y The
corpses are placed between two opoles,
to which they are tied by ropes
wrapped many times about their
arms and legs. Though the poor are
buried in their dirty ragged clothes,
the more wealthy have a box.
Ofcourse no farming is done In the
oil fields and the farming on the
outside is mostly patching, and
primitively done. Corn and cane are
grown. The climate remains the
same the year around. Bananas and
oranges grow wild. The bananas are
good but the oranges wormy.
American women live In Tampico
where there is an American Colony
with schools and churches. Monte
Tey, Mr.. Stribling says. is the pretti-
est cleanest city he has ever seen.
There are neither schools nor
churches in the oil fields, and the ma
tives are illiterate, very ignorant.
The Mexican hates the American, and
were 1t not for the protection of the
wealthy Mexicans who need Aineri-
.can capital, Mr.. Stribling, says there
would be friction all the time.