The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-12-11

we'll, where the reel was made fast to a |
stout post From there its cord, which |
terminated in an iron hook, was carried |
through block hung directly above the
pipe that extended thousand feet down
into the earth. A number of drillers and
other men interested in the we'll, who
had been lounging about the derrick,
left In body as the torpedo-man
entered it carrying two cans Of nitro
glyeerine, and followed him with two
more. They walked of to respectful
distance. and there sat down to await
developments
Then we-for now found myself in
stalled as chief assistant-proceeded to
business. First the small tin tubes
were jointed together until they formed
a pipe sixty feet long, and were thrust
into the we'll. where held them in po-
sition. This was the anchor. and Its
duty was to support the large tubes or
Shells" at the proper distance above
the bottom Of the deep hole. Next one
of the larger-ten feet long-tubes, that
had funnel-like end. was fitted into
the upper anchor tube, and I was in
structed to let the whole slip down un-
til only foot of the shell projected
above the surface. Then tho torpedo
man withdrew the corks from the
glycerine cans, and slowly but steadily
poured the contents OF two of them into
the she'll 1t seemed as though the
ten-foot drop must afford o conclusion
sufficient to produce an explosion, and
am certain that as the first drops of
ho 0;1u c%- ~ ~ 1ok
of the shell my heart ceased its beat
ing. The cool steadiness of the tor
pedo-man. and his evident knowledge
Of what he was about, treasured me,
however, so that I not only held the
first she'll while 1t was being filed. but
the second, to which the first was at
tached by hooks of copper wire.
When both shells were filled and
hooked on to the stout cord that dan
gled above the we'll. a pcrcussion-cap
was placed under the tiring-pan, a small
| iron plato loosely fxod in tho upper
end of the torpe 10, and the whole was
let cautiously down u thousand feet
into the bosom of the earth. was told
that the last three hundred feet of its
passage were through body of oil and
water, that would act as tamping for
the shot.
When the torpedo rested on the bot
tom Ut the we'll, slight jerk disengaged
the line by which it had been lowered,
and this was reeled in. Then the tor
pedo-man said, interrogatively:
~ suppose you would like to drop the
'go-devil?'"
Certainly" answered. felt that
had gone too far to recede from any
part OF tho undertaking now. and so I
prepared to drop the ''go-devil."
1t was four-fanged bit of cast-iron,
about foot long and pointed at the
/ lower end. It weighed some ten pounds,
ard was just large enough to slip read
lily down the we'll pipe.
The torpedo-man went to unfasten
the horses, and get them started away
before the explosion should take place,
leaving me alono in the derrick, hold
ing the bit of iron that was to unloosen
the awful force lying so quietly at The
bottom OF the we'll. In another min
ute he shouted: Let her go!" 1
dropped the '.go-devil," and as it
whizzed downward on its errand of de-
struction ran with the speed of a
Splinter.
was q hundred yards away when
there came dull, muffled roar. followed
by sharp crack that sounded like the
explosion of a percussion-cap, and &C.
companied by slight jar of the earth.
A few seconds later solid column of
! black oil mounted fifteen or twenty feet
a 1x,o - h4 ,I,ov =
seemed to remain stationary for mo-
ment Then from out of it burst
magnificent fountain Of oil and water,
that, shooting to height of nearly
hundred feet, broke in a great cloud of
amber-colored spray. Directly after
ward flood of oil poured back to the
| earth. drenching the new derrick and
its adjacent buildings. and dedicating
them forever to the service of petro-
leum.
The shot had been a perfect success,
and before the drifting cloud of oily
spray was wholly dissipated, the tor
pedo man and were driving rapidly
from our scene Of triumph, homeward
bound.
But one moro duty remained to be
performed. We still had the empty
glycerine cans, in one of which was
about half pint of the terrible explos-
i've. Even the glycerine film that still
chung to the sides of each one of these
empty cans was sufficiently powerful to
have blown US into eternity, and We
were anxious to dispose of this danger
Gus remnant as speedily as possible.
For this purpose we halted in the first
bit of lonely forest. Tho four cans were
laid beside huge stump. and behind
them we piled number of rocks A
! bit of fuse had been prepared with cap
ct one end of it. This cap was now in.
serted in the open mouth of one Of the
cans from which the fuse projected
about foot
When al was ready, tho torpedo man
drove the team to safe distance. As
he disappeared l touched lighted
match to the fuse, and again ran. leav.
ing it kissing viciously among the dry
leaves ~.
The explosion was tremendous, and
its echoes rolled away among the hills
like the roar of , hundred-pound gun.
Where it had taken place there was no
vestige of the stump nor Of the cans, the
rocks had been reduced to powder. and
only great hole in the ground re-
NAMED.
Half an hour later we were safely
back in Oil City. As babe the torpedo
man good-bye he said: Come round
whenever you feel like taking another
ride. l like to have fellows along who
don't mind the STUFF "