Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-04

had to be done twice: but. in time, with
ropes and tackle. a nipple and an open
gate valve. and joint OF pipe made up
| tight into one piece, were swung from the
| torn and shattered derrick. Failure fol-
| lowed failure before 1t was firmly screwed
into the wen casing. Then pipe was
| taken at random without regard to owner
| ship, and made into a line few hundred
| feet long, at the end OF which the gas was
| set on fire. The titanic shrek stopped
| II Niagara were suddenly turned TO stone. :.
| There was only the dull roar OF a great
flame twisting and winding in unearthly
1 beauty.
There's oil in that gas strata. notice
them red streaks in that blue hame7' said
/ Tom.
Seth looked at It, with tears rolling down
| his set face.
| We've got to kill that gas first" said
| Seth. II wish we had Decker's hydraulic
pump, old Betsy I loaned him boiler
| once; his fireman was too fond OF dime
| libraries and he let the crown sheets blow
| out. never got paid for Ii, either. Well
| just go and take II. Garragan has the
! mules and wagon and he Is In Houston to-
| day celebrating Christmas. but his stable
niggers will die for me. We ought to have
| nine sticks of GO. per cent dynamite down I'm
| that hole before night"
| Tom was on without thought OF sleep or
stomach. He was thinking. II wonda what
old Mista Napoleon would do In Texas oil
| field"
The other men took off their clay masks.
pulled the waste from their aching ears. alto
| ravenously. drank like men half-dead Of
| thirst, then set TO work making the neces-
| sary foundation and steam connections for
| "Decker's Old Betsy"
| Before these were ready. the sun was
| down, but by the light OF the huge gas
J flare. six jack-rabbit mules came dragging
a wide-wheeled wagon. In the middle.
| heavily chained TO the bed, was odd
Betsy" With rollers. skds and crow bars
she was coaXed into place on the hastily
made foundation. The wheel of the gate
valve was screwed tight and the light from
the great torch went out There was only
little glimmer from new moon. When
Betsy" was ready steam was turned on.
| and then the battle began.
| Fourteen inches of steam behind n nve-
inch piston It ought to go against that
gas" said Tom. She'll do six hundred
pounds I've seen her
! But il "Betsy's' credit was good for six
hundred she failed to show IT. She filed
| her suction pipe, made half dozen quick
strokes, and stood qulvering with effort.
steam letting from the safety valve.
| Look out" said Tom. There's gas COM
| ing up on the outside of the casing: there'M
be hell popping heath in a minute
The men scattered: the derrick founda-
| ton trembled. There a gurgle and
splash below the derrick floor.
| But Seth would not bulge at such crisis
| He remained alone In the trembling der
4 rick.
Hang a pair Of chain tongs on that safety
| waiver he shouted. Then he opened the
steam valve wide and stepped outside the
! derrick. The faithful "Old Betsy" slowly
| picked up her natural gait and. doggedly
| forced the gas back down the pipe under
! the pressure of steam and muddy water. I'M
til Seth. had his wild well under control.
Meanwhile some of the men had got tho
| wire, other the dynamite, another the
| plunger magnetic. .
| A long. heavy piece of cast iron was at
tached below the dynamite as a sinker.
Then the condensed humiliation was low.
cred carefully into the WELL with the ten-
| derness that would be shown a sick baby
| "She's on bottom" said Seth, unmindful
of the hazards as he pulled the wire up
| and down.
stand away Tom: I'll handle that mag
neto." D
Seth would never let his men take a risk
| that he could take himself. [
Here goes my best hope in this oil field.
| It makes me or breaks me-" he said as he
| attached the two black and greasy wires to
| the magnetic.
And then he took the lever with both
| hands and gave 1t a quick plunge.
! Far down below there was muffled
| thud. there was a CULVER OF the ground, an
| decd into mutter. a gurgle, growl. a
| roar, god-like whoop-and vast tower
| Of black oil was shooting aloft and splash
ing back with sound that was angelic
| symphony to the oil mems very souls :
| 1t was nearly midnight when Seth ap-
| peared again at the boarding house. which
| rising wind had swept clear Of the fumes.
| He washed up, as well as he could. in the
outside. but he was still somewhat thu
| worse for fatigue, and his anointment was
| overdone. But Alice gathered him close
| and kissed him more than once
| Even the baby had felt 1t unfit to sleep
| at such a crisis in their three lives. He sat
| up on the bed and earnestly hunted for his
| numerous toes in a shaft Of moonlight. {
| Seth was so excited that he began at once
| to gable business.
| 1--WE estimate the well at 15,OvJ barrels a
| day. Old Hazleton came round an hour ago
| and offered me $4,000 cash as she flows.
| But I told him that with oil at the presene
| price. I'd clean up that much In few days.
| so I declined. You see. $4,000 barrels OF
| oil at thirty-eight cents a barrel, Makes
| "You can tell me that tomorra, honey.y
said Alice. stopping his lips with a kiss
| aren't you glad I robbed the bank?"
! Eyes, I thought Of that" said Seth,
| sheepishly. I'm kind OF ashamed and kind
| Of proud. I guess 1t will be square IL We re-
| fund what we borrowed with 100 per cent
| for the loan. newspaper reporter asked
| me what the name OF this well would be-
| and I told him The Little Tin Bank He
| said, 'WhyT and said. Because"
And that's reason enough said Alice
| "But we owe 1t all to the baby" Then
| Seth, ST., and Mrs. Seth, ST., knelt down by
| the bed and seized Seth. jr. They kissed
, him and nuzzled him SO that he lost count
Of his toes and had to begin all over again