Newspaper Page Text
THE TEXAS
Interesting Descripti?
at Hi
Kock Hi
When 1 visited the Humble oil Geld
I j remised myself that I would not
say much about it (" uiy friends for
two reasons. Kirst, because 1 knew
it would be iiiij < ssil !o for me to give
thtm any adequate idca'tf what I saw,
arjd second, I knew if i could it would
sadly impair my r< putation for veraci
ty?1 have learned long ago that if a
man wants l" establish and sustain ;i
reputation for truthfulness he must
not only tell the train b*;t a reasona
ble truth. However, in a mo tuent of
enthusiasm and in a burst of confi
dence 1 did say something about it to
a groupof friends, and the next thing
.1 kn< w 1 had promised the editor to
write him an arlicdc, hut with the un
derstanding that 1 was to assume none
of the responsibility if the veracity
of the said article is called|inlo ques
tion.
Humble is seventeen miles north of
Houston. Tex., in a part of the State
that is perfectly flat and slightly bog
gy. On Tuesday morning, April 18ih,
at 0 o'clock, Capt. I). 1>. Peden, an old
South Carolinian, but now an elder in
the First Presbyterian Church of
Houston, took charge of me and start
ed with me for Humble. At that early
hour a train of six coaches was crowd
ed and we could scarcely liud a scat.
Another train of seven coaches runs, at
10 o'clock, and they tell rnc it is al
ways a perfect jam. A little after 7
we stepped off at the Humble railroad
station, a mile and a half from the
011 held. A unique sight met my eyes.
I saw a town which had sprung up al
most in a day. On the lirst of .January
there wire only u few farm cottages
in all that country. Now there are
four thousand people living tit the
Htaliou and on the field together. The
houses are built of newly sawn rough
plank standing endwise. They have
their hotels, court house, jail, etc.,
all built of the same material.
Wo had an excellent breakfast iu
one of the hotels. Many of the peo
ple are living in tent? and cooking und
eating iu the open air. It is no un
common thing to see a cceik stove
right out in the open, with a pipe run
ning some ten feet high. The whole
place was throbbing with life. Kvcry
fellow seemed bent on business. There
were the raw-boned Texas ponies,
with their huge saddleB aud brawny
looking men, in high boots, galloping
here and there on them. There were
the fine teams of draft horses and
mules pulling their heavy loads of
pipe through mud and mire two feet
deep. The whole scene struck mo as
a typo of the wild and wooly West.
Mr. J. W. Sullivan, a man with n
great big body and a great big heart,
and a friend of Capt. Peden's, took
charge of us upon our arrival. He
knew everything about the place, and
it seemed to me that he knew every
body. Vie had been there since the
first we" rap sunk. We were soou iu
a surry with a half-breed Indian for a
driver, lie had a splendid team, and
it was well that he did, for the roads
were terrible. We were soou on the
field and it was a wonderful sight.
The o51 area is so far confined to a
district about two miles long and a
mile and a half wide, but the greater
majority of the wells are on area of
a half mile square. There are several
hundred of these wells. For the ben
efit of those who never saw an oil well
I had better describe it briefly. First
of all a derrick is built about seventy
feet high. It is about 15 or 'JO feet
square at the bottom and 0 or 8 feet
square at the top. This is built to
hold the boring machinery and also for
raising and lowering the pipe that is
One M a?a Unoi fiei
The season's first cold
may be slight?may yield
to early treatment, but the
next cold will hang on
longer; it will be more
troublesome, too. Un
necessary to take chances
on that second one. Scott's
Emulsion is a preventive
as well as a cure. Take
SGOTr?PLSIOU
when colds abound and
you'll have no cold. Take it
when the cold is contracted
and it checks inflamma
tion, heals the membranes
of the throat and lungs
and drives the cold out.
Send fbr free sample.
SCOTT & B0WAIE, Chemists
405*415 Pearl Street, NcW York
Ctk-. and $1.00 - - . All druggist*
OIL FIELDS.
moi' the Great Well?
imble.
I) Herald.
put into the well. You can imagine
how several hundred of these derricks,
built of new lumber, would look on a
flat surface of land a half mile square.
The wells are sunk very much after
the fashion of our deep wells that are
used to supply the city with water.
The pipe they put into them, I should
say, is from thr<-e to four inches in
diameter. They go from 1 ,"."?0 to 1.1 ."?<)
feet deeji before they strike oil. It
lakes -otne weeks to f-ink a well, and
it costs from four to six thousand dol
lars per well. Several now wells were
being bored while I was there. Of
course some of these wells do not
strike oil and all the money invested
is lost. Some strike i-alt water and
nothing else and that money is lost.
All of them strike more or less nat
ural gas at a depth of 800 feet. This
gas is often the sjurce of a great deal
of annoyance and danger to those
sinking the wells. It has destroyed
several that gave great promise.
A few days before 1 was there a
Mr. Underwood was siuking a w.cll.
When he reached about *UO feet the
gas began to blow out and sand and
mud began to fly as high as the tree
top*. The gas became ignited from
the fire in the b"iler. What followed
resembled a small sized volcano.
When it was all over the only thing
that w;ts left of the well and machin
ery was a hole in the ground about 25
or :M feet in diameter. The derrick,
the engine, the pumps and the pipes
were all many hundreds of feet under
ground ? no mortal man know- how
many.
There is gas mixed with all the
oil that comes up. This is separated
from the oil by being passed through a
peculiar kind* f tank. They make use
of a great deal of this iras, it is piped
to the engines and used for fuel. All
the machinery on the Odd is driven
by engines supplied by this gas. Hut
they cannot consume even a .-mall
part of it. The rest is piped to a safe
distance from the well and set on lire.
You will see dozens of these jas pipes
three or four inches in diameter, with
a llame blazing into the air, that is 25
or HO feet long. G They must make a
beautiful sight at night.'*, Hut what a
fearful waste! ? However, there is
nothing else to do. They cannot pre
serve it, and?to let it escape would
mean destruction to property and as
phyxiation for the workmen. But I
have said-nothing about the oil itself.
The wells are of two kinds, fhose
that flow and those that have to be
pumped. The former are called gush
ers. The day before I was there.they
"truck oil in a well and it spouted out
as high as the treo top9. It was fall
ing near a gas engino and there was
danger of a terrible fire. A man ran
to shut off the gns, but he was too
lute, the oil had already ignited. The
poor fellow was covered with the burn
ing oil and burned to d/ath on the
spot. Iiis hat was still lying there.
However, a great lite was averted. Mr.
Sullivan showed ute several of these
gushers that wnre spouting 7,000 bar
rels of oil a day. A barrel is forty
gallons. Of course they do not all
yield that much. Some have a capac
ity of only a few hundred barrels a
day. When I was there the whole
field was averaging about 75,000 bar
rels a day. The first well was sunk
January 7th of this year, and it was
estimated that up to the 15th of April
the field had yielded three and a half
million barrels. They tell me that it
is now the greatest oil field in_the
world.
Perhaps you would like to know
what they do with all this oil. Of
course they could never get barrels
enough to put it in. Indeed I did not
see a single barrel, h'irst of all they
have a six inch pipe running from
Humble to Sabiue City on the Gulf
of Mexico. It is a distance of about
12.") miles. . This carries about 12,000
barrels a day. In Sabine it is leaded
on board ships. Another six inch pipe
line to Sabine is in course of construc
tion and will be completed by the mid
dle of June. The rest of the oil is
pumped into great earthen reservoirs
that arc anywhere from a hundred
feet to a hundred yards square and
ten to twelve feet deep. There are
dozens of these reservoirs. A foot or
two of water is pumped into them first,
so that the oil will not sink into the
ground. CThen the oil is pumped in.
Of course the oil floats on the water.
A great deal of coil is soaked up by the
sand on the sides of Jthc reservoir and
is lost, but they do not seem to mind
that, as it is worth only 25 cents a
barrel aboard the cata.JX From the res
ervoirs run six inch pipe lines t? the
railroad. Then a six inch pipe eleva
ted some twelve feet runs along the
railroad track for Jh und red s and hun
dreds of yards.v. From this pipe tank
line cars are loaded by the hundred.
Last month the rtilroad carried away
/r m the Humble oil fit Id an average
"f thirteen thousand barrels a day. I
forgot also to mention that they have
one pipe line going mto Houston where
the oil that it carries is loaded on cars.
1 have forgotten how much that line
carries a day. Some of these cars go
eight miles below Houston on the
Bulfalo Bayou and unload their oil on
barges, which carry it to Sabine City
on the gulf.
It may he asked what is finally done
with all of this oil. Some of it is re
fined and used for lighting or lubrica
ting oil. A great deal of it is used in
the crude state for fuel by ocean
steamers and by railroad engines. The
Southern Pacific road, on which I
went from New Orleans to Houston,
and which goes on to San Francisco,
does not use a pound of coal on its
passenger or freight engines. They
burn oil which cost- about cents
per barrel. There is no dust, no cin
ders, and no smoke on this road. They
very aptly call it an open window
route. The- locomotives look very
much like those that burn coal, only
where we sec the coal on the tender
they have an oil tank that holds about
:j,000 gallons.
Hut this letter is long enough, per
haps too long. I got back 10 Houston
at 12 o'clock with the feeling that 1
had never had a six hours crowded so
full of interest, pleasure and informa
tion before. W. L. Linglc.
One Kind of Society.
Mrs. George )i. Healton, of East
Oakland, who was her husband's co
j laborer in the building of the Healton
airship, said the other day, according
to the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
"I like to have a multitude of good
friends, and I like to see my friends,
often. Society, however, as the term
is generally understood, I object to.
I. objeet strongly to intercourse with
people whom 1 don't admire, who only
try to outdo each other in extrava
gance and display, and who only try
to'suub 'each other.Q I would much
rather give my time to work."
"Society," continued Mrs. Heaton,
"is epitomized in an incident that oc
curred the other day.
" A millionaire's wife Fat in her
dressing room with a friend when the
cards of two other millionaire's wives
were brought to her. She tore the
cards in little pieces.
" 'Tell these ladies,'she said haught
ily, 'that I am not at home.'
"The maid withdrew with her mes
sage, and a little iater, on some other
errand, returned to the room again.
" '.lane.' said her mistress, 'did
you tell those ladie1 I was not at
home?
" 'Yes, mum,' Jane answered.
" 'What did they say?'
" 'They said, How fort-nit.' "'
Accepted Pay for Dog.
W. K. Yanderbilt was "outing" up
a Long Island road recently. Ahead
of him walked a man and a dog. The
dog was nosing around among the
bushes pi j fence posts. Suddenly, as
Mr. Vanderbilt's au' ised the man,
the dog started act*. c : road. The
auto hit him "kerplunk" amidship.
A few spasmodic kicks aud he gave up
the ghost. Mr. Yanderbilt immedi
ately stopped his machine, and, get
ting out, approached the man with his
wallet iu his hand, saying :
"I'm awful sorry, my man. Will
$50 fix it right ?"
"Oh, yes ; $50 will do."
Then, as Mr. Yanderbilt was disap
pearinglin a cloud of dust up the road,
the man turned, and looking at the
dog, said :
"I wonder whose beast it was ?"
Why Japan Succeeds.
Admiral "Bob" Evans in a recent
conversation with a group of officers
threw a great v Luc upon one ol
the methods at least by which the Jap
anese having attained that splendic
adaptability to European and Ameri
can ways, says the New York Times.
"When I commanded the New Yorl
some years ago," he said, "I had a.Tai
servant with whom I was especially
well pleased. He was prompt, remark
ably quick to learn, and took such t
deep interest in everything that some
times, just to amuse myself, I devot
ed not a little attention to explainiu*
things that he appeared net to under
stand. A good waiter, too, he was
Well, fiually he disappeared.
"Sotnctimo liter, when on the Kuro
peau station, I made a call on a Jar
battleship lying in the harbor of Yei
sailos. The captain met us at the
gangway and escorted us to hi:
cabin. As wc were seated he suddenly
turned, threw off his hat, and whippec
a napkin overplus arm.
4 "The Captain would drink?' h<
said in a tone I remembered.
" 'Katoj! I cried, jumping to mj
feet.
" 'The same,' he said, bowing
'Capt. Kato of'thc Mikado's navy.''
I mm m m
? The office seldom seeks the m m,
but tho shuation(frcquently seeks th<
ciok.
? It's up to young men with. th<
engagement'ring habit to boycott tl.c
diamond trust.
? A spen&ter worries because she
is single, and a m.irrud wonim. worriei
because she isnjt?
MYSTERIES OF RANK. I
Kn African Tribe That Bases Preccd
ence on Avoirdupois.
An African explorer tells of a
tribe he met whose members deter
mined worldly rank according to
avoirdupois. The heaviest Ravage
was chief of the tribe, the next fat
tost was Jir.-t lieutenant and so on.
As soon as a meihber gained in
weight over the neighbor next above
him in rank. he advanced one step
in authority. Wealth, looks, person
el popularity, capacity, were not tak
en into consideration when deter
mining the standing of members of
tbe tribc.
It is a pilv our ICnglish cousins
could not adopt some such simple
method of determining rank, for '
their present scheme is so compli
cated that they themselves have dif
ficulty in understanding it, while to
the si ranger within the gates its
technicalities ;irv absolutely bewil
dering. l*'or instance, we are told that
at a recent public dinner in Lon
don one hour was spent in arrang
ing the diners i:i anteprandial pro
cession according to rank. The gen
eral rule prescribes, that Ihc army
and navy shall have lir.-t place, then
the law, the church, medicine, "gen
tlemen" not engaged in any profes
sion and, lastly, those in "trade."
In the latter class, however, it ap
pears that wholesalers are consider
ed more "respectable*' than retail
ers, unless a retailer happens to he a
knight or a baronet, which some
times occurs, when he takes preced
ence over his business associates
who are mere commoners. But not
even all lawyers, it seems, are "gen
tlemen." The question arose during
a case at law, and it was decided
that, while "barristers" are "gentle
men," "solicitors" are not entitled
to that distinction! According to
English custom, a young man who
has just been called to the liar is
many steps higher in the social scale
than his father, who is a millionaire
wholesale grocer.
In addition to the few instances
cited there are a whole host of spe
cial exceptions founded on birth, ed
ucation and other conditions that
make 1he English scheme of social
precedence a perplexing study for
those who desire to be punctiliously
correct.?Housekeeper.
W.hcn Mrs. Stowe Awoke.
A friend of mine, a northern wo
man, long a resident in Florida, once
gave me the following account of a
visit from .Mrs. Stowe: "I had invit
ed her to spend the day, with sev
eral other ladies, at my villa. She
came with an old white i'ur tippet
wrapped about lier neck. She sat
all day near the open lire, occupied
apparently with lier own thoughts,
for she spoke to no one. When the
day was well nigh spent one of the
guests reluted the remarkable expe
rience of a woman who had passed
through some danger?I forget of
what sort. Mrs. Stowe presently
startled us all by inquiring, with
some show of interest, 'Did the wo
man live ?' "?J ulia Ward Howe on
Harriet I^echer Stowe in^ Reader
Magazine.
Criticism For Tennyson.
Alfred Tennyson early made it a
rule to read aloud his newly written
poetry to private friends in whose
judgment and taste he could confide.
It ha3 come to light that he once
called at Cheyne row and read a
new poem to Mrs. Thomas. Carlyle
and then asked, "What do you think
of it?" With characteristic and al
most merciless outspokenness she
replied, "I think it is perfect stuff!"
Somewhat discouraged, Tennyson a
short time afterward read it to her
again. "It sounds better this time,"
was her criticism that day. On his
reading the poem a third time Mrs.
Carlyle was obliged to confess that
she liked it,,very much, and Tenny
son immediately communicated with
his publishers:
Tho Playful Owl. '
Not even^an owl is as much of a
hermit as it appears. The little fel
low that all summer, long sleeps by
day in the hollow apple tree and
hoots by night from the adjacent
tree tops has a taste for company,
and when two meet their hooting
gives way to a varied range of lowly
murmured chatterings very differ
ent from the conventional cries of
all owldom. Keep a pet one (and
they are easily tamed), and you will
find them not only as wise as they
lock, hut not averse to rough and
tumble fun.?Montreal Star.
A Substitute.
VA farmer paid a visit to a neigh
bor, and as he passed along by thp
side of the fields ho made a mental
note of the fact that no scarecrows
were visible. Meeting his neighbor
almost immediately, he opened con
versation as follows:
"Gi od morning, Mr. Oates. I see
you have no scarecrows in your
fields. How do you manage to do
without them ?"
"Oh, well enough," was tho,inno
cent reply. "Yon see, I don't need
'cm, for rm in the fields all day my
self."
? A bachelor farmer says that the
quickest way to remove weeds is to
propose to a widow.
?-Prosnerity has ruiocd more men
th&a adversity?but that kind of ruin
is so much more delightful.
? That man never lied who can. re
peat the Ten Commandments while re
moving a porous plaster from his ana
tomy. '
? People never- know too muob;
they ibiuk they do. .
I Great Hi-a? r ur Finance.
JSS2B? r.~3 u - -
BrtckJ-Musgrt ve's friends are tell
ing this story, says the Birmingham
Au:e-1 ler.ild.
A few dajs ago one of Brock's po
litical constituents came to Birming
ham and made a hutry[eall on Brcok
for t400. Wouldu'fi.Brcck Icod hira
that amount of mouey for sixty days?
"Why, bless your soul, my,dear fel
low," said Breek, "I haven't got 400
cents with met?just now. I tell you
what to do.? Yon go up here to the
First National Bank, arjd ask'em to let
you have it.^They'll be glad to do it
for you."
Thirty minutes lat?raMr. Constit
uent was buttonholing Breek in the
lobby of the Hillman.
"The First National Bank people,"
said Mr. Constituent, "told me they'd
be glad <to bel) me out, and that if
I'd get you to indorse my note they'd
let me have the coin."
"That's mighty white of 'cm," said
Brcok. "Isn't it? Say. though, I'll
tell you what I'll do. I ? just switch
the thing around. You go back and
tell the bank pjople that if they'll in
dorse your note I'll let you have the
money."
Honesty That Irritated.
"Once when 1 had occasion to
withdraw $'<!5 from my bank," re
marked the conscientious man,
"something happened which almost
tempted me to think that honesty
may at times be not bo very com
mendable. By a curious mistake,
considering ihc Final! nmount of
money, the cashier handed out six
five-dollar gold pieces. Without
thinking what it meant to him I
shoved one of the coins back, saying,
'Y>u have given me too much/ The
look that man gave me I have never
forgotten, although even at this day
I cannot describe it. But I can as
sure you it was not a grateful
glance/'?New York Press.
A Retraction.
She (fiercely)?Don't you ever dare to
say again that I'm driving'you crazy!
lie (meekly)?I won t. I must have
been that way when we were married.
?New York I^ess.
He Hnd to I.anprTi.
"I had to laugh the other day'*?
"You don't menu you were absolutely
compelled to, I hope?"
"That's just what I mean. This was
my employer's Joke."?New Orleans
Times-Democrat.
Wouldn't Sell.
She?Is he an author? lie?No; he's
more of u chemist. Every book ha
writes becomes a drug on the market.
?Pittsburg Dispatch.
? o m -
? There is hardly ever any use, in
practicing virtues unless you preach
them very loudly, because nobody
will believe it.
? The girl with a tall neck that
isn't thin takes an awful mean ad
vantage of other girls to have also
dark eyebrows and golden hair.
? No man ever paid rent out of the
money he is going to have when his
ship comes in.
? Politics conBistB of being a pur
suring woif ali the year except election
time, and then a hunted fox.
? An awful nice way not to get a
woman mad with you because you
want to smoke in the room ithat bas
lace curtains is not to marry her.
? It is surprising how easily a wo
man can fool herself about'how easily
shejihinks ehe dB fooling other people
as to how happy her married life is.^
? The time a man finds out how
little he knows about arguing is when
he begins to find-fault because there
is no hot water for shaving, andwinds
up with defending^himself for having
come home late to dinner six months
ago.
? Many aman ban been tnrned
downjwhile waiting for something to
turn up.
B? The money of the self-made per
son is*apt to talk regardless of gram
mar.
-? An ounce of flattery goes further
with a woman than a pound of sym
pathy.
SPRING CATARRH.
Chargeable Weather Causes Disease.
Breathe Hyoinei and Cure Catarrh.
The changeable weather of Spring,
with its warm days and. cold nights,
is responsible for a great inorsaso in
the number of oases of catarrh. It is
now tbat Hyoinei, the only guaranteed
treatment for catarrh that cures with
out stomach dofing, should be usad in
every home. "f .
Hyoinei is a scientific method by
which pure air impregnated with Na
tu-Te'b own remedies for the cure of
catarrh, Can be inhaled by every suf
ferer in his or her home. Breathed
through the neat pocket inhaler that
comes with every outfit, its healing,
volatile, antiseptic fragrance reaches
the lungs and air passages as no stom
ach dosing possibly can do. It gives
immediateorelief and tnakee lasting
cuire.
. tttoof that tho Ilyomei tteatmett
wiflrdoall that is olaimed'for it is
found in the guarantee under which
Evans Pharmacy sell it, ab agreement
to pay back the price, if the purchaser
can; say tbat Hyomei has not given
satisfaction. Complete juifit ?1.(0;
extra Dottles ?Oo.
The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been,
in use for over SO years, has borne the signature of
? and has been made under his per
sonal supervision since its infancy*
^ftafy/, /-ft&JUtit Allow no one to deceive you in this.
All Counterfeits, Imitations and '* Just-as-good" are but
12xpcrimeuts that trifle with and endanger the health or
Infants and Children?Experience against Experiment*
What is CASTOR IA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare?
goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant, id
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic
substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms,
and allay- Fcvcrishncss. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind
Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation
and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the
Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep*
The Children's Panacea?The Mother's Friend*
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Bears the Signature of
The KM You Have Always Bought
In Use For Over" 30 Years,
THK CENTAUR COMPANY, TT MURRAY STOCKT, NCW VOR? CITY.
ARMOUR'S GUANO AND ACID
ALSO, COTTON SEED MEAL.
If you want'High Grade Goods we will be glad to sell you.
Splendid line of?
FLOUR, COFFEE, TOBACCO,
OATS AND CORN.
We want your trade.
VANDIVER BROS.
We have just received a Fresh lot of
Come to us for all of your?
ORR, GRAY & CO.,
Prescription Druggists.
ONE CAB OF HOGr FEED.
Have juat received one Car Load of HOG FEED
(Sboits) at very close prices. Come before they are ;
all gone. Now is the time for throwing?
LIME
Around your premises to prevent a cafce of fever or i
some other disease, that will cost you very much more
, than the price of a barrel of Lime (91 00.) We have
a fresh shipment in stock, and will be glad to send you
some. If you contemplate building a barn or any
other building^ see us before buying your?
CEME$T and LIME.
As we sell the very best qualities only.
p. MANDERSON
A. C. STRICKLAND,
_ DENTISI".
If Ree Over Farmers and Wer chants
"* ?pf CI AlTalteiitf?B glvenTof he higher
cls&pea of Dental Work. Crowns, Bridges
bed Porcelain ] uloys, Buch aa are done in
the larger cities. Y . .
Ah klnda of Plates made. Gold Fill
ings In artificial teeth any time afte*
Plates are made.
Oxygen. Gas and Local Anaesthetic*.
Riven lor the Painless Extraction of teetf^
Bleedf?g cud d laeaaed gums treated,
fi?r* AU calle to the country and near
by To wob for the Painless Extraction of
Teeth promptly attended^to fcy a compo
tent assistant.
ALONG LOOK AHEAD
a man thinks it is when the matter of life
insurance suggests itself?but circumstan*
ces of late have shown how life hangs by a
thread when war, flood, hurricane and nre
. suddenly overtakes you, and the only way
to be sure that your family is protected in
case of.caJa* >ity Overtaking you ja to in?
sure in a solid Company like?
^Ibe Mutual Benefit Lift Iiis. Co*
Drop in und see us about if.
?I. ML, MATTISOW, .
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