The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-24
GENIUS IN THE OIL REGION.
DICK WARNER,s WAF OF HANDLING
yITRO-GLYCERISE


You would hnEO been plcASod moro times
shan I can tell II you had only known Dick
Warner" said IA talkativc man from the oil re.
gion. 'Dick was IL chap worth knowing. In.
deed, he was. Devil Dick, we used to call him,
and I don't know but what II was u fitting
. name for him.. Devil Dick. He was n nitro.
glycorinc handler in the carly days of that sud.
den and uapricious explosive agent, so useful 10
the oil operator. but so capable Of mixing up
and changing The aspect of things generally
when II gets going NJ the wrong time and place.
Dicks way Ut handling nitro.glycorinc was so
disingcnuous that whenever Dick had n load Of
the stuff to deliver 10 n well everybody else Mt
and about that well took to the woods. Unless
IL might he Dan Sutton. Dan was II chum of
Dicks. and had ns calm and unrutiled u
manner in handling nitro-glycerine as
Dick himself. Why. I've seen Dan and Dick
play catch with nitro glycerine they were I'M
loading, Dick tossing can after can to Dan, and
Dan catching 1t. just as II they were unloading
brick, although the missing OF a can by Dan
would mean that in less than n second you
couldn't find so much rs Il tocnail Of either.
But Devil Dick was the better worth knowing
OF the two. He wns original. lie he'd genius.
He was great.
"For instance. Dan Sutton would never have
thought OF doing such a thing as Dick did once
down ut Rooms camp. Dan might have been
willing to do it, but he never could have
AltbNs hh ~ hIs - VI sa'iltt j XVI IL
regular Dutch rolling skate on one day, and
was blowing around about what things he
could do. when who should come along but
Devil Dick with n load OF glyccrinc. The load
wasn't for any well around the camp. but Dick
stopped to listen to the drunken drillcr. Pretty
soon.h got Off his wagon and says 10 tho drillcr:
Pete says he, IN bet you so you can't
hit q can of Glycerine with IL stone at twenty
PAGES once out of ten times, and I'll hold the
can
That was enough to make everybody around
there prick up his cars. and when Peterson said
he'd take the bet and Dick stepped to the wagon
to get the can we all made tracks for high
ground. By the time VT got to u safe place
and stopped TO look back Dick had paced off
the distance and stood there holding the can of
giycerine at arms length, and the driller was
getting ready to make the throws. Five
throws were wild. The sixth one struck Dicks
arm not three inches from the can. That
Jared the can out OF Dicks hand. but he
caught it before it reached the ground. or the
throwing match would have ended there and then
with the total separation Of Dick and the driller
from all further earthly toll and tribulation.
The last four throws were all close to the can,
and the last one actually grazed it. Dick won his
bet, got his money. put his can back in the
wagon, and drove on his way.
;. That MAS genius: wasn't III And look what
pledge, and never touched. another drop of
liquor. He is living yet, rich and respected.
been for Devil Dick Warner. Lots OF men
profit by other mems genius just that way.
In those days the woods all through the oil
region, and the oil region ran pretty much all to
and ii was no uncommon sight to see a bear. or
9 panther, or IA lynx. or some other savage
oil towns, The lynx. especially, seemed to have
a liking for oil well men, and one particularly
big and savage one had its glazing eyes on Devil
Dick almost evrry day, when he was carting
nitroglycUrine over the lonely Corker Run road,
and and was nnN w@ Ia1 nic ltS S Snsn a = to to get away with with
with, n load of torpedoes, and he picked me up
on the way. was going to Jones,'s new drill
ways woods, l discovered a big Canada lynx
stealing along through the branches of the trees
at one side of the road and keeping only d few
feet behind us.
- Great Aaron. Dick said /, pulling Dicks
~ seen It this mile or more, said Dick. Its
hankerin' after Inc, and | only hope it'll keep on
after US till We git to Keery's opening. I'm
achin' for it to do that. Then I'll surprise it
"keery's opening was a gap in the woods and
on. The lynx kept right on. and when we got
% INC opening the animal was still with us:
The lynx had crouchcd down. only a fcw
feet from the edge, of the nearest wall Of tho
intended to scatter him, he grabbed up a can
of nitro.glyccrine and hurled it with all his
Nigh, at TT. the animal iS which was not more than
the lynx with a dull thump. and the yielding flesh
n ana tGr did Tbn not foG Offer r. r ,Ss b,n"c r enough to eX,
over on its back. and the can began to roll
slowly town a gradual decline that led from
wall. am not ashamed to say that | stood
somewhat aghast at this display of genius on
slant the can rolled over the wall and dropped
on the rocks at the bottom the explosion that
surely follow, and that the man | had an impor-
tant engagement with at Jores's new drilling
that day would look for me in vain.
Quick as | could do it, and it must have been
pretty quick. I jumped from the wagon. tore
spot where the torpedo would roll over the edge
OF the ravine. with my hands raised to catch it
the rocks. 4 scrass 2 bush Of s some kind neIi grew
on the edges OF the rocks at the top OF the wall,
cam Of T mitro-Flyss "s in R had p rolled ID TO On" the ea edge and md
struck against ne main stem OF the bush. The
heavier end ! dipped down u until nj ' It hung sA@ over 1re
the wall two inches, and in that position the
can stopped. II seemed as il a breath of wind
AL this had taken but very few seconds.
hhG instant ! SAY the can lodge against the
could go: for | give you my word | was afraid
f from '9 IbgHTs sn T0 seatts arG pic hef snS m we ( got : us away .y
the lynx, and wanted to hurry Dick up.
When I got to the wagon, though, there stood
it, though, and looked around at me with dis.
gust and disappointment on his face, and, mer.
ciful me, how he was swearing!
Tho Internal varmint has give me the slip
and took 10 the woods!' no hollered. Lord!
How I'd like TO bust ono o these shells on his
carcass!
"Dick put the can back and we drove on,
Dick swearing till | had n notion to get out and
walk. Before ! had made Up my mind fully a
roar and a rumble came following us down the
road, and a shower of rock thumped and pat
tered on all sides OF us. We hadn't got away
half a minute too soon. The torpedo had lost
Its hold on the bush and dropped to the bottom
of tho ravinc.
Its too laundering bad! Devil Dick ripped
put before the rocks were done falling. How
lynx IL it had only struck right
That was Dick-pevil Dick Warner. Gen
handling nitro-glyccrine in his whole. souied
and on Inland manner for ten years and more he
bhould die, of u carbuncle. Poor Devil Dick!
You would have enjoyed knowing him, I'm
sure you would"
alta CKED By MUSKRATS.