The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-05-28

| anu extremely ciftNirEts &nd your
onfiold operator Is pretty much tho
same. Nor Is there any business
in which practical experience b more
valuable. A. a result most Of the
big oil men, especially those en-
| gagged IN production. arc graduates
OF the school of hard knocks, they
are hiE listed. harsh.handed fellows
who arc as thoroly az homo on the
"thrihhle board" OF derrick as az
a desk or a directors table, and
they arc quite as colorful as the
oil fields themselves. Their lives
are fun ana vigorous,
or all tho oil eScitemenis. that
which occurred in North Texas was
perhaps the most remarkable. az any
rate. the world has never witnessed
such scenes as were enacted there,
Tho California gold rush. the great
Alaskan stampede. the diamond
frenzies Of South Africa aud Of Aus
trtlla. all were epic in their way
but mono bred wilder insanity
than did The discovery OF oil in the
Red River district.
For ono thing. the tlmo was ripe
and conditions were proptious FOR
the staging OF an Unprecedented
drnma. Tho enormous wastage Of
a worlds war. resulting In cry
for more production. a new level OF
high prices for crude. rumora OF an
alarming shortage OF supply, the
| anaesa. 80 i,as4apawNeuf ,,.aNttaaV.
large and small-aIl these. and other
reasons. too. caused many people
hitherto unlnterestcd 20 turn their
serious attention TO petroleum. The
country was prosperous. banks were
bullying with money. pockets were
stuffed with profits. poor men had
tho means with which to gamble
and rich men were looking for
quicker gains, lnaamuch 40 the
world had lived FOR four years upon
a steady diet OF excitement Il was
Indeed the psychological moment
for a spectacular boom,
Tho strike at Ranger liz tho fuse.
tho explosion came with the first
gush OF inflammablc llquld from the
Fowler farm az Burkburnett. Then.
indeed. confiagration occurred. the
comprehensive story OF which can
never DO written. owing TO tho fact
that no human mind could follow
tho swift events OF tic next few
tumultuous months. no brain could
record u, Chaos came. Llle In the
oil fields became phantasmagorla
OF eeascless action and excitement
a fantastic stereopteon that changed
hourly.
"Burk" was a sleepy little town.
doing and parohed wheat fields.
Tho paint was Off Il; nothing much
more exciting than a crop failure
ever happened there. Tho main
topic OF conversation was the
weather. and. as Mark Twain said.
everybody talked about u. but moth.
ms was done. Within 60 days this
sopofiflo village became roaring
bsdlam; every town lot was leased.
| derricka rose out OF chicken runs.
boilers painted in fgont yards. moba
Of strangers Snrged thru tho streets
and the air grew shriil with their
chickering's. From a distance. the
sky line OF tho town looked like a
thick nest Of lattice battle masta.
and az night It blazsd like concyI
Island.
Tho biack.pms territory farther
south had proven too expensive for
individual operators and small com
panles to handle, but hero the oil
was closer TO tho surface and the
ground was easily drilled. hence n
quickly became known as a poor
mans pool. Then. too. experienced
oil men and tho large companies
who had seen town.sltc booma In
other states. kept away. surrender.
| Ing tho place 10 tenderfect and to-
promoters. OF these. thousands
came. and never was there Il har.
vest so ripe for their cleaning.
| Naturally a little country town
like this could not hold the new.
Corners. therefore Wichita Falls be.
came their headquarters. Here there
were at least fcw hotels and soma
sort OF office quarters sheds be.
meath which the shearlng could take
placc-and there the herd assembled.
| OF course. tho cougars followed.
and. OH, the easy pickings for themi
A fresh kill daily. Warm meat with
every meal. Such hunting they had
never known. hence they gorged
themselves openly, seldom quarrel.
ing among themselves nor even
bothering TO conceal the carcasses
OF their prey. II was easier to pull
down a new victim than TO return
10 the one Of the day before.
Roomlng houses slept their guests
In relays, canvas dormitorlcs sprans
up on vacant lots. the Hobbies OF
the hotels were packed with shout
dering maniacs until they resemhled
wheat pits. tho streets were clogged
with motor cars, and the sidewalks
were Jammed like subway plat.
forms. Store fronts were knocked
out and the floor space was rallied
Off into rows OF tiny bull.pen brok.
ers' offices. and in these companies
4 By the hundred we're promoted.
| Stock in them was sold on tho side.
walks by baily.hoo men with mega.
phone voices. II seldom required
more than few hours to dispose
OF an entire Issue, for this was d
creduious and an elated mob. and it's
daily fare was exaggeration. Stock
exchanges were opened UP where
amid frenzied shoutings. went on n
feverish commerce In wildcat securi.
ties; shopgirls, matrons. housemaids
gambled in shares quite as wildly ms
did the unkempt disreputables from
the oil fields or the newcomers
spilled out OF every train. People
trafficked not in oil. but in stocks
and in leases. the values OF which
were entirely chimerical.
But this speculative frenzy was
by no means local. Burkbufnett be-.
came q name to conjure with and
| there was no lack OF conjurers.
These latter spread TO the four
points OF the compass. and the
printing presses rnn hot to meet
their demands. A flood OF money