The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-28
irand River valley and thereafter called
FooLINe viii MTRo-eLYcER!NE::
The Fun Had by Some Bears That Ended
Tragically.

| In Gne OH regions once UlaG DdS Always Deeu
looked upon as one of the many mysterious
happenings of that country, said ]. c. Henry,
one Of the early operators in Venango coun-
ty, to New York Sun writer recently, "be-
cause people would never believe what told
them about it and the way it came to occur.
My explanation Of it was the truth, though,
and | am the only person who actually knows
that the explosion was not of any mysterious
origin. 1t was the result of one of the most
curious incidents that ever came to pass in
that curious country.
81 think it was in i64 that Roberts, the tor
pedo man, first demonstrated the utility of
his nitro-glycerine torpedoes for shooting oil
wells after they had been drilled. Soon after
they came into use l had put down a well in
one of the widest parts Of the region, and
any one who was ever in that section of the
state at that time has some idea of what that
means. Nitro-glycerine, being a new thing,
people hadn't got used to handling it yet, and
but few safeguards had been thrown around
the carrying and storing of the deadly stuff.
We all knew that it was apt to go off on very
slight provocation sometimes, and it was
going off every day, here and there about the
region, and wiping folks off the face of the
earth as completely as if they had never been
on it.
1--WE struck the sand in my well along to-
ward the evening of July s. There was a
good showing for oil, and all it wanted was
good shot of nitro-glycerine. had ordered
a supply of the stuff, and it was to have been
at the well that day, but hadn't come. The
next day being the Fourth, and my men
having made arrangements for celebrating
somewhere down along the creek, we con-
cluded to suspend operations until the 5th. l
had no idea the nitro-glycerine would be de-
livered on the Fourth. remained at the
well that day, and to my surprise the team
ster came in with big can Of the explosive
didn't care to have it around, and wanted
him to take it back and come with it the next
day, but he wouldn't do it, and placed it on
tine derrick floor
WILD ANIMALS PLENTY.
81 made up my mind to get away from
there as soon as 1 could. The woods were full
of wild animals still, and scarcely a day
passed that bear and wild cats were not seen
prowling around. 1 stepped into the derrick
to get my coat, and while l was there heard
a noise IN the brush, and looking out saw two
big bears slouching along right toward the
derrick. wasn't posted on bear, and with
out waiting to think much about it, being
pretty well frightened, sprang for the lad
der and climbed up into the derrick, and got
on beam twenty feet or SO above the floor
to wait for the unwelcome visitors to go on
about their business. 1t seemed, though, that
they had made up their minds that their bust
ness required them TO make an investigation
of the premises, and they came right on and
shambled III ON the derrick floor They nosed
around among the machinery, dangled the
ropes, and clattered about generally. They
didn't appear to be in any hurry at all, and /
began to get uneasy.
FooLING WITH THE NITRo-GLYCERINE.
"But if / was uneasy over their fooling
around among tho machinery, what do you
suppose my feelings were when the bright
tin can containing the nitro-glycerine caught
the eyes of the bears, and they began to push
and roll it about on the floor? The perspira-
ton rolled off Of me in great beads. and l
actually believed that l could feel my hair
turning white didn't know what minute
the bears would thump the can against some
thing hard enough to explode it. What the
result of such catastrophe would have been
it isn't necessary to hint at. But all the while
the bears were having great fun with the can
BY and by one of the bears lifted it in his
paws and rose up on his hind feet, holding
the can at arms length, fully six feet from
the floor. All he had to do was to drop it, and
all my men would have found when they
came back next day would have been big
hole in the ground. As the bear stood there
holding that can of death his companion rose
up on his hind feet two or three yards away,
and gazed at him in an expectant sort Of
way. I had often heard that bears amused
themselves in melon patches in playing catch
with one another by chucking a melon to
and fro between them. made up my mind
that these two bears were about TO have lit
tie diversion OF that kind with that can of
nitro-glycerine. I shut my eyes and waited
for the climax that would surely follow. It
didn't come, and l looked down again and
found that the bears had changed their minds
about that game of catch, and were rolling
the can about on the floor again.
AN IDEA STRUCK THEM
"By and by new idea seemed TO strike
the jolly pair. A hundred yards or SO from
the derrick there was a rocky ravine. One
of the bears rolled the can out of the derrick,
and both of them began to scramble with 1t
on the ground, competing with one another
in giving it impetus over the rough surface
In the direction of the ravine. At every
shove the can was liable to be sent flying
against some one of the many big stones that
lay thick on the ground, but by some good
fortune 1t missed them every time, and at
last the bears had jostled it along almost to
the ravine. ! was so weak and trembling
from the fearful suspense had been subject
ed to that 1 could hardly keep my hold on
my perch regarded the danger as practi-
nd 81
gether to get down from there and take to
the woods, when L saw one of the bears rear
up on his launches with the nitro-glycerine
can in his paws. He stood close to big
rock. BE raised the can above his head, and
saw at once that he had made up his mind
to find out what there was in that can, any
how. l threw my arms and legs around the
beam and hung on for dear life. The bear
hurled the can against the rock There was
a sound as of twenty claps of thunder rolled
into one. The earth shook, and my derrick
swayed and ratified. There was shower Of
rock and trees and dirt for acres around
When that ceased everything was as still as
the tomb. Down where the bears stood there
was yawning gulf. I got down somehow
from my perch on the derrick, and made my
way to the scene Of the explosion. Among
all the debris it had scattered about there
wasn't any more traces of bear than If they
had been soap bubbles that had burst. The
explosion was heard for miles, but people
laughed when attempted to explain it, and
TO this day they persist in calling it g pro-
found mystery"
1t Speaks Public Opinion.
The Iowa State Register hits the nail