GEOLOGICAL PAPERS. 131 



work, showing the arrangement of the flues and drafts, method of 

 stirring the plaster, fire arches, vapor- and smoke-stacks. This ex- 

 hibit, enclosed by a brass rail, made one of the most instructive ex- 

 hibits in the building, because the beauty of the architecture and 

 sculpture of the entire fair was wrought in plaster made from gypsum 

 rock. Here in the Kansas space was the only exhibit on the fair- 

 grounds which showed how the marble halls, sculptured urn and statue 

 were made possible ; how the soft, white gypsum rock could be 

 converted by heat in properly constructed kettles into plaster for this 

 temporary city of palaces. It was fitting that the Kansas display 

 should include such an exhibit, since a large percentage of the ma- 

 terial for these buildings came from Kansas. This was, perhaps, for 

 the reasons given above, one of the most valuable displays in the 

 Kansas space, and while it was a very expensive exhibit, it was well 

 worth the cost, and the expense was met by the Elirsam company, 

 which deserves the appreciation of the state for their interest in our 

 display. 



OIL. 



When the great fair was hold in Chicago, and Kansas came to the 

 front with good displays, there was one mineral industry which be- 

 longed to the lesser products, and no one dreamed that by the time of 

 the next great exposition this small industry would be attracting the 

 attention of the world. The developed oil-fields of Kansas at that 

 day, and even two years ago, were small, but to-day the oil men of 

 the country are looking to Kansas for the future supply. 



Realizing the great importance of this industry, it was hoped that 

 we could make our greatest exhibit that of oil. In this we were dis- 

 appointed ; vain efforts were made time and time again to interest 

 the oil companies in making the finest oil exhibit at St. Louis. The 

 golden opportunity was ours, and with our rapidly growing fields we 

 should have made easily a gold-medal exhibit. Our oil companies 

 were too busy drilling new wells to stop and take an interest in a St. 

 Louis oil exhibit. It was a great loss to our fine exhibit and to our 

 oil centers not to have an exhibit commensurate with our oil re- 

 sources. Yet, with this drawback, Kansas had an oil exhibit which 

 attracted more attention than any other in the building excepting 

 that of the Standard Oil Company. 



The oil exhibit consisted of ornamental glass jars filled with 

 samples of crude oils from the different fields arranged in a pyramid, 

 surmounted by a large pitcher of oil. Samples of oil- and gas- well 

 sands were placed with the samples of oil. In this exhibit the fol- 

 lowing, localities were represented: Humboldt, Chanute, Neodesha, 

 Thayer, Cherryvale, Peru, Buffalo, Coffeyville, La Harpe, Independ- 

 ence, Longton, Le Roy, Erie. 



