RAKNESSING A IUSHER.
IT'S A CREAT FEAT TO SUBJJCATE
AN OIL WELL
The Mighty Stream That Hushed Forth
When ttie LUCK, Gusher at Beaumont
Wan Struck skill, During ami Great
Endurance inquired When Capping.
Everybody who reads the daily pa
pers knows that a big hole was sunk
in the ground near Beaumont, that a
mighty stream of oil rushed forth and
that the Lucas gusher was created.
Everybody knows that after several
days had elapsed the well was
"capped," and the further waste of oil
was prevented. But everybody does
not know what a great feat of engi-
I Leering skill, daring and endurance
the process of "cupping" was nor
what an effort it took to control and
bring into subjection that mighty
belching of nature,
a On Jan. 9 the well had reached a
" depth of 1160 feet, and there were four
metal tubes in the hole. The first cas
ing, a pipe 10 inches in diameter,
reached a part of the way. Inside of
that there was an eight-inch pipe ex
tending still farther down, and within
that there was a six-inch pipe reach
ing almost 1000 feet down. All of these
pipes extended above the surface of
tb.e ground. Below the end of the six-
Incb pipe was a rock formation,
through which the contractors had
been drilling for several days. The
drill was driven by a four-inch pipe
extending through the others. The
four-inch pipe was merely used as a
tool and was not intended for casing.
On the evening of Jan. 9 the four-
Inch pipe was drawn out In order that
a new drill might be substituted for
the one which had become worn. The
pipe was left out overnight. The next
day a new bit was affixed to it and the
men began lowering it. It had got
)■ down about 700 feet when the oil
gushed out of the rock, forcing the
four-inch pipe out, hurling it 300 feet
aloft, carrying away the tackles, hy
draulic pump connections, etc. The
oil deposit was not drilled into. The
commotion in the bowels of the earth
broke through the rock 17 hours after
the drill made its last turn, and the oil
gushed forth and shot heavenward
with terrific force, a belching, ungov
crned monster.
To cap and curb and control this
great pillar of force, the upward pres
, sure of which it was afterward deter
mined was 105 pounds to the square
inch. The men had to work under the
torrent of greasy, dirty oil as it de
scended to the earth. In order to do
this they wore goggles to protect the
eyes and gauze shields to protect the
nose, all the apertures around them
being closed with plaster. Speech and
hearing were impossible, and the work
was directed by a code of signals pre
viously agreed upon.
A plan was devised for putting a
l whole valve in place. A frame was
* constructed of railroad iron as a slide
to carry the valve. Two bars were
laid horizontally across the derrick
frame, passing on either side of the
stream of oil. These bars were In
tended to support and hold the valve
in place from the sides. Above these
were two other bars, engaging the top
of the valve and intended to keep it
from being thrown upward when it
should come in contact with the
stream.
Just beyond the stream bolts were
fastened in the bars so as to stop the
. valve over the stream and at the prop
er place. The bars were securely an
chored so as to withstand the strain
to be put upon them. Into this frame
or side the valve was put. A block
and tackle was rigged up and con
nected with the valve, and when ev
erything was in readiness a team of
horses was driven forward at a rapid
speed. The valve was, of course, open
at both ends so as to permit the
stream to pass through it when it
should come directly over the pipe.
But it was known that a tremendous
pressure would he exerted upon the
half of the valve passing through the
stream before the valve would reach
its place and surround the flow. As
the horses moved forward and the
valve came In contact with the stream
there was a fearful strain, a tilting
movement and a terrific spattering of
oil. It was an anxious and critical
moment for the men who were trying
to harness this force of nature, but
the crisis was safely passed. The
valve reached the stop bolts and set
tled into place directly over the end of
the pipe and perfectly iuclosing the
stream. The oil again flowed unim
peded toward the sky, but with the
circle of iron around it.
One step in the closing of the well
had been safely accomplished, but the
valve hung in its frame 12 inches
i above the top of the pipe. Anchors
were made, and the valve was pulled
down to the top of the eight inch pipe
and screwed on. Fortunately there
were good threads on this pipe. The
six-inch pipe was what is known as a
blind pipe and was not threaded.
It next became necessary to put
down anchors sufficiently strong to
hold the pipe in place after the clos
ing of the valve should bring the pres
sure of the stream against it. As the
oil was still rushing upward through
the orifice at the top of the valve and
falling on the ground around the well
the men could not work at digging the
necessary holes, and furthermore the
saturation of the ground made it soft.
It therefore became necessary to divert
the stream. An orifice on the side of
the valve was opened. Then the orifice
at the top was gradually closed, and
the stream shot out horizontally some
300 feet. Then the holes were dug,
the anchors put In and screwed down
i upon the top of the valve.
I The oil was returned to the upward
flow in order that a T might be
reached at the side of the valve. When
this had been accomplished the side
orifice was again opened and the
stream turned in a horizontal posi
tion.
Now the moment had arrived to
shut oil the stream altogether, and
every pound of pressure exterted by
the hidden force deep down In the
ground must be borne by the valve
and by the anchors chaining it. A
pressure gauge was fitted into the
valve. Then the gate of the side ori
fice was gradually closed. Gradually
the pressure rose in the gauge. Pos
sibly something might be wrong with
the gauge. The stream was turned on
again, and a new gauge was substi
tuted. Gradually the pressure rose
in this gauge as the stream was shut
off. Again it stopped at 105 pounds,
and not a drop of oil trickled from
the pipe. The anchors held firm; the
great pillar of oil was stopped; the
commotion in the earth no longer was
manifested on the surface; the great
roar was hushed and silence again
reigned. In 10 days and 10 minutes
from the time the oil burst from its
rocky bed the I.ucas gusher had been
closed. The six men who had done the
work shouted for joy, and Mr. Lucas
threw his hat in a pond of oil.
The work of closing the well oc
cupied two days, the beginning having
been delayed several days to secufie
material.
After the well had been closed Mr.
Lucas built a large iron casing around
the pipe above the earth and filled it
with sand to protect the well from
fire. Last week the valve was uncov
ered and opened a little. Mr. Lucas
says the pressure continues the same,
and they now have the oil confined in
natural reservoirs from which they can
draw a gill or a million gallons at
will. —St. Louis Post-Dispatc.il.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
Buffalo, N. Y„ has au automatic
clock ill one of the public schools
which announces *by a ringing of a
bell the closing hour of each recita
tion. It is said to be the only time
piece of its kind in the world adapted
to such work.
A party of 10 California automobil
ists recently indulged in a wildcat
hunt. They followed the hounds as
closely as possible, the country being
favorable to the operation of the vehi
cles, and had the satisfaction of bag
ging a dozen of the felines.
Some years ago there was a remark
able migration of crabs at the mouth
of the St. James river. They moved
slowly along to the north, and not
oniv covered the bottom, but countless
numbers swam in midwater. Not a
foot of the sandy b.ottom was free of
crabs, so that it was impossible to put
an oar down without striking one or
more. For several days this move
ment continued.
Goust is the smallest republic as to
area, but Tavolara is the smallest re
public as to population. Goust is only
one mile in area. It is located on the
flat top of a mountain in the Pyrenees,
between France and Spain, and is rec
ognized by both these countries. It is
governed by a president and a council
cf 12. It was established in 164S and
his 130 inhabitants. The president is
tax collector, assessor and judge.
Devotees of golf are fond of refer
ring to it as "the ancient and royal
game." It is probably more royal and
certainly far more ancient than most
of them have any idea of. At all
events a pictured tablet was recently
unearthed at Carchemish, the old cap
ital of the Hittites, whereon are de
picted men and women engaged in a
pastime, which, if not exactly golf as
played at present, is something ex
traordinarily like it
How to stop the Indians of the South
Dakota reservation from eating each
other's food is an amusing but per
plexing problem with which the In
dian bureau is now dealing. It is an
unwritten law of Indian hospitality
that a guest may stay as long as he
likes, and that as long as the guest re
mains the host must provide the food.
It has become the custom among the
Sioux, who have a feast with their
two-week ration as soon as they re
ceive it from the government, to go to
the more provident Indians and live
on them until all their food was gone.
Til© Gun-making Industry.
As an illustration of the magnitude
of the business involved in the pur
chase by the smaller powers of war
material in Europe, one has only to
look at the number of men employed
at such great plants as the Krupp of
Germany, the Creusot in France, and
those of the Armstrongs and Yickers
Sons & Maxim of England. Krupp
employs something like 25,000 men;
the two Euglish firms employ collec
tively about 35,000 men; and the Creu
sot plant about 19,000. No reckoning
is here made of the famous Loewe
works of Berlin, or of Italian, Belgian
and numerous French firms. With the
exception of Krupp, the above estab
lishments ordinarily confine them
selves to filling foreign orders. —Har-
per's Weekly.
Well-Brail PtlDnmcK of Simn.
A somewhat curious school has
been opened at Bangkok by an Eng
lish lady. The pupils are 15 in num
ber, and they are all princesses of the
royal family in Siam. They are
taught to do everything that a good
housekeeper should do. They cook,
wash clothes, bake, sweep the rooms,
lay the table, arrange the flowers, and
in short, learn to make themselves
generally useful. They leave the
school to be married at the age of 15,
and it is said that a Siamese princess
now makes an admirable wife.—Lon
don Glob®.
Gray? I
"My hair was falling out and n
turning gray very fast. But your 9
Hair Vigor stopped the falling and fl
restored the natural eoior."—Mrs. B
E. Z. Benomme, Cohoes, Ni Y. B
It's impossible for you I
not to look old, with the
color of seventy years in
your hair 1 Perhaps you
are seventy, and you like
your gray hair! If not,
use Ayer's Hair Vigor.
In less than a month your
gray hair will have all the
dark, rich color of youth.
SI.OO a bottle. All druggists. {
If your druggist cannot sunply you,
sond UB ono dollar and wo will express
you a bottlo. He sure and# Ive the u&mo
of your nearest exnresl office. Address,
J. C. AYI2R CO., Lowell, Mass.
Treasures ola Countess.
One of tile most noted -women of
Europe was the Countess De Castlg-
Hone, who died In Paris last year. An
Inventory of the valuables left by her
has recently been made. She has five
apartments, ono In Uie Rue Cambon,
two at Batlgnulles and two 1n the Itue
Castlglloue, for which he paid s3,tioii
rent. All these apartments were pack
ed with treasures of every kind. In
the Rue Castiglione there were found
more than 50 chased silver and gold
mounted fans. These were carried by
the countess at the fetes at the Tuler
les. One clicst was packed full of laoo,
another wjis full of furs. In one of
the trunks there was a pawn ticket for
Jewels on which $3f1,000 had been lent.
One of these was Ml' l famous pearl
necklace wont by the deceased, which
was valued at $50,000. One chest was
full of silver plate, and In another was
a ntnsslve silver tea service. In the
wardrobes and commodes there were
silk, satin ond velvet dresses in largo
numbers, and heaps of the finest.
French cambric; also of ribbons, Chan
tilly laeo, etc. In ono basket were 25
groups of old Dresden china, wrapped
up In cambric and other linen. In two
trunks there was an incredible number
of Louis XV sunshades, with Ivory
and gold handles and enriched with
precious stones. The lidlr of the Oom
tesso De CnsrtlgTione Is Maria Trlbonc
of Genoa. He Is going to Paris for the
sale of her property, which will take
place at the Hotel Drouot shortly.
An Ex|cnsive Timepiece.
The most expensive clock now In ex
istence Is one owned by the Rothschild
family. It dates from the time of
Louis XVI., and cost SIOS,CRM), There
are many other valuable dlocks, some
of them very old and exhibiting seem
ingly Inexplicable features. One of
these has on tap a liasin, marked like
a dial and filled with water, on which
floats a miniature swan of iron. The
bill of this swan Indicates the hour as
correctly as does tlio second liaud of
an ordinary clock. As the swan floats
freely In the basin and the basin rests
loosely on the pedestal, the clock great
ly puzzles the uninitiated. \'et the ex
planation is simple. The liasln rests
on a thin copper plate; underneath tills
plate the clockwork rotates a magnet
Instead of an hour hand, ami this mag
net attracts and holds in proper posi
tion the bill of the Iron swan. A
sprlugless clock is operated by balls
falling on the right side of an overshot
wheel and by their weight rotating
the hands. Whenever a ball reaches
the lowermost position it drops
through an aperature in the box at
the bottom and at the same time an
other ball drops from the box on top
of the wheel. Prom time to time the
balls In the lower drawer have to be
removed by hand to the upper recep
tacle.
We refund 10c. for every packego of Prrr-
SAM FADELESS DYE that fails to give satisfac
tion. Monroe Drug Co., Unionville, Mo.
There are now 1434 Gcrmnn naval offi
cers on active service and 539 on leave of
absence.
All people who throw bouquets at them
selves are not contortionists.
Arc Vou Using Allen's Foot-llnsc ?
It is the only cure for Swollen. Smarting,
Tired, Aching. Hot, Sweating Feet, Corns
and Bunions. Ask for Allen's Foot-Eare, a
powder to b° shaken into the shoes. Cures
while you walk. At all Druggists and Shoe
Storea, 25r. Sample sent FKEE. Address,
Allen S, Olmsted, Leßoy, X. Y.
The "foreign" population of Yokohoma,
Japan, averages 2000, of which 800 arc
English.
Frey's Vermlfngc, 25 Cl®.
Eradicates worms. Children made well and
mothers happy Druggists and country store.-
Last year the gold production of Aus
tralia amounted to 800,000,000.
FITS permanently cured. N® fits or nervous
ness after drat day's use of Dr. Kline's Great
Nerve Restorer. 82 trial bottle and treatise free
Dr. R. H. KLINE, Ltd., 931 Arch St., Phlla.. Fa.
The young fellow with his first mus
tache feels down in the mouth.
E. B.Walthall A Oe., Druggists, Horse Cave,
Ky.. say: "Hall's Catarrh t'uro cures every
one that takes it." Sold by Druggistß, 75c.
Australia has 6100 churches. 210 for
every 10,000 of her population.
Mrs. Window's Soothing Syrup forchildren
teething, soften the gums, reduces inflamma
tion, allays pain, euros wind colic. 25c a bottle.
Family jars are not all to be found in
the pantry
Piso's Cure is the best medicine we ever used
for all affections of throat and lungs.—Wu.
O. EXDSLEV, Vanbureu. Ind., Feb. 10,1900.
Lots of people kill themselves trying to
bo popular.
Always keep Garfield Headaeha Powders
en hand; they cure headaches, clear the head
of fullness, relieve nervousness and mental
strain, and mako one feel well. They are
harmless and do not dcrango the system.
The cotton States have 450,000,000 acres
fit to grow cotton, and cotton grows on
only 25,000,000 acres.
Giants' Kettles In Minnesota.
In tlie Inter-State Park, near Tay
lors Falls. Minnesota, has been discov
ered a singular group of "giant's ket
tles," or potholes, covering an area of
tivo or thTee acres and ranging In dia
meter from less than n foot to 25 feet.
They have been bored in exceedingly
hard rock, and in many cases they are
like wells In shape, the ratio of width
to depth varying from one to five up
to seven. Mr. Warren Uphain ascribes
their origin to torrents fulling through
glacial 'moullns" at the time when the
northern territory of the United States
was buried under ice. As with shnilar
potholes elsewhere, rounded boulders
are occasionally found at the bottom
of the cavities.
Cassava and Sugar Cane.
Farmers in Florida, in the low coun
try of South Carolina and in the south
ern part of Georgia aro experimenting
with fond expectation in tlio cultiva
tion of cassava and sugar cane, in the
hope ot developing two ideal money
crops. Their interest has been excit
ed by the success of an experimental
cassava starch factory In Doland, Fin.,
which in three years lias marketed 2,-
4Qp tons of starch, and by expert re
ports on the high qnality and yield of
sugar made from cane grown in Flori
da and Georgia.
A LUXURY WITHIN THE REACH OF ALL!
I - "THE VILLAGE GROCER."
In our V "h" a r sprea^ inf? chcstn,lt treo
jVjfl |i I -- That weigh out goods from morn tHI night,
mentS we . \j{]| K j | And also coffee brands.
positively , I His goods are varied in their price
the use of fjk l|' ®
Eggs, jfi i'"gj ! "ffif/i'L '%fuz fiv-j And his onc S rcat ambition is
Egg Mixtures. fl Jfcir jf WM J-ITTII To LION COFFEE scIL
Glue Itl Bw / 1 Week in, week out, front morn till night.
Chemicals, ! ' ! J "T" V' - 1 /* About his coffc , always ight,
Or similar *"l\ ! I : ffi^lSiar.' Pl,e LION brand, you know;
1 , rf%r Tri 1 1 l iff'] \ Because it's pure and honest goods
substances.
LION 'j I | FrrHf Not only is it pure and good,
/TAPPPP ^ —'—L—V l II But also very cheap.
rLL Because 'tis best for household use,
, - u , . . . . *, LION COFFEE thus his faith
absolutely Watch our next advertisoment, J§ bo!h fiinocre and deep
Pure Coffee. Just try a package of LION COFFEE Buying-rejoicing-wondcring,
and you will understand the reason of its His customers nttest
That LION COFFEE is, by far,
popularity. In quality thc best>
LION COFFEE is now used in mil- And thc premiums also are admired
lions of homes. And always in re<,u ~"'
In every package of LION COFFEE you will find a fully illustrated and descriptive list. No housekeeper, in
fact, no woman, man, boy or girl will fail to find in the list some article which will contribute to their happiness,
comfort and convenience, and which they may have by simply cutting out a certain number of Lion Heads from
the wrappers of our one pound sealed packages (which is the only form in which this excellent coffee is sold).
WOOLSON SPICE CO.. TOLEDO, OHIO.
PNo matter how pleasant your surroundings,
health, good health, is the foundation for en
joyment. Bowel trouble causes more aches and
pains than all other diseases together, and when
you get a good dose of bilious bile coursing
through the blood life's a hell on earth. Millions
of people are doctoring for chronic ailments that
started with bad bowels, and they will never
get better till the bowels arc right. You know
how it is—you neglect—get irregular—first
suffer with a slight headache—bad taste in the
mouth mornings, and general "all gene" feeling
during the day—keep on going from bad to
worse untill the suffering becomes awful, life
loses Its charms, and there is many a one that
has been driven to suk:4al relief. Educate your
bowels with CASCARETS. Dcn't neglect the
slightest irregularity. Sec that you have onc
natural, easy movement each day. CASCA
RETS tone thc bowels—make thsni strong —
_ and after you have used them once you will
wonder why it is that you have ever been
v/ithcut them. You will find all your otter disorders commence to get better at once, and soon
you will be well by taking—
THE TON!C
?l
LLL SOLD IN BULK.'
PI IDC rL^SWh.-gSS^o2r , PIMDAMTCXn
llHila 0,1 thc stomach, bloated bowels, foul !>: Isl°tlMll (Pi IB •" ld - Now It 1.
. . mouth,headache,lndigestion,pimple, UUflllllll 8 LLU "" ,! J P ,™l
££!Tdli C n/.? lr °K b ' f-nowrompJMlUm .imllar medicine In the world. *Ws Is nh.ul.ite proof of
and dizziness. W hen your bowels don't move rugU- great merit, and nnrbnt toil Iraonlnl. IV e have filth and
Ir.rly yon are getting alck. Constipation kills more will .ell CAfICIB ETA absolutely cretrouteed to earn or
people than all other diseases together. It Is a money refnaded. Go buy today, two GOe boxes, giro tiicm a
starter for the chronic ailments and long years of ""/i "•" trial, a. .lamlc direction., ~,l If you .r.
suff>rlng that come afterwards. No matter what EJtVIfi'S.'A.SSfJ tlftZV.ihl*aVii aI.IIS.VIt'riS?
"■ ■ *°" k . l . n,t t'ASf AKFTS to-dey. for you Wbom ro^ol™Ko..,, f., a",l J?, y.or ™o"L bLX&r bit™
Will never get well and be well all tho time until boxes. Takour advice—no matter what alls rou-itart to
you put your bowels right. Take our advice*, start duy. Health will quickly follow nod you will bleas tho day
with CAsCARETS to-day, under an absolute guar- T ou first started the use orfASCARKTI. Hook free by mall,
autco to cure or money refunded. * AJJrosi STEULINU BEUEDT CO., KEIF YOHk or (IllUbO.
Country Cousins Do Mot Figure.
Tnrks have no family names. For
example: A man named Mohammed
■ has a son named Ahmed tind a daugh
ter named Sophia. The son will al
ways be known merely as Ahmed and
I the daughter always merely as Sophia,
(a the latter case even after marriage.
The result Is that members of families
after one or two generations become
lost to each other. In fact, the "sis
ters and the cousins and the aunts"
business is not much exploited in Tur
key. One may be talking to two
brothers or two sisters without the fact
being made known. There being no
family ties—no aristocracy. The
Grand Vizier of to-day may have been
a cainel driver or a servant. Ilis rise
is not due to any family influence or
connection.
Rccen census statistics in Italy
shows that the proportion of popula
tion not able to read or write lias de
creased to 3D per cent In 1831 it was
55 per cent.
For tho cure ot headaches there is absolute
ly nothing better than the Garfield Headacho
Powders; these havo been successfully pre
scribed for many years by a prominent'physi
cian; they are effective and harmless.
London's new water reservoirs rear
Staines will cover eleven square miles.
One alone will be us big as Hyde Park.
| Since the Louisana and Texas farm
ers learned to raise rice by irrigation
they have Invested $.\000,000 in 1.500
j miles of canals, callable of flooding
j 300.0W) acres, and spent $1,700,000 in
| building 30 modern rice miles. Under
the new system the rice lands pay a
net prolit of sls an acre.
The German army Includes mora
than ten thousand musicians.
aßromonia Headache J
I n or oth*r<we*. ■
i mediUm 6 MIIoS'rONIA l i.r 8
BSeynioOT Bid*., Mh Atp. and 42U St.,,N.
DROPSY?^Iff^
cio. BUJU Of testimonial# ml lO luya' treatmeul
Free. Dr. H. H. QUEEN 8 BONA. Box B. AtKirta, 0^
"The f*tnpc that mmle West I*olnl finnans.**
McILHENN Y'S TABASCO:
r. N. U. 20. 1901.