|
|
|
|
Condition of Oil(Galveston Daily News, February 14, 1901) Beaumont, Tex., Feb. 12--With Clearing Weather the Situation at Beaumont Shows New Life and Energy--Four Are Underway--Well Diggers Have Made Fair Progress Notwithstanding Weather Setbacks--The Southern Pacific Lands--Gibbs Looking Over The Field With The View of Putting Them On The Market. The wind went into the north today and blew the rain away. With the clearing of the weather, the oil situation also took on a clearer aspect, and conditions are much more serene today than they have been for two or three days. However, the ground has received a thorough soaking, and it is in such a condition as to make it almost impossible to move about on the prairie where the contractors are endeavoring to build oil well derricks, and place the heavy machinery necessary to operate the drills. Notwithstanding this, the well diggers are keeping constantly at work and making a reasonable progress. There are four wells now operating in the neighborhood of the Lucas well, and four more which will completed within the week. C. C. Gibbs, general land agent for the Southern Pacific Railway Company, spent today here looking over the situation with a view of taking some steps toward placing the lands of the company in this county on the market. It will be remembered that immediately following the discovery of oil here, Mr. Gibbs withdrew all the Southern Pacific lands from the market, and has refused to consider any proposition whether to sell or lease since that time. The News reporter saw Mr. Gibbs today with a view of learning if possible what he proposed doing with the lands in the future. The Southern Pacific, or more properly the Texas and New Orleans Railway Company, owns about 28,000 acres of land in this county. Mr. Gibbs said he had not yet decided what would be done in the matter of disposing of the lands, and that he was here today for the purpose of determining this point. "I will make some disposition of this question very soon," said Mr. Gibbs, "and it is probable that the lands will again be placed on the market valued at prices in keeping with the new order of things. I don't want to sell the lands either under their value, nor for more than they are worth. So far as I have seen, I think I shall be in favor of leasing to oil men for the purpose of developing. The report that we leased all our lands in this county to the Standard Oil Company, some time ago, is untrue. We have not leased a foot or sold an acre there since the oil strike." There was not an instrument filed today in the County Clerk's office which in any way referred to oil lands. (Compiled by W. T. Block)
|
|
