The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 20, 1901. A WONDERFUL CITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 218, 20 September 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVER Y MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 20, 1901. A WONDERFUL CITY.

The stops which aro being taken in this district to boro for oil must naturally again cause a groat doal of interest to bo taken in that subject. | From the remarkable operations in i past years many people aro inclined to j be sceptical at anything having reference to boring for oil. Still it must be admitted that this subject offers I good scope for contemplation. A i friend in America, who takes great interest in the subject of oil-boring in | this district, has supplied us with j some very interesting information in ! regard to what may well be termed a ! wonderful city. Its name is Beauj mont. Since January last that city

| has been growing day and night. Every night has seen new derricks on the horizon, and every morning has seen the population of the city and the surrounding counties greater than it was the night before. The rush of people to the oil-fields leaves the gold fevers that the country lias passed through iu the shade, and in this rush there is a certainty. The money that has been invested is already paying very large dividends. No one who goes to the city is disappointed. There is plenty for all to do. The city of Beaumont is situated ou the banks of the picturesque Nechos river. Its population at the beginning of the year was numbered at a little over 11,000, but it was two months ago ] upwards of 20,000. Ihe people are j hospitable, as well as enterprising, and the country is good to live in. The summers are long, but not too ■ oppressive, and the nights are cool and j

restful. On account of its healthy surroundings many people chose i Beaumont for a home long before it | was thought of as an oil-bearing region. The lumber industry was i originally king there. Then came the j rice industry, The people of Texas | were then of the opinion that they had something to be thankful for. But when in January of last year the most famous of the Spindle Top gushers came in and began to spout oil into the air at the rate of 70,000

barrels a da3’ the world spoke up and I said that it was a lie. But the people of Beaumont had made no mistake, j They began to hustle, and quickly organised an oil crusade that will result in a hundred producing wells in the Beaumont fields at the beginning of next year. Strangers who go there to invest express their surprise at finding four hundred companies incorporated under the laws of the State, and nearly every one doing a legitimate business, Probably, states j

the writer, there is no town in the j country where the things move with ! more snap and life than in Beaumont. In January and February the place was alive night and day. “In Gist borne,” he remarks, “ the Times lights may be seen all night as the staff makes ready the morning issue for people to read the news of the world at the earliest possible moment, and what may be localised in regard to your town applies here in a general or wholesale way. Work goes on night and day. The town has not the makeshift appearance of a mining camp. The streets are lined with tirst-class buildings. A magnificent new opera house has been erected. The court house is a very fine building, and the resiliences are as homely and eomfort- ; as are to be found in any settled city. ’ : Continuing, the writer says that | within a few years people have erected j homes that are veritable 11 gems ' and give tone and prestige to the place. Ileal estate transfers which a few mouths ago only averaged a thousand I pounds or so a week, arc now running

at over half a million, and still there ■ is uo indication of inflated values, the ; town sentiment being all in favor of j stability. A new post-olliee is to he erected at a cost of £20,000, which would bo equal to more than double that amount for a similar building 1 in Gisborne. The sawmilling and house furnishing departments have had to work night and day to till orders. There is a magnificent forest just close to the city, and the music of the circular saw tearing its way through the hearts of the long leaf pine logs is a continual accompaniment to the noiso |of tiro city day and night. The i national bank deposits have increased from .Cot),000 a month to £500,000 ‘ each. Oil pushes everything. The I railroad system in course of construction will make tlio now Queen City of the Notices a great wheel, with railroad spokes extending in every direction. A recent local election resulted in tlio return of a government of conservative business men, pledged to make improvements, including up-to-date sewerage. Ait electric street railway is being constructed, connecting i Beaumont with outside oil fields, and making it possible for workmen to live in tlio city, though employed a good distance away. And it is interesting to note that in the “hustle ” for wealth the public comfort and tlio tasto for the beautiful arc * not being neglected. The electric roads are being built with an eye to the beauty of the surrounding country, and charming suburban rides are being provided for. A further remarkable feature is the homely stylo in which strangers are welcomed. The Board of Trade introduces him : the Chamber of Commerce welcomes him; friendly societies do their part well; the churches have committees to moot and make friends with strangers, and from the Board of Trade to the church sewing circles there is hospitality on every side. When oil was discovered the people recognised that there would soon be an influx of strangers; therefore they organised for their benefit in an ! admirable manner. The city is equipped ; with all the latest appliances and j novelties. The pay roll of the rail- | roads and mills amounts to £25,000 a j month, and among' other industries i established are two immense foundries, | the largest creosoting plant in America, planing miils, sash and blind factories, shingle mills, arm and pin factories, lighting plants, refrigerating plants, bottling works, etc. The description of Beaumont is certainly pleasant reading'. Can we yet hope for something of tlio sort in Gisborne ?