The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-03-24
Shooting an Oil Well,

shooting well is almost an every day occur
who never saw it done, and who do not know
the manner in which the torpedo is lowered
into the well until it touches the exact point
where the shot is needed, and how it is after
ward shot off. One reason for this ignorance
probably is the fear of being around in the
vicinity of the dangerous stuff, which frequent
ly explodes without giving notice by adver
tisement in the newspapers three days in adj
vance. And when it does explode the vicini-
ty is more dangerous than buzz saw or a
moving machine A man who attends one
Of these explosions looks like a handful of sau-
sage meat thrown at a barn door when his
friends come to look at him, and they can
never be certain that all of him has come
down. This fact prevents the shooting of
well becoming so popular a sight as circus,
nor is the vicinity of nitro lycerine maya
zine particularly inviting for Sunday school
picnic.
Believing that description Of the shooting
of well would be interesting to the Derrick "a
reporter recently witnessed the operation from
beginning to end. The locality was the
Stoneham field, and the exhibition was in
charge of J. r. Kuhn, with Jerry Bretcil as
general manager. The nitro-glycerine had
been taken from the magazine to the well the
night before. There it was thawed out by
placing the cans in water heated by steam.
Then the cans were wrapped in blankets and
placed under the boiler to prevent them
chilling, where they were left uLtil morning.
The next morning, in company with Mr..
Khun and the owner of the well, the Derrick
drove to the place. where preparations were
being made for the shot 1t being a cold
morning the well owner and reporter entered
the boiler-house for warmth, and sitting down
on some blocks Of wood placed their feet on
some blankets beneath the boiler. Their
probable guesses on the probable course of the
oil market were suddenly interrupted by the
entrance of Jerry, who said he was sorry to
disturb them but he needed the nitro-glycerine
and he proceeded to throw off the blankets on
which their feet had rested, exposing to view
seven tin cans containing 40pounds of the ex-
plosive. That gathering suddenly adjourned
out OF doors, notwithstanding that Jerry as
sured them they were not in the way. The
reporter said he wasn't cold, and believed the
weather had moderated; anyhow, he wanted
to go out and move around little for
exercise.
The measuring line-a steel ribbon-was
now run into the well, and its exact depth
noted. When the drillers penetrated the sand
they had marked the depth, so that now they
knew exactly how far from the bottom the
torpedo need to be placed. in order that the
shot should be more effective.
The quantity of nitro glycerine to be ex-
ploded in this well was forty quarts. For the
purpose two torpedoes containing twenty
quarts each were used. The torpedo case is
made of tin, from six to eight feet long and
about three inches in diameter 1t looks like
the section of a waterspout used on houses,
except that the bottom is closed, and at the
other end wire bail is attached by means of
which it is lowered. At the lower end of the
torpedo is fastened long piece of hollow tin
tube an inch in diameter, called the anchor.
If the shot is to be ten feet from the bottom,
this piece of tin tube is ten feet long, and in
different wells is proportional to the required
depth of the hole; its purpose being for the
torpedo to rest upon. A reel is now fastened
to the crank of the belt Wheel and the end OF
this cord carried over small pulley placed d.
rectly over the centre of the hole. At the end
OF this cord is an iron hook, which is hooked
to the bail of the torpedo and the latter is now
suspended in the well, ready to be filled The
cans containing the nitro glycerine are made
OF tin, nearly square, and each containing six
quarts, or twenty pounds of the stuff In one
corner of the can is a hole for pouring the con-
tents out. A funnel, crooked at the end, so
as to allow the glycerine to glide down the
sides of the torpedo, instead of dropping to
the bottom, is used for filling Taking a seat
IN front of the torpedo, the torpedoist pours
the nitro-glycerine out steadily and rapidly,
until the case is filled. Great care must be
taken that no drops fall on the outside ofthe tor
pedo,as there is then danger of its exploding by
rubbing against the casing while being lowered
The first torpedo filled it is slowly lowered to
the bottom, and the cord moved up and down
until it becomes unlocked from the torpedo
and is then pulled out and the second case
hooked to it, At the bottom of the second
torpedo is a tin tube similar to the anchor
excepting that broad wooden disc is fastened
at the end This disc rests on the torpedo
first lowered, and the distance between the
two is from three to five feet, according to cir
cumstances. In the top of the upper torpedo
is an iron disc with halfinch hole in the cen
tire. When the case has been filled with CIV
cerine small iron rod three or four inches
long, with percussion cap at the lower end
and broad, round iron cap at the upper, is
inserted in the hole, and the torpedo is then
ready to be lowered. This is done very care
fully, and the cord having been withdrawn it
only waits to be shot off
When this point had been reached the Der
rick reporter was called upon to drop the
weight. This was simply piece of inch iron
pipe foot and halt long, with bent wires
soldered on the sides as guide to keep it in
the center Of the hole. This in falling strikes
upon the iron cap mentioned above, which
protrudes above the top of the torpedo; this
OAp1ouCc tIiC pCiSuSolOA WulCu SGbS OIL Tile
nitro -glycerine.
Taking the iron weight, the Derrick reporter
held it over the hole while the spectators got
to safe distance, and then let go. The iron
could be heard ringing against the casing on
its downward journey, while the reporter
moved out of the derrick toward the woods.
We say the reporter moved; locomotive
moves over the rails, sometimes at the rate
of mile minute; horse moves around
race-course at pretty fair gait. AT dis
lance of three hundred feet stand was made
and everybody oraced up for the expected
shot. 1t seemed to take that iron long time
to reach the bottom thousand feet down in
the ground. There was slight crack, some
thing like the swapping of cap near by; then
sound of air rushing from the casing. but no
jar or shock was perceptible. The gas and
fluid in the hole could be heard rushing up
ward; then a column of OIL sprayed and yell
low, sprang halfway up the derrick, fell back
little, as if preparing for greater spring