Complex sentence: Snell started work on the refurbishment of the wells, fitting some with ladders for easier access, but he abandoned the work after well 35, accounts vary reporting that he either ran out of materials or the desert became too much for him.
Split into simpler sentences: Snell started work on the refurbishment of the wells, fitting some with ladders for easier access, but he abandoned the work after well 35. Reports vary that he either ran out of materials or the desert became too much for him.