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The Commoner.
T fr, in WTraKT 'f ( JWl"'Tr',r'Wf 7.
Texas Oil Deposits.
The Houston (TexaB)Post publishes a state
mont made by State Geologist E. T. Dumblo con-
cerning the oil deposits of Texas. In view of
the recent discovories in that state, an extract
iay bo instructive:
So much liafa been printed of late years about
fcrtesian water and its manner of occurrence that I
suppose ovory one understands that it does not exist
in underground rivers and lakes as wo find it on the
urfaco, but in bods of sand occupying the minute
paces between the sand grains. Occasionally, of
course, there may be a cavity of more or less extent
but theso are unusual, to say the least. The occur
rence of oil deposits is exactly similar. Oil simply
impregnates the sand beds, where it has collected
through the process of distillation and condensation
during untold years. Whothor .it was originally de
rived from tho decomposition of marine animal life
or plants or coal matters not. All have probably
furnished material for it, and tho nature of the ma
terial may bo responsible for its being of an asphalt
or a paraflno base, but those are points for scientific
inquiry; at present we aro more interested in the
where than the why of such occurrences.
The first thing to ascertain, then, is tho location
and extent of such sand beds as may contain oil. In
general way this has already boon done and the de
tails given in our various reports and papers, of which
tho following is a briof restatement:
As we travel from the coast into tho interior wo
pass over strips, or bolts, of clays, sands and lime
stones of varying character and width. Theso are
the exposed edges of numerous sheets 'or beds of
theso materials which were laid down as sediments
beneath tho water which formerly covered tho entire
region. ITrora theso exposures they slope downward
toward the gulf shore and aro overlain by later sedi
ments; the edges of tho older beds are therefore on
tho interior margin of tho slope and the latter suc
ceed ono after another coming toward tho coast,
The outorops of theso. beds form a series of belts
approximately parallel to tho present gulf coast, and
borings show that tho underground slope of tho beds
is from twenty to fifty feet to the
A Sories of mile more than -the surface slope of
Belts. the country; for instance, the beds
which occur at tho surface around
Hempstead wore struck in tho deep well at Galveston
at less than 3,000 feet.
Our observations prove that many of the beds of
Band aro water-boaring, and that several are Oil
bearing. Tho Corsicana oil occurs in the sand at or near
the base of the great beds of clay which underlie the
black waxy prairie -region of Central Texas, stretch
ing from Paris on tho north by Corsicana, Marlin aud
Ban Antonio to Eagle Pass on the west. Tho indica
tions aro that the oil may bo found as far eastward as
Tennessee Colony, in Anderson county, if no farthor.
It will probably occur in bolts with unproductive
land between. Its extension southwest will be simi
larly broken and probably widor areas, as in many
places tho sand appears to be entirely wanting. Tho
wells of San Antonio are in this belt.
Tho next belt of which we have positive knowl
edge is that accompanying the lower lignite deposits,
tho out-crop of which cross tho state from Texarkana
via Athens, Calvert and Rockdale to tho Rio Grande.
The investigations of Dr. I. C. White in tho oil Holds
of Pennsylvania and West Virginia have proved that
the yariety of asphaltum known as Grahamite is one
of tho surface indications of oil deposits. I have
found this mineral at several points, beginning at
the Maverick-Webb county lino on tho Rio Grande
and extending as far as Mexia. Other indications
also ocour and small quantities of oil have been found
in the belt. It is altogether probable that prospect
ing hero will bring results which will be valuable.
Another horizon still higher in these beds is that
in which occurs the deposits found at Nacogdoches
those east of Palestine and on the, southward through
Atascosa county. These lie in or
Nacogdoches just below the base of the beds of
Deposits. brown sandstone and thoir value
has been proved by actual boring
below NacogdocheB, in Atascosa county and at inte
mediate points.
I Tht next important horizon in that connected'
with the belt of lignites, one bed of which is exposed
at Manton Bluff, above La Grange, and the sands
which overlie them. In this immediate vicinity the
natural production of oil from lignite beds can be
scon in progress. Posllive proof of the presence of
oil and gas in these beds is found in the Cervonke
wells near La Grange and tho Grcenvine well of
Washington county.
With the exception of the Corsicana oil all of the
horizons here mentioned are of tho general ago and
character as those in California and they continue
along the gulf coast well into Mexico. The oil bear
ing portions of these beds bid fair to prove as exten
sive as any known and aro as yet practically untouched.
Still higher in the series, as we understand it,
como the beds in which Beaumont has just encoun
tered such a phenomenal supply. The conditions of
the occurrence of these beds differs somewhat from
those below and wo expect the llnding of oil along
the cost to be more in distinct basins than may be
tho case with the lower oils, the sands of which ap
pear to havo greater continuity and are not divided
into lenticular deposits.
Whether or not any of these oil deposits can be
struck at any particular locality is a question to bo
answered only after investigation of the surface con
ditions in the vicinity or by actual boring. The sur
face indications are a guide where they exist, but oil
may be sometimes found below when such evidence
it apparently lacking or would only bo detected by
an expert observer.
The success which has already attended the
search for oil will certainly stimulate others to un
dertake similar borings and the interest thus aroused
will without doubt overflow in other channels and
bring about the development of other mineral re
sources of the state which now lie dormant, largely
because they are not properly appreciated Or under
stood. A Left-Handed Method.
The latest illustration of "doing evil that good
may come" has been .brought to light in Toronto,
whore a firm did a land office business as the result of
advertising, as follows:
On reoelpt of $1 wo will send, securely scaled, a beautifully
bound book of 400 pages, full of good things. Every sport should
havo one. Tho most wonderful book overwritten. French and
English translations. Prohibited in some countries. Write at.
once.
The confiding persons who forwarded a dollar re
ceived a fifteen-cent Bible. The Toronto detective
department declined to interfere with the nourishing
industry, on the ground that it would be inexpedient
to interfere with the distribution of the gospel. Holy
Scriptures are having a great and constantly increas
ing circulation, but it is apparent that the Toronto
plan places them in the hands of many persons who
would otherwise steer clear of Holy Writ. It is ex
asperating to think that bunco men are reaping tho
rich financial reward that comes from selling fifteen
eent Bibles for a dollar. Even in this enlightened
period it is held legitimate to fight his satahic maj
esty with fire. Suppose that the Bible houses, the
churches and other agencies for the dissemination of
the gospel should undertake the Toronto plan, and
thus compete with the bold, bad men who have stolen
the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in? '
What would the Bible trust say of the plan? Los
AngeleS Herald.
American Honosty.
"I beg your pardon, sir, but here is a hundred
dollar bill that you dropped up the avenue. I fol
lowed you a square to return it."
"Thanks, a thousand times! Such honesty and
kindness is appreciated, I assure you. But you are
the gentleman I saw smiling on the car. Something
enjoyable, 1 hope?"
"Yes; tho conductor forgot to ask for my nickel."
Chicago Daily News.
For HIi'Gobd.
.
Bertrand Shadwcll, In Chicago Record.
" I bring you the stately matron named Christen
dom, returning bedraggled, besmirched and dishon
ored from pirate raids in Kiao-Chou, Manchuria, South
Africa and the Philippines, with her soul full of mean
ness, her pocket full of 'boodle' and hor mouth full of
pious hypocrisies. Give hdr soap and towel, but hide
the looking glass." Marie Twain's Greeting to the
Twentieth Century, written for the Red Cross Society.
'
If you see an island shore
Which has not been grabbed before,
Lying in the track of trade as islands should,
With the simple native quite
Unprepared to make a fight,
Oh, you just drop in and take it for his good.
Chorus:
Oh, you kindly stop .and take it for his good,
Not for love of money, be it understood,
But you row yourself to land,
With a Bible in your hand,
And you pray for him, and rob him, for his good;
If he hollers, then you shoot him for his good.
Yes, and still more far away,
Down in China, let us say,
Where the " Christian " robs the " heathen " for his
good,
You may burn and you may shoot,
- You may, fill your sack with loot,
But bo sure you do it only for his good.
Chorus:
When you're looting Chinese Buddhas for their good,
Picking opals from their eyeballs made of wood,
As you prize them out with care,
Just repeat a little prayer,
To tho purport that you do it for their good;
Make your pocket-picking clearly understood:.;'.
Or this lesson I can shape
To campaigning at the cape,
Where the Boer is being hunted for his good,
He would welcome British rulo
If he weren't a blooming fool'.
Thus you see that it is only for his good.
Young man, in debt you must not go,
Or you'll bo stamped as queer,
Unless a million you can owe
You're then a financier. Washington Star.
Briggs. "Wonder how Stover is doing nowa
days?" Griggs. "Oh, he must be doing finely; must
bo making no end of money. You know ho has al
ways been troubled more or loss with rheumatism.'
Well, he now calls it gout." Boston Transcript,
Chorus (pianissimo):
So they're burning burghers' houses for their- good,
As they pour the kerosene upon the wood,
I can prove them, if I list,
Every man an altruist,
Making helpless women homeless for their good;
Leaving little children roofless for their good.
MOllAL.
There's a moral to my song,
But it won't detain you long,
For I couldn't make it plainer if I would.
If you dare commit a wrong v ' -
On the weak because you're strong
You may do it if you do it for his good.
The opinion, often expressed in a more or less
bantering way, that Philadelphia is a slow 'city, be
hind the times in push and energy, is certainly not
borne out by a discovery recently made in one of the
public schools. The discovery was to the effect that,
in a school of 315 pupils, 250 were in the habit of sys
tematically "playing policy" some of tho youngsters
on their own account, and others buying tickets ioJ
their relatives and f riendsl
This, it will bo admitted, is a pretty ugly state of
things; and it is not in any way improved when the
additional information is forthcoming that, of those
315 pupils, only two aro over twelve years of agel
The story, in fact, sounds almost incredible; but, as
it comes from the horror-stricken principal of the
school concerned, and as several keepers of the policy
shops that have sold tickets to the children are now
in jaiMor tho offense, wo are bound to believe it
New Orleans Times-Democrat. . ,
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