The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1921-09-09
WAR PRICES DIED
HARD IN TAMP|C0
Money Came Easily in Mexico's
Oil Metropolis and Was Spent
With Lavish Hand.
EVERYTHING WENT SKY HIGH
Prosperity Continued After Most other
Communities Were Experiencing
Setback-city Is Now Under
going Read justment.

Washington.-"Ame who saw
prices skyrocket at home and who saw
themselves and their neighbOrs nearly
lose their sense of money values,
would have felt thoroughly at home In
TampicO, the great Mexican oil town.
during the last few years." says a
bulletin issued from the Washington
headquarters Of the National Geo
graphic society.
This was the port to which United
States gunboats were sent recently
when the closing down of American
Oil wells and refneries because Of
heavy Mexican taxes threw thousands
Of men out of work, and disorders
were feared.
Floated to Prosperity on Oil.
"TampicO, long a port of no great
Importance, has had mushroom
growth in the last fifteen years." con-
tinues the bulletin, "its population in
creasing from less than 1900 in 1906
to well over 100000 today. And the
explanation for this great stride for
ward can be given in one word-Oil.
The biggest 'gusher' the world has
ever known was drilled near Talnpico
in 1908, and scores Of other huge
streams of oil have been opened up In
the same vicinity since. Hundreds OF
through Tampico, and the town has
been the financial and business head
quarters for fields many miles away.
Money flowed easily into the peck
cts of large number of American
managers and technical workers who
Mexican landowners, merchants and
Gay laborers. The World war raised
the demand for liquid fuel to unheard
Of heights and 1t seemed that everyone
i'm Tampico was becoming wealthy.
Conditions closely paralleled those In
the oil towns of the United States.
Silk shirts were not the vogue that
they were among the loungers along
every American Main street, but in
their way Tampicans became equally
as proficient spenders. There was lit
tie inclination to count the change.
lie COSt VI All uIllCltS VI loou anu ap
parel rose tremendously. Rents
scared until ordinary accommodations
for Americans could not be obtained
for much under 5000 to $500 per
MONTH
Because the after-the-war indus
tries of the world required petroleum
no less than did the navies Of the fight
ing nations during the war, Tampico's
prosperity continued after most other
communities whose business was
quickened by the war were expert
encing a setback. Now, belatedly, the
city is undergoing the readjustment
that came to the rest of the world.
Has More Freight Than Vera Cruz.
although TampicO owes its pros
perity predOminantly to oil, 1t has
other factors that contribute to its i'm
portance. Thanks to rNilroad from
Monterey, connecting with the mining
region of nOrth-central Mexico, and to
excellent harbOr improvements, the
town is an important port of entry
and export. 1t has surpassed Vera
Cruz In the bulk of commodities han
died, though the latter city probably
Is the port Of entry for products of
greater aggregate value.
1.-THE city of Tampico is not direct
ly on the seacoast, but is situated
few miles up the Panuco river, which
is broad and deep and affords anchor
age for large number of ocean-going
ships. At the mouth of the stream OF
La Barra is supplemental harb0r
Near the latter place is one of the
finest sea beaches to be found.
until Tampico found its buried
treasure and shook off its lethargy 1t
was an exceedingly unhealthy place,
often being subject to epidemics of
yellow fever. Drainage and the appli-
cation of other modern methods of
sanitation have greatly improved the
health conditions. The families OF nu-
merous American and English employ
ees Of the big Oil companies have
moved In. and thriving English
speaking colony exists in the higher