Yesteryears:Jan 16, 2001 Vol 11 No 3
'Tuesday, January 16, 2001 Section of'The Sa[em 9{,ews ------------~· --------~------~ By l\U.RK BABINIECK Oil had been produced in Associated Press Writer Pennsylvania for nearly half a BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) - century and small wells were Spindletop Hill was not the first active in Texas when amateur oil strike in the United States, geologist Pattillo Higgins insist nor was it the world's first pe ed there was oil beneath lonely troleum" geyser," as it was Spindletop Hill, south of Beau called on Jan. 10, 1901. mont along the coastal plain. Yet the massive strike came at Higgins found backing, but the right time, as automobiles several abortive drilling at were emerging and the industri tempts exh21.usted the money. al revolution was looking for Desperate for technical help, new fuel. Higgins placed newspaper ads, "Back in '01, Beaumont for a and Antnony Lucas, an Austri week there was in every inter an expert on salt dome forma national newspaper ... with tions, responded. headlines saying, 'Oil Found in Lack of money and difficult Texas,'" said Ryan Smith, execu terrain curtailed another tive director of the Texas Energy drilling operation in 1899, but Museum. the project got new life when On Wednesday, with a tower $300,000 was funneled to Lucas ing column of water spouting from industrialist Andrew Mel from a replic_a 1901 derrick, Tex lon. ans recreated the scene 100 On land adjacent to Higgins' years to the minute after the tract, Lucas went back to work gusher erupted at Spindletop. Oct. 27, 1900, with the help of The geyser of water spewed Texas drillers Al and Curt about 150 feet through the der Hamill.
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