The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-02-15
WILD STAMPEDE WHEN
NEW OIL WELL BLOWED
GRAPHIC STORY OF THE RUSH
OF HUMANITY BY TRAIN
LOAD TO NEW FIELD.

The large number OF Terrell county
people who have upwards OF S200,OOO,
which they have kissed goodbye, in
vested in Texas oil wells will read
with much interest, ii not with renew
ed hopes of fabulous wealth, the fol-
lowing dispatch to the Little Rock
(Ark.) Gazette graphically picturing
the rush Of people to the FL Dorado
field when the blowing" Of well was
heralded abroad.
Special Trains Unload Hundreds.
FL Dorado, Textile stampede to
the Fl Dorado field, following the
blowing in of the Busey well, began
at 3 a. m. today when special train
loaded to the guards with oil men roll
ed in from Shreveport This was tol-
lowed by second special from
Shreveport, and hundreds of pilgrims
on regular trains from every point OF
the compass The Oklahoma oil men
were due to arrive tonight on a spe-
cial train. In the course of twenty
four hours the population increased
from four to ten thousand.
Standing on the western city limits
ing hills to where the Busey well is
shooting forked black spray toward
the heavens. 1t is a glorious sight to
those joyous pilgrims who have laid
their stakes in this field, and also to
the Gazette's correspondent, whose
optimism about the El Dorado field
has been fully indicated.
Today, in the drilling rain, the pill
grims Jared to the well-a steady
stream of humanity along the great
sandy thoroughfare. Cars OF all makes
and designs whizzed by and many OF
them settled in the mud, their engines
roaring and the passengers pushing
from behind The road is fast becom-
ing impossible, and every hundred
yards or so we found stranded bus:
Along the COW path beside the road
men, women and children Wadod the
mud and laughed in great glee. High
school girls shrieked as the mud went
over their shoe tops, and boys raced
toward the well. Maids and matrons
passed more sedately. Old and young
were there. 1t resembled scene at
a county fair.
Cling to Barbed Wire Fence Like
Blackbirds.
The roar Of the new born well
echoed through the woods long before
we arrived there. 1t is situated IN the
middle of the Armstrong field, and Wis
itors get no nearer than the fence
along the road. Here they chung to
the barbed wire like. blackbirds Tor
half mile or more and watched the
great we'll blow.
Armed. guards rode the lines inside
and for a time these withstood even
the power of the press with the eX-
cuse that "orders is orders Beyond
the lines, however, oil was scooped up
in bottles by the eager spectators.
A big dam is holding back part of
the chocolate colored fluid, but the
flood is steadily rising against the dam
and soon will overflow This lake con-
tains several hundred barrels.
Surrounding the derrick the cotton
burrows glistened with the thick red
fluid which oozed off the hillside III
rivulets and branches in all directions
1t is a great waste of precious COM
modify, and will continue until there
is a pipeline or other means to save it.
The oil stained our fingers red, and
the odor was the familiar odor of gas
oline No test has been made of the
specific gravity.
Great Blue Dome of Sky the Limit
To Prices.
Estimates by oil men range all the
way from 10000 to $4,000 barrels, but
10000 seems a more likely guess, with
the probability that it will range to
$4,000 or 10000. AT any rate, it is a
big we'll if it keeps up, and it shows
not the least sign of abating.
Meanwhile the stampede is growing
every hour and big sales are reported.
Forty acres about three-fourth OF a
mile southeast Of the well sold for
$50,000 Ninety-two acres three
fourths OF a mile away sold for $92,
600, or $1,000 an acre, and forty
further away brought only $500 an
acre The great blue dome OF the sky
seems to be the limit.
The people of Ell Dorado have open
ed their homes to the pilgrims. All
day long the visitors have milled in
the hotel Hobbies and along the streets
like sheep, and tonight they are sleep
ing wherever they can find pillows for
their restless heads. 1t is like the gold
rush of 40 must have been. 1t is i'm