They reached a total depth of approximately 58 feet of which 40 feet was in bedrock. It was a salt well. The Ruffner brothers were the inventive pioneers of drilling in North America. They even tubed the well with wooden pipe to prevent weaker salt water from mixing with the brine of their main pay zone. Their feat spurred the salt industry and eventually led to spring-pole drilling for oil.
Percussion drilling is another name for cable-tool drilling.
It refers to the blows delivered to the rock by the bit. 2001, all rights reserved.