The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-03-15
BORING A GAS-wELL
4 Vivid Description OF en- Inter-
esting Operation
The Crude. Transif0ry. simple Machinery
Of . Gas-Wen Drili-Ths Athistic
Driller Al NTorE-tfau the Gas
l. Capped aud l'iped.

You drive across the drr. sunny izudscaps
toward the derrirk Of the gas-NeH; you
abght and In q grassy field YOU come upon
q shining black boiler. whose gauges and
other Gppurt enunces hayc glittering CON-
pleteness. writes MARI Dean IN the Indian
apoIs J0araa II stands on lDJse stones
and logs Of wood. appar-utly. tossed down
a. random. A tall swarthy boy, whose hat
has lost is brim. is lOunging there. Oc-
casionauy he opens door under the boiler.
and you see glowing ire while he lightly,
with strong. free gesture. t0sses in great
splinters Of cUal from pile dumped en- the
grass near BY A long. slack belt runs from
this boiler into a carlessly-built shed Of new
boards. and therein stands the engine that
runs the gas-well drill that you have come
70 see; you perceive its huge protesting
beam rising and falling ss il lifts and drops
the wen-drill The engine Is small, sturdy,
compact. and designed for the express Pur-
pose Of drilling gas wells.
Near the engine stands the tan, open
structure Of the derrick. and IN its center
hangs the gas-wen drill, which is simply an
enormous chisel continually rising and fan
ing 70 the bottom Of the well By means Of
the engine. The derrick stands on = light
platform, across one side Of which is . seat
occupied OF evenings by row Of young
glrls neatly dressed and wrapped, and haY-
ing their hair prettlly arranged. Beyond
the row Of girls, outside Of the derrick, II
a crowd Of bows frantic 70 get N. "NoP'
says the drill master. Them boys has got
70 keep on that benchl That bench is for
the lsdiesm Other young fellows, In de-
Bpair Of getting In, are laughing, smoking
and talking IN groups outside. On the other
side Of the platform Of the derrick, oppoSite
the ladies' seat. IS forge in full blast,
where the drill IS sharpened when needtul,
and before this stands = group Of local dig
nitaries, stockholders m the well, working
men and others, comfortably hobnobbing
while they watch the work VI drilling, and
behind them are more hopeless boys ravinR
crazy 70 get "a peep Al the drill, but unable 70
do 50.
Nothing is more wonderful than the mA-
CD inery Of a gas-wen drill Il is i'm
promptu. Il is crude, il is transitory, and Il
Is simple. yet il is amazingly efective-solid
wrought steel and brass would not equal IL.
A peg nailed 10 beam. as II Just picked up
and fastened there. Is exactly the right
thing, as you see, when the drill-mAstsT
tOsses the end Of q rope over Il and stops Q
whirling reel by its means. An iron hook
projecting through a hole IN q board regu-
lates the throttle Of the engine, q dangling
rope reverses the engine, which is At q little
distance, various poker handles, sticks,
rings and strings do the work Of doten
men, for they are close 70 the hand OF the
drill-master, and be has no one 10 help him
He is boss and all hands" He keeps
down the boys, is polite 70 the lucky ones
whom he admits 70 bic derrick platform,
regulates the engine and works the drill,
which be constantly whirls with bis hands,
that II may drill the hOie circulariy, and be
can feel II il Is going right
Once In two hours the drill Is stopped and
is lifted from the well by It's suspending
rope, which swiftly winds itself on 3 vast
rough windlass, with 4 pungent friction
smoke from hemp and wood the monstrous
drIl with jerk hangs itself high up N the
derrick, at the viii OF the master, and now
the dril-man proceeds 70 measure the well,
which is hole four inches across, In the
middle Of the platform He uses q steel
tape, an elegant implement made FOR the
purpose, marked only once in tifly feet, and
wound on reel. He fastens plummet 70
q clamp on the end Of the tape, and down Il
drops, one thousand feet 20 the wells bot
tom BE winds il up again by hand, care
with 4 clean cloth, and then oiling It with
another cloth. lest II be cOrroded Hs an
nounces the depth Of the well, and next
brings up the minute, broken stone debris
from the wells bottom.
The well is dry being lined with pipe 10
keep the water cut. To clean out its debris
be must throw into Il few pals Of water,
and then. slap dab, down At the end Of q
rope he drops a tail. slim bucket, swiftly
running from another windlass IN the der
rick. The bucket has valve IN its base
through which Lhe water rushes; the
weight Of the water shuts and holds down
the valve while the water Is being hOsited.
Look Out. now! Don't get wound up
yourself Tins isn't dry goods storsi
Hands on. and out Of the way every bOdyl
Some handle. hook Or crook reverses the
bucket windlass, and, bang, up comes the
bucket, as quickly as II fell and, whangl IL
Is dumped into q hole in the floor with q
thud that knocks the valve OF and lets the
water, with its debris Of stone chips run
away out of sight Then the bucket hies
up 70 its place on hook high in the der
rick.
Every thing IS done with jerking velO-
city. every thing is balanced BY q rough
log, or other seeming careless appliance, 90
that it floats OF at touch; every thing
shows American economy and adaptation.
The driller himself is an athlete and q cap
able person.
When gas IS struck II the well belongs
to the Standard Oil Company, it is capped !;
not an ounce is wasted, and IL 70 be
marketed the gas Is piped in the costly and
magnificent wrought-iron pipes Of this
great company, whose 7 joints require two
men 70 lift them. II the well belongs 70 Q
ANAL amateur company, 1t is lighted and
wastes itself indefinitely with an odd, howl
ing scream, that Affects the mind strange
ly. The scream Of burning gas well IL .
new sound on this planet After long
time, perhaps, the amateurs will put down
some cheap pipes having lead joints which
malt the Izaaf heat rr-harno rv-ffI sor,a