The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-12-12
WITH A ~TORPEDO-MAN.
Shooting an Oil Wen in Ponnsyl.
vania-
or Nan'~ Experience with Slsro-clycer-
Inc .n the oil Fields 81 d Key
stone state-I~ttine Loose
the ~Go-Devil."

Want TO 60 well-shooting. do your
said ms friend the broker As We stood
IN the Petroleum Exchange at Oil City.
~NelL. every n TO his taste. Now
nothing wonl. induce me to travel with
A ,orpclo-man- However, Ill fix 1t for
I you
vas thereupon introduced to . quiet
young man, who said he was q we'll
shooter. was going to torpedo . well
some six miles out in the country at
daylight the next morning, and would
be very glad I have me 60 with him.
At four o'clock tho following morn
i~ngIawai,ed. at the stable where he kept
his spirited team. the coming Of my
new fri nd. A few minutes later he
appeared. bearing on his shoulder q
bundle az new tin tubes ten feet long
and iwo and q We inches in diameter
The torpedo-wagon in which we were
torile was an open. single-seated box
buggy hung on The lightest and most
debate steel springs The scat was
hinged and swung forward. Beneath
i:ss a strong box divided into six
SQUARE padded compartments To my
grtI relief they were empty.
Nhle a sleepy hostler was harness
lr- TIE team-two ~jct-black spirited
PONG animals. for a torpedo-man prides
himself upon the mettle Of his horses
III companion affixed to the left-hand
SHE NJ the buggy two curved iron rests.
something like those placed az the back
* ayictim's head BY a photographers.
Itey arr also padded. and in them was
Aali and securely llshcd the bundle Of
~ tlbcs. In tile buggy. behind the
eat were placed a heavy iron reel on
TAith we're wound some tvo thousand
tett u stout oil-soaked cord. a coil 81
tuse. another of small wire. and a ''go-
devil As We took our places and the
iisely team sprang away ! yentured 70
remind the torpcdo-man that he had
forgotten his nitro-glycerinc-
IN. no. haven't he laughed II
an not allowed to bring IL into town.
Dri keep Il in several small magazines
som miles out in the woods. near the
inherent roads that l nave TO travel.
There Is one not far from the we'll we
are going 70 shoot this morning. so that
"e sha'n't have to drive more thar a
nile With the stun aboard
The morning air seemed to in~toxicatc
or team. for they danced along the
rad, occasionally springing from side
q SIDE in mock terror Of a STUN D. q
olack bvwlder. or the puff Of steam from
= pumping-engine. These exhibitions
M equine rccklessncss and disregard Of
eonseque nces were by no means rcas-
suflng. and would have been most alarm.
ahg had the STUFF been under our bug
~ sat.
w passed several teams. and the
moment their drivers caught sight Of
'ne cleaning tin tubes that denoted
WI character Of our cquipage. they
u'cM a. far as possible tc the side OF
~ road. and respectfully waited for us
q rass.
I'm yes" said the torpedo man: II
aiNays have all the room | want. Nobody
EYER crowds this outfit
Al length we we're high up on the
.lii-ion, where the not morning sun
r.a alsSipated the mist that still lay
.Ar 4 soft gray blanket over tho low.
aus All az once we turned sharply
4 'ne left, and directly into the dense
.o'est The trees had been cut from
\ 'uae trail that we now followed.
s-s'neir stnmps remained. Over these,
49, loose rocks, and through bog holes
~. active horses scrambled. and the
.asn' buggy bounced with such plungcs
enss scat