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“The location for the drilling site was made on a 40 acre parcel lying south of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and west a short ways from the depot at Clermont Harbor. Our drilling contractor was the late Fred Banderet,
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around Bay St. Louis shows such similarities to the above mentioned geological conditions that I am firmly convinced the same formation crosses the Mississippi River and appears again in the State of
who had been at Spindle top and! Mississippi I would greatly recomother Texas points where he had mend to continue boring this test drilled wild cat wells. Our rig was well, as the indications are very a cable tool outfit (before the days! favorable for striking petroleum
of the rotary rig), with a derrick about 45 feet high made from sawed timber. We used a steam boiler, fired with pine knots gathered from the surrounding piney woods. The holf was drilled a total depth of abcut 1800 feet and there were re-
Prof. F. C. Thielen New Orleans, La., April 9th, 1902.’
“So Mr. Hughes, a successful geologist and producer of oil, proved Prof. Thiele’s analysis, and my father’s firm belief, that oil would be found west of Bay St. Louis
portedly some shows of oil, with in Hancock County, Mississippi."
Famous Actress, Famous Author Accidentally Met In Bay St. Louis
Either in 1888 or 1889 an early morning L & N Mail Train, approaching Bay St. Louis over the bridge, lost a section of a wheel in the bay and was compelled to stop at Bay St. Louis for hours while the repair was made.
Captain Toulme, who then operated the Crescent Hotel, was immediately notified to feed and take good care of all the train’s passengers until they could be carried on through to New Orleans.
Captain Toulme agreed and Mrs. Toulme almost fainted. With a whole trainload of people to suddenly accomodate and feed, frantic for lack of food and competent help. Mrs. Toulme desperately sent out hurry calls to good friends and good neighbors who responded gallantly and promptly.
One of the impromptu waitresses on that historic occasion was the wife of U. S. Congressman E. J. Bowers, who was terrified at the temperamental invectives (most of •them in French and most of which she understood) hurled at all and sundry by one of the obviously distinguished and also obviously enraged female passengers.
In the clatter and confusion that accompanied the serving of the really excellent food Mrs. Bowers finally discovered that the irate personage was none other than the
Divine Sarah Bernhardt herself, surrounded by her equally distinguished but heartily eating cast.; Sarah was in a blue rage. Her schedule had been shattered by an; inconsiderate, ungallant piece of iron!	%
But on the same train enroute to California and at the same table opposite the seething Sarah was a' quiet man accompanied by his family, who it was much later discovered was the equally famous Maurice Thompson, well known author of the then popular novel "Alice of Old Vincennes.”
As much as the world’s greatest actress was perturbed, the equally renowned writer was enthralled.
It was this accidental stop-over at Bay St. Louis that caused him. to cancel the California trip and spend all winter at Bay St. Louis. And, if the oldtimers will strain their memory a little, they’ll re-" member that it was in Bay St. Louis that Maurice Thompson wrote his popular "King of Honey Island” with scenes laid in that section between Carroll and Ulman Avenues and along the beach.
The Thompson family visited the Bay for many years, and the author himself often admitted that most of his famous novels were written at the old Crescent Hotel.
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