The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-01-28
Wonderful Growth
of Texas Oil Town

MeSla, Texas, Jan. GI.-Overnight q
tented city arose. From on apparent
~ sleepy little town of 5000 popula-
tion in October, 1921, where the old
settlers farmed for n living and eked
out Il bare existence from their lands;
where they rode COW horses to "town"
and hitched them to hitching post
and where even the town hall bell had
not tolled for years because Of the
cob webs and bird nests-to bustling
city of 10000 people, and all in few
months, this is the recent record of
McXia, an old time Texas town, which
is feeling the effects Of one of the
numerous oil developments in the
Southwest
The population now consists of an
assortment Of oil field followers and
thousands Of men and women seeking
employment, leaving an oil field for
the new, coming on trains from all
parts of the United States, or in
wagons, trucks or horseback" some
bringing their assortment of house
hold goods and camping outfits and
finding from ten to hundred men for
every job, and no place available for
spending the night.
onscQuently because of the exhorbi-
tant prices charged for room, if one
were lucky enough to secure one, hun
dreds Of men, favored by the long-con
tinued mild winter are sleeping on the
grass along railroad tracks, public
parking places and, in fact, anywhere
they could. Overnight bed in tent
marked "A place to flop" scared from
so cents a night to $3 A night in a
crude plank structure where one didn't
know his fellow or the hundreds
of others in the single room cost SIS.
Prices charged the few who were
lucky enough to get in one of the few
private dwellings, vary, but all were
high enough to satisfy the most fas-
tidious millionaire. But men are glad
to get a bed at any price and many
could not find shelter except that pro-
vided by nature.
Rail traffic jumped hundreds of per
cent. There are two trunk lines, the
Houston & Texas Central and the
Trinity and Brazos Valley leading
through here and passenger traffic is
very heavy while freight trains are
frequently seen running three abreast,
SO heavy is the demand for oil machin-
cry. One road is said to have spent
100000 in enlarging its facilities.
The water situation is not altogeth-
cr what could be desired. The water
was procured from a spring a short
distance from town, and although
good water, it was nearly as high in
price as gasoline Some oil man,
however, came along and drilled an
oil well right side by side with the
spring, tapping" the water supply
so badly that lately it has been en-
tirely stopped. Water wagons have
been requisitioned and although they
are busy all day and night hauling
water to homes, restaurants and i'm
provised "bunking" houses, they are
not sufficient to cover the field.
Consequently the town has been de-
clared every unsanitary" by citizens
in heated arguments at the meetings
of the city council, which is making
every effort to remedy the situation.
Mayor Riddle informed the irate citi-
zcns that this "could not be done over
night"
Getting bath here is quite an ex-
pcrience, if indeed not a task. The
old saying "if you want to do some
thing big-wash an elephant" GER
tainly has found parallel in Mexia
This luxury may be found, outside the
woodland creeks, only in downtown
barber shop. The bath house is stall
in a wooden floored, planked-in en-
closure. Just plain pine planks are
slippery, but the proprietors of the
house have found that it is not neces-
sary to maintain first aid kits because
the board floors are warped enough to
allow the bather foothold "Clean-
liness, after all, is next to godliness,"
but bath in Mexia is next to impos-
siblc.
But as for oil, there are solid six
miles of new derricks, drillers outfits,
tents, wooden buildings and people
where once there was the open prairie.
a survey of all local lumber men
shows that building completed or con-
tracted for since October totals he
tween $3,0OO,0OO and 100000.